"THERE'S BEEN A SHIFT OF POWER"
Interview with Parag Khanna (PDF)
Who rules the world?
I don't think there's one single ruler. We're not seeing absolute hegemony, neither by America, China or the UN. Nor is there an absolute hegemony of capitalism, socialism, democracy or any other ideology. What interests me most is how we "manage" the world, in other words how we steer it with help from diplomacy. In the postmodern diplomacy that is now emerging, different players "manage" our world. They can be states, international organisations, multinationals, NGOs, religions, cities and their mayors, etc. The difference between a stable and an unstable world is the ability to develop a new system of diplomacy that encompasses all these players.
How is power now acquired?
Power can no longer be defined in terms of tanks, troops or nuclear weapons. Power is first of all an expression of authority, meaning the right to power and the recognition of power. Businesses have power because they manufacture products, create jobs and set up supply chains; states have power because they levy taxes and exert military pressure; religions have power because they create ideological dependency. There are many different forms of power and influence, and they can't all be measured by the same yardstick. The right question is: what do you have power over?
In whose favour has political power shifted in the last few years?
The distribution of power has changed to the disadvantage of the USA, and to the advantage of Europe, Asian countries such as China and India, and Middle Eastern oil-producers. But that's not all: the balance of power has also shifted in favour of cities, companies, foundations and other structures that strive to achieve clearly defined goals. We're therefore seeing a geographical as well as an institutional shift in the distribution of power.
Will we experience an actual change in power?
Considering the two above-mentioned trends, I'd say there's been a shift in power towards regional clusters, particularly in Europe, North America, South America, the Persian Gulf and East Asia. The regions are giving much more thought than previously to how they want to run their own affairs. This aspect is often overlooked.
Where would you tackle the system if you wanted to overturn it?
Even those who appear to be ruling the world – whether they're entitled to or not – are exposed to strong pressure and constant attacks from many different quarters – indigenous inhabitants, trade unions, terrorists and others. The system has many weak points because there are many gaps in governmental power. Even an apparently powerful emerging nation such as India suffers from a serious security problem caused by the Naxalites, Maoist guerrillas who exploit the state's inability to govern properly in large parts of the country. From Morocco and Pakistan to Indonesia, Islamist groups step in to fill the gaps wherever education, healthcare and other social facilities are
lacking.
Do you think that we will one day experience a different, perhaps even better, system than democracy? If so, what features would such a system need to have?
We don't of course enjoy universal democracy, so we already have a different system. At the present time, only half of all countries have a democratic system and we're very far from having anything resembling international democracy. Nor do I think that we'll ever experience anything like it, even if communication technology promises otherwise. What we can achieve is better coordinated and more effective diplomacy, and that should be our goal. I think it's more important to rectify the diplomatic rather than the democratic deficit.
Can you describe a moment in which you've felt personally powerful?
I felt powerful when I was in Iraq and Afghanistan with US troops. It was a unique experience to see how we use network structures to undermine those of militant groups such as the Taliban or Al-Qaeda. At the same time, we were in a very vulnerable position, right in the middle of the conflict zone. I think that's a good metaphor for the 21st century: even the most powerful positions are unprotected.
On 16 March 2011, the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI) in Rüschlikon/Zurich will host the 7th European Consumer Trend Conference entitled "The Return of Power – Who Controls Brands, Media, People?". Parag Khanna will be one of the speakers.