Fareed Zakaria Quotes

Powerful Fareed Zakaria for Daily Growth

About Fareed Zakaria

Fareed Zakaria is an acclaimed journalist, author, and CNN host of 'Fareed Zakaria GPS,' recognized for his insightful analysis on global affairs. Born in 1964, in Mumbai, India, he spent his early life steeped in intellectual discourse as the son of renowned Indian economist Amartya Sen. After completing his undergraduate studies at Yale University, Zakaria pursued a doctorate in political science at Harvard University, where he delved further into the study of international relations and foreign policy. In 1990, Zakaria joined Newsweek as an editor and eventually rose to become its Editor-at-Large and Washington Editor. His penetrating commentary on global affairs earned him a reputation as a sharp and incisive thinker. He then moved to Time Magazine in 1997, serving as its Editor until 2000, when he joined Newsweek International as its Editor-in-Chief. In 2008, Zakaria launched 'The Ghost War: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden,' a riveting exploration of U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan post-9/11, which was met with critical acclaim. His subsequent works include 'The Post-American World' (2008), 'The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad' (2007), and 'In Defense of a Liberal Education' (2015). Zakaria joined CNN in 2009 as host of 'Fareed Zakaria GPS,' providing weekly analysis on global events, political developments, and social trends. His latest book, 'Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World' (2020), offers insights into the future of global affairs in the wake of COVID-19. Throughout his career, Fareed Zakaria has been honored with numerous awards, including seven Emmy Awards and three honorary doctorates, reflecting both the depth and breadth of his work as a leading voice on international relations.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"In the globalized world, there is no such thing as 'America First,' because the United States of America is part of the world, and the world is inside America."

This quote emphasizes that in a globalized world, the concept of "America First" is antithetical to reality. Globalization means that countries like the U.S. are interconnected, and events happening elsewhere can significantly impact the U.S., just as events within the U.S. affect other nations. This perspective underscores the importance of international cooperation, understanding, and interdependence in addressing global challenges together.


"The essence of strategy is choice; the more acutely you see which games are being played, the better you are able to choose which games to play and which not to play."

This quote by Fareed Zakaria emphasizes that effective strategy lies in making thoughtful choices about where one invests time, resources, and energy. By accurately perceiving the various "games" or situations unfolding around us, we can discern which ones are worth engaging in, and which would be a waste of effort or potentially harmful. In essence, it underscores the importance of strategic thinking to achieve desired outcomes by wisely choosing our battles and aligning our actions with our objectives.


"America is a nation with a long tradition of welcoming immigrants – and throughout its history, it has enriched itself culturally, economically, and socially because of immigration."

This quote emphasizes that America's strength lies in its historical acceptance and integration of immigrants. The cultural, economic, and social growth of the United States is attributed to immigration, suggesting that diversity brought by immigrants has contributed significantly to the nation's prosperity and vibrancy. It highlights the idea that welcoming immigrants isn't just a matter of humanitarian concern, but also a strategic move for national development and progress.


"The most important question about globalization is not 'What are we going to do about it?' but rather 'What is it doing to us?'"

This quote emphasizes that instead of focusing solely on what actions should be taken regarding globalization, we should primarily consider its impact on us as individuals, societies, and nations. In other words, understanding how globalization shapes our lives, cultures, economies, and values is crucial before deciding how to react or adjust to it.


"We are at the beginning of a new kind of global order – one in which the United States, China, and other powers are all rising together."

This quote by Fareed Zakaria signifies that we are witnessing the emergence of a novel type of global order where multiple dominant nations like the U.S., China, and others coexist and grow simultaneously rather than one replacing another in a traditional hegemonic system. The focus shifts from competition and dominance to collaboration and interdependence among these key players on the global stage. This complex geopolitical landscape requires an approach that emphasizes diplomacy, cooperation, and understanding to navigate and thrive in this new era.


The Berlin Wall wasn't the only barrier to fall after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Traditional barriers to the flow of money, trade, people and ideas also fell.

- Fareed Zakaria

Cold, Soviet Union, Fell, Barriers

I very much want to be in the business of creating content, of doing stories all over the world rather than figuring out what the business model is for 'Newsweek' on the iPad, although that's very important work as well.

- Fareed Zakaria

Doing, Rather, Very, Newsweek

The tallest building in the world is now in Dubai, the biggest factory in the world is in China, the largest oil refinery is in India, the largest investment fund in the world is in Abu Dhabi, the largest Ferris wheel in the world is in Singapore.

- Fareed Zakaria

Factory, Largest, Tallest, Singapore

CNN is getting smarter, and you can feel it in the stories, you can feel it in the depth with which they're covered, the kinds of people in terms of guests who are brought on air, the way in which issues are discussed.

- Fareed Zakaria

Stories, Which, CNN, Guests

In the 1990s, we were certain that Saddam Hussein had a nuclear arsenal. In fact, his factories could barely make soap.

- Fareed Zakaria

Fact, Could, Hussein, Saddam

The markets are much more interested in America's long-term trajectory than they are in feeling that there is an acute short-term crisis.

- Fareed Zakaria

Crisis, More, Acute, Trajectory

There is a huge crisis of employment in America, in the Western world in general.

- Fareed Zakaria

World, Crisis, General, Employment

In a world awash in debt, power shifts to creditors.

- Fareed Zakaria

Power, World, Creditors, Shifts

I think it is quite untrue that it is standard journalistic practice to name the interviewer when quoting from an interview.

- Fareed Zakaria

Think, Standard, Quoting, Interviewer

Street protests in Saudi Arabia might warm our hearts, but they could easily lead to $250 a barrel oil and a global recession.

- Fareed Zakaria

Might, Could, Barrel, Protests

It's not possible for two countries to be the leading dominant political power at the same time.

- Fareed Zakaria

Same, Leading, Dominant, Political Power

The Chinese economy's still not that much of a consumer economy.

- Fareed Zakaria

Economy, Chinese, Still, Consumer

The American consumer, even today, the weight of the American consumer in the global economy is China plus India doubled. So, it's tough to replace that.

- Fareed Zakaria

American, Replace, Weight, Consumer

But as the arms-control scholar Thomas Schelling once noted, two things are very expensive in international life: promises when they succeed and threats when they fail.

- Fareed Zakaria

Two, Scholar, Very, Promises

One of the things that has been very difficult in Libya is the sense of uncertainty - the sense that they haven't actually finished the revolution, that there was still a great deal of uncertainty. That uncertainty has made Libya harder for business in terms of oil and other things as well.

- Fareed Zakaria

Been, Very, Still, Libya

The situation in Syria is quite different from Libya.

- Fareed Zakaria

Different, Syria, Quite, Libya

One of the great dilemmas for America will be that American companies will do very well while American workers might not.

- Fareed Zakaria

Will, Very, Dilemmas, American Companies

During the Cold War, we were interested because we were scared that Russia and the United States were going to go to war. We were scared that Russia was going to take over the world. Every country became a battleground.

- Fareed Zakaria

Country, Over, United States, Cold War

Whenever someone says the word community, I want to reach for an oxygen mask.

- Fareed Zakaria

Reach, Someone, Whenever, Oxygen

If there is one lesson for U.S. foreign policy from the past 10 years, it is surely that military intervention can seem simple but is in fact a complex affair with the potential for unintended consequences.

- Fareed Zakaria

Past, Fact, Surely, Affair

What we see today is an American economy that has boomed because of policies and developments of the 1950s and '60s: the interstate-highway system, massive funding for science and technology, a public-education system that was the envy of the world and generous immigration policies.

- Fareed Zakaria

Envy, Funding, Developments, American Economy

Conservatives used to believe in confronting hard truths, not succumbing to comforting fairy tales. Some still do.

- Fareed Zakaria

Comforting, Some, Still, Tales

It is absolutely clear that government plays a key role, as a catalyst, in promoting long-run growth.

- Fareed Zakaria

Government, Promoting, Plays, Long-Run

America's growth historically has been fueled mostly by investment, education, productivity, innovation and immigration. The one thing that doesn't seem to have anything to do with America's growth rate is a brutal work schedule.

- Fareed Zakaria

Innovation, Been, Mostly, Growth Rate

The technological revolution at home makes it much easier for computers to do our work.

- Fareed Zakaria

Work, Easier, Makes, Technological

Whenever societies do well, they believe that there is something in their cultural DNA that made it happen.

- Fareed Zakaria

Happen, Cultural, Whenever, Societies

There is very strong historical data that suggests the way societies grow is by making large, long-term investments.

- Fareed Zakaria

Strong, Making, Very, Societies

The Web forces me to be disciplined and not to waste time - but before the Web was invented, there were plenty of opportunities to do that anyway.

- Fareed Zakaria

Waste, Before, Disciplined, Invented

In a very weak economy, when you say 'cut government spending,' what you mean is you're laying off school teachers and you're de-funding various programs that put money into the economy. This means you have more unemployed people that then draw unemployment benefits and don't pay taxes.

- Fareed Zakaria

Benefits, Very, Cut, Government Spending

If you go to India the roads are being built almost entirely with private sector money and by the private sector. If you look at many, many countries in Europe that's how they're doing it.

- Fareed Zakaria

Doing, Private, Built, Entirely

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