A friend and colleague remarked upon repatriating last year to the United States after 30+ years of living overseas, that in her absence the U.S. had come to resemble a third world country--the gap between the wealthy and the poor is huge and few seem to trust the elections.  Something else is also changing: it is difficult to venture outside the country today and not become face-to-face with the rising profile of the rest of the world, something Fareed Zakaria writes about in, The Post-American World.  Sure, McDonald’s still occupies street corners in Paris and Guatemala City, but with increasing numbers businesses carry uniquely local or regional names.  

Even entertainment is increasingly driven worldwide by what is produced outside the U.S.  Sports are more about cricket (South Asia especially) and soccer (everywhere else) than about baseball and American football. 

Zakaria’s point is that this turn of events is less about the actual demise of the United States than it is about the rise of the rest.  Regardless of the why, our children, not to mention our educational institutions, are going to have to face the challenge of living in a world where new ideas can germinate and have a lifespan anywhere.  And, most importantly, those ideas (and businesses) may never need a presence in the U.S. in order to succeed on a global scale.

What does this mean for your school or business?