In his opening remarks in Bloomberg Businessweek's Dec 26 Review in Review, deputy editor Romesh Ratnesar says:
"By historical measures, there's really not all that much to be angry about. Since 1981, the proportion if the developing world living in extreme poverty has fallen from 50 percent to less than 20%, according to the United Nations. Infant mortality is down across the board; the number of girls in school is up. Terrorists and tyrants get their comeuppance with toe-tapping regularity. The chances of dying in war have never been lower. In 2011, the 7 billionth person was born into a world that's richer, healthier, and safer than at any time in history."
He also pointed out that "It was a good year for those in the business of chronicling the decline of the West and the rise of the rest. That Used to Be US, the title of one of many books in this new subgenre, capturing the despairing mood of American elites." He went on to state that the West may be on its way to becoming the new Third World, but without anyone stepping up to inherit the First.
As for primary global issues, Ratnesar felt that historically high rates of youth unemployment and the concentration of wealth were driving many agendas.
"By historical measures, there's really not all that much to be angry about. Since 1981, the proportion if the developing world living in extreme poverty has fallen from 50 percent to less than 20%, according to the United Nations. Infant mortality is down across the board; the number of girls in school is up. Terrorists and tyrants get their comeuppance with toe-tapping regularity. The chances of dying in war have never been lower. In 2011, the 7 billionth person was born into a world that's richer, healthier, and safer than at any time in history."
He also pointed out that "It was a good year for those in the business of chronicling the decline of the West and the rise of the rest. That Used to Be US, the title of one of many books in this new subgenre, capturing the despairing mood of American elites." He went on to state that the West may be on its way to becoming the new Third World, but without anyone stepping up to inherit the First.
As for primary global issues, Ratnesar felt that historically high rates of youth unemployment and the concentration of wealth were driving many agendas.
