Fareed Zakaria: Education, Career, and Influence
Fareed Rafiq Zakaria, born on January 20, 1964, is an Indian-born American journalist, political commentator, and author who has become a prominent voice in global affairs. Described by Esquire magazine as "the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation," Zakaria is widely respected for his ability to analyze economic and political trends around the world.
Early Life and Education
Zakaria was born in Mumbai, India, to a Konkani family. His father, Rafiq Zakaria (1920-2005), was a politician associated with the Indian National Congress and a scholar of Islam. His mother, Fatima Zakaria (1936-2021), his father's second wife, was the editor of the Sunday Times of India for a time.
He attended the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai before moving to the United States for higher education. In 1986, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, where he was president of the Yale Political Union, editor in chief of the Yale Political Monthly, a member of the Scroll and Key society, and a member of the Party of the Right. During his time at Yale, he was also a prominent advocate against divestment from Apartheid South Africa. He later earned a PhD in government from Harvard University in 1993, where he studied under Samuel P. Huntington.
Early Career
After directing a research project on American foreign policy at Harvard, Zakaria became the managing editor of Foreign Affairs in 1992, at the age of 28. Under his guidance, the magazine was redesigned to be published once every two months, moving away from a quarterly schedule. He also served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University, where he taught a seminar on international relations.
In October 2000, he was named editor of Newsweek International, and became a weekly columnist for Newsweek. Later, he moved to Time magazine and now writes a weekly column for The Washington Post and contributes to the Atlantic Media group. He has also published on a variety of subjects for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and The New Republic.
Read also: What makes a quality PE curriculum?
Author and Public Intellectual
Zakaria is the author of several influential books, including:
- From Wealth to Power: The Unusual Origins of America's World Role (1998)
- The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad (2003)
- The Post-American World (2008)
- In Defense of a Liberal Education (2015)
- Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World
- Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present
His last three books have been New York Times bestsellers, and The Future of Freedom and The Post-American World have both been translated into more than 25 languages. The Future of Freedom argues that true democracy requires both constitutional liberalism and participatory politics, emphasizing that the protection of liberty and the rule of law must precede popular elections. The Post-American World discusses the rise of non-Western powers like China, India, and Brazil and its implications for the future. In Defense of a Liberal Education is a commentary on the importance of a well-rounded education.
Television and Media Career
Zakaria has been a prominent figure in television journalism. He was a news analyst with ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos (2002-2007) and hosted the weekly TV news show, Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS (2005-08).
Since 2008, he has hosted Fareed Zakaria GPS (Global Public Square) on CNN. The show airs weekly, reaching millions of homes around the world. Fareed Zakaria GPS is a weekly international and domestic affairs program that airs around the world on CNN International. Zakaria has regularly hosted primetime specials for CNN.
The show has featured interviews with numerous world leaders, including President Barack Obama, French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Other past guests include military officials such as Gen. David Petraeus and Adm. Michael Mullen; corporate leaders such as Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi; and other public figures like Bill Maher and Bono.
Read also: Maximize Savings on McGraw Hill Education
Fareed’s Global Briefing, a daily digital newsletter, is one of the most widely read of CNN’s newsletters.
Political Views and Analysis
Zakaria self-identifies as a "centrist," though he has been described variously as a political liberal, a conservative, a moderate, or a radical centrist. He has stated that he tries not to be devoted to any type of ideology, saying "I feel that's part of my job … which is not to pick sides but to explain what I think is happening on the ground."
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in a Newsweek cover essay, "The Politics of Rage: Why Do They Hate Us?", Zakaria argued that Islamic extremism was not fundamentally rooted in Islam, nor could it be claimed a reaction to American foreign policy. He located the problem in the political-social-economic stagnation of Arab societies, which then bred an extreme, religious opposition. He portrayed Osama bin Laden as one in a long line of extremists who used religion to justify mass murder.
Zakaria initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, arguing that "the place is so dysfunctional … any stirring of the pot is good. America's involvement in the region is for the good." However, he soon became a critic, objecting to the war plan and the way the Bush administration was managing the occupation.
Awards and Recognition
Zakaria has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including:
Read also: Becoming a Neonatal Nurse
- National Magazine Award (2010) for his columns and commentary
- Peabody Award for Fareed Zakaria GPS
- India Abroad Person of the Year (2008)
- Padma Bhushan from the Government of India (2010)
- Arthur Ross Media Award from the American Academy of Diplomacy
- Deadline Club Award
- "Top 10 Global Thinker of the Last 10 Years" by Foreign Policy magazine (2019)
He has also received honorary degrees from several universities, including Johns Hopkins University, Brown University, the University of Miami, and Oberlin College.
Personal Life
Zakaria is a naturalized citizen of the United States. In 1997, he married Paula Throckmorton, a jewelry designer. The couple have three children. He lives on the Upper West Side in New York City. While a graduate student, Zakaria pursued his love of cooking, a passion deepened by his interest in chefs like Jacques Pépin and Julia Child. Zakaria is a self-described nonpracticing Muslim. He added: "My views on faith are complicated-somewhere between deism and agnosticism.
Controversies
Zakaria was suspended for a week in August 2012 while Time and CNN investigated an allegation of plagiarism involving a August 20 column on gun control with similarities to a New Yorker article by Jill Lepore. In a statement Zakaria apologized, saying that he had made "a terrible mistake." Six days later, after a review of his research notes and years of prior commentary, Time and CNN reinstated Zakaria. Time described the incident as "isolated" and "unintentional."
tags: #fareed #zakaria #education #and #career
