Joseph Nye on Global Power Shifts

Historian and diplomat, Joseph Nye, discusses power in the 21st century in this fascinating Ted Talk. Nye argues that power is changing and sees two types of change.  The first is that power is shifting from west to east. Actually, Nye says power is returning to the east.  The second change, Nye argues, is that power is moving from states to non-state actors.  He notes, for example, that non government actors, like terrorists, killed more Americans in 2001 than the Japanese did when they attacked America in 1941.

Nye discusses the implications of these changes and suggests they are not necessarily negative. My thanks to Angela Hamblen Cunningham for tweeting the link to this. You can also find on her blog 23 other Ted Talk videos for government and civics classes.