CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Explores How The World Sees America in new Primetime Special

Fareed Zakaria

October 9th, 2020

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Explores How The World Sees America in new Primetime Special

America’s global standing and what’s at stake debuts Oct. 11 on CNN & CNN International

As the U.S. presidential election enters closing arguments, Americans prepare to vote at a defining national moment. Once a swashbuckling, steady anchor for the ‘free world,’ America has slipped into an identity crisis. The nation remains in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Relationships with allies are strained. A stubborn economic crisis has taken root. And a long, overdue national reckoning on race relations continues.

A new Fareed Zakaria Special, How The World Sees America, will premiere Sunday, Oct. 11 at 9:00pm Eastern on CNN and CNN International.

For decades, America was viewed as the most powerful nation on Earth. Yet, during a social gathering of global leaders during the 2019 NATO summit, presidents and prime ministers were shockingly seen and heard laughing at the boorish behavior of the American president. Footage of the episode was broadcast around the world, contributing to America’s humiliation on the world stage.

A 2020 study of sentiment in 13 nations conducted by the Pew Research Center confirmed the toll of recent years of global actions – and inactions – by American leaders. America’s reputation has sustained significant damage, and the view of the United States is less favorable than it has been at any point since Pew began measuring such sentiment almost 20 years ago (source: Pew Research Survey)

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria explores the issues that shape these views as America considers the type of leadership it expects from its president. Zakaria speaks to international policymakers and analysts about how the global community views America, and whether the United States can still be a leader-nation during uncertain times.

Interviewed for the special are:

Carl Bildt, Prime Minister of Sweden (1991-1994); Minister for Foreign Affairs (2006-2014)
Thomas Friedman, three-time Pulitzer Prize columnist, The New York Times; author, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations (2017)
Evan Osnos, staff writer, The New Yorker; author, Joe Biden: The Life, the Run, and What Matters Now (2020)
Ambassador Susan Rice, DPhil, U.S. National Security Advisor (Barack Obama Administration, 2013-2017); U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (Barack Obama Administration, 2009-2013); author, Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For (2020)
Anne-Marie Slaughter, DPhil, CEO, New America; director of policy planning, U.S. State Department (2009-2011); author, The Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World (2018)

How the World Sees America – A Fareed Zakaria Special will stream live for subscribers via CNNgo (www.CNN.com/go and via CNNgo apps for AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, and Android TV) and on the CNN mobile apps for iOS and Android. The special will be available beginning Monday, Oct 12, on demand via cable/satellite systems, CNNgo platforms, and CNN mobile apps.

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