ABSTRACT
Historians are not particularly good at prophecy and prognostication. They muddle about in the past, discovering complexities, spoiling formulas, casting doubt on theories, and generally making a mess. That does not prevent historians from reading such books as Zakaria's Post-American World with amusement and possibly profit – though the profit is likely to be long postponed, until Post-American World ages sufficiently. Like a ripe cheese, its aroma is best savored as tomorrow's intellectual history.
