He helps explain his attraction to the candidate. It springs from Zakaria's own background as an American who came from somewhere else:
Africa to India and China are getting richer, stronger and prouder. For America to thrive, we will have to develop a much deeper, richer, more intuitive understanding of them and their peoples. There are many ways to attain this, but certainly being able to feel it in your bones is one powerful way. Trust me on this. As a Ph.D. in international relations, I know what I'm talking about.
Obama is the same. The deepest question in this election is how America interacts with the world. If you care about this country, you will care about America's isolation, awful p.r., stressed military and growing debt under Bush-Cheney. Sometimes it helps to see things a little from the outside.