Susan Rhem-Westhoff

EDT646 Globalization & Educational Technology

Summary of Book Review of TheWorld Is Flat

01/14/06

Warren Bass writing for the Washington Post reviews Thomas Friedman’s book and reaches some of the same conclusions that Fareed Zakaria draws in the review he did for the New York Times. Bass goes further than Zakaria when stating that Friedman overemphasizes the novelty and current reach and benefits of the global economy for poor countries.

Bass recounts a conversation Friedman has in his book with a CEO in India who asserts that India is going to be a superpower in an economic era that turns the globe into one massive marketplace. The CEO giddily tells Friedman that it is no longer about ruling anybody because there will be nobody to rule. All will be players - countries, companies as well as individuals. And the field they play on will be leveled.

Bass credits Friedman with the ability to dissect complex outgrowths of economic policy in as much as how the world is affected both here and abroad. Ramifications that may not be readily apparent to the casual observer are well thought out and documented.

Friedman’s book like his other writings debates what drives world politics. A flat world in an economic sense is also a flat world for those whose goal is terrorism. Bass writes that ”Friedman is deeply informed and insightful regarding issues in the Middle East but the book does not convincingly settle the question of whether global trade or global terror is our age’s central organizing principle.” Friedman states that “the most important force shaping global economics and politics in the early twenty-first century” is not the war on terrorism but a “triple convergence – of new players, on a new playing field, developing new processes and habits for horizontal collaboration.”

In his book Friedman says the world is entering the “Globalization 3.0” era where software and global connectivity make us all next-door neighbors. He points out that in the first two globalization eras mentioned in his book the players were Americans and Europeans. The new era in the flat world is open to all people.

People now able to enter the global market because of its level playing field are afforded this opportunity in large part because their country’s governments are warming up to the idea of open markets and free trade.

As I mention above, Bass feels that Friedman overstates the newness of a world without borders. He quotes Thomas Jefferson who wrote in 1814, “Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.” However, Friedman’s assertion of the Theory of Conflict Prevention does hold merit. The theory maintains that countries will not wage war with those with whom they have a good business relationship. Human beings however, time and time again do not always do what is wise, especially when greed and power enter the mix. Sans, the United States in Iraq. Bass does not think Friedman offers a satisfactory rebuttal for those who refer to the Flat World’s new horizontal collaboration as “just a nice name for the ability to hire cheap labor in India.” One also cannot escape the reality of the poverty and disease that still plagues third-world countries. Bass refers to this as the suspicion that “the single most important trend in the world today” is actually the empty half of the glass.

Reference:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A17314-2005Mar31?

Summary of Book Review of The World Is Flat

01/14/06

“The Wealth of Yet More Nations” by Fareed Zakaria reviews Thomas Friedman’s latest book, The World Is Flat which addresses the implications of a global economy, or as he describes it, the flattening world. Mr. Zakaria who in his own right has a keen understanding and a certain savvy insightfulness for recognizing and communicating the political and economic ramifications of a global market, is very positive regarding Friedman’s book. He calls it “excellent.”

A compelling question is raised by Zakaria when he suggests that the United States has been too focused on the Middle East and countries who support terrorism, all losers in the globalization of the world, rather than readying themselves to meet the challenges presented by countries taking advantage of this globalization. Zakaria agrees with Friedman’s implications that it is the countries that take full advantage of economic globalization that are going to shape the future of the world.

Zakaria cites several examples of the interviews Friedman has with entrepreneurs while in India. The running theme being that activities where they can digitize and decompose the value change, and move work around, will get moved around. In short, the actual final delivery of an item may take place face-to-face in a restaurant or brick-and-mortar store, but the initial phone order or online contact could be with someone “a world away.”

Friedman attributes the flattening of the world primarily to technological forces. The dot-com era resulted in fiber-optic connectivity for the nations of the world. The bust of the era necessitated intense cost cutting maneuvers resulting in the outsourcing of labor. Programming modifications needed in light of Y2K also jumpstarted the use of programmers overseas willing to recode for comparatively little compensation.

“Workflow platforms” or software allowing computer applications to integrate and connect, permits people to work together online and is a necessary component for a sustainable flat world.

To date, the two countries reaping the greatest benefits from a flat world are China and India, hence Friedman’s focus on these nations. The win-win aspect for players in the global world are discussed in tandem with trepidation for what this new world means for countries or individuals who do not find a way to move their skills up the value chain.

Criticisms by Zakaria include the many “extras” Friedman includes which in Zakaria’s opinion make the book seem padded. For example, the advantages and potential afforded to India from globalization that Friedman touts, remain in the shadow of its third-world, poor nation status. Not given enough emphasis in Friedman’s book are the politics between nations where greed and power seeking can fly in the face of what would logically be the best path for all peoples on the planet. How the politics of these emerging nations plays out in the shaping of global economics cannot be ignored. Zakaria also argues that the flat world may be less an outgrowth of technology but more a shift in the attitudes and practices of governments toward policies that encourage and nurture an open market.

Reference:

http://www.fareedzakaria.com/articles/nyt/nytreview050105.html