Disagreeing with Thomas Friedman

Disagreeing with Thomas Friedman

In November of 2000, Thomas Friedman was the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and the Pulitzer Prize winning author of “The Lexus and the Olive Tree.” During a luncheon address, Friedman discussed the thesis of his book and how “globalization is the international system that replaced the Cold War system.” Friedman defined globalization as “the integration of markets, finance, technology, and telecommunications in a way that is enabling each one of us to reach around the world farther, faster, deeper, and cheaper than ever before.” He also described the world as moving from a “division of walls to a world of integration and webs.” During his speech, Friedman stated that “in globalization, we reach for the Internet, which is a symbol that we are all connected and nobody’s in charge.” Friedman asserted that “the globalization system is built around speed.” If people in states around the world are reaching for the Internet, then globalization is built around information, not speed. Long-term education and literacy form the foundation necessary for states to advance and join the globalized world. Even Friedman believes that the “electronic herd” is the “energy source of the globalization system.” In December of 2010, the information associated with the riots and removal of Tunisia’s President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali may have started a chain reaction that led to anti-government protests and the ousting of several heads of state in the Middle East and Northern Africa. 1, 2

If the population of a state cannot read or write, they lack the ability to interact in the global connected world. Instead of obtaining information from several sources and deciding on a position on their own, they are limited to only a very narrow view based on what they are told by either their state or religious leaders. Education and literacy cannot be accomplished overnight; these skills are acquired over an extended period of time....