Molly Banner
Mandis
AP English 11
12 September 2011
In the politically charged year of 2010, 11 Russian “sleeper” agents were discovered in the New York state area. Most American people were shocked to find, that almost 20 years after the end of the Cold War, we were still susceptible to espionage from a country with whom we had previously been at peace. In his July 2010 article, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman notes that America’s technological advancement, in comparison to other nations around the world, is nothing to marvel at. In many ways, Russia wasted the resources they had on a country that is behind in the world of science and technology.
Russia, before the Cold War, the World Wars, and even the Bolshevik Revolution, has always fallen short technologically. The Russians have operated on a principle of quantity vs. quality. They have believed that working more, producing more and having more, ultimately led to a better state. In reality, they should have focused on higher-quality products, as well as attention to safety and health precautions. Recently, Russia’s president, Dmitri Medvedev announced the construction of “Innovation City”, near Moscow. The intention of the aforementioned city was apparently to demonstrate recent technological advancements in Russia, as well as to attract “the world’s best talent.” (Friedman, 2010) The truth is that even as far back as the 18th Century, during the rule of Peter the Great, Russia has always depended on the West for its technology and the spread of ideas.
America is being surpassed as a world power in most, if not all fields involving science & technology. Friedman closes his article with a poignant statement of fact. “The countries we need to worry about are the ones whose teacher, bureaucrats, savers, investors and innovators – not spies – are beating us in broad daylight at our own game.” (Friedman, 2010) Case in point, three countries have beaten us at some of the most basic of our... [continues]
Mandis
AP English 11
12 September 2011
In the politically charged year of 2010, 11 Russian “sleeper” agents were discovered in the New York state area. Most American people were shocked to find, that almost 20 years after the end of the Cold War, we were still susceptible to espionage from a country with whom we had previously been at peace. In his July 2010 article, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman notes that America’s technological advancement, in comparison to other nations around the world, is nothing to marvel at. In many ways, Russia wasted the resources they had on a country that is behind in the world of science and technology.
Russia, before the Cold War, the World Wars, and even the Bolshevik Revolution, has always fallen short technologically. The Russians have operated on a principle of quantity vs. quality. They have believed that working more, producing more and having more, ultimately led to a better state. In reality, they should have focused on higher-quality products, as well as attention to safety and health precautions. Recently, Russia’s president, Dmitri Medvedev announced the construction of “Innovation City”, near Moscow. The intention of the aforementioned city was apparently to demonstrate recent technological advancements in Russia, as well as to attract “the world’s best talent.” (Friedman, 2010) The truth is that even as far back as the 18th Century, during the rule of Peter the Great, Russia has always depended on the West for its technology and the spread of ideas.
America is being surpassed as a world power in most, if not all fields involving science & technology. Friedman closes his article with a poignant statement of fact. “The countries we need to worry about are the ones whose teacher, bureaucrats, savers, investors and innovators – not spies – are beating us in broad daylight at our own game.” (Friedman, 2010) Case in point, three countries have beaten us at some of the most basic of our... [continues]
Cite This Essay
- APA
-
(2011, 11). Thomas L. Friedman's "The Spies Who Loved Us". StudyMode.com. Retrieved 11, 2011, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Thomas-L-Friedman-s-The-Spies-Who-830543.html
- MLA
-
"Thomas L. Friedman's "The Spies Who Loved Us"" StudyMode.com. 11 2011. 11 2011 <http://www.studymode.com/essays/Thomas-L-Friedman-s-The-Spies-Who-830543.html>.
- CHICAGO
-
"Thomas L. Friedman's "The Spies Who Loved Us"." StudyMode.com. 11, 2011. Accessed 11, 2011. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Thomas-L-Friedman-s-The-Spies-Who-830543.html.
