World Is Flat

The phrase: "the world is flat" can be interpreted in many ways.   Basically what Friedman means by "flat" is "linked." The falling of trade and political barriers and technical advances have made it possible to do business, instantaneously with billions of other people around the world.   It has allowed for parts of the world, which had previously been cut off, like China and India, to successfully compete in the world market.   Thus, the playing field is being leveled, and no one nation has an advantage.   Friedman could also refer to a "flat world" in a metaphorical sense.   In a spherical earth you cannot see around the world and cannot recognize the opportunities far from where you live.   If the world were flat you could see it all.   There would be no barriers to get in your way.   This is the equivalent to a smaller globe which allows one to reach far away opportunities.

The three Globalizations contrast in many ways.   Globalization 1.0, lasting from 1492 to about 1800, was about countries and muscles. Its force driving the process of global flattening was the amount of "muscle" your country had.   The key agent of change in Globalization 2.0, which lasted from 1800 to 2000, was the power of multinational companies, which went global for markets and labor.   Globalization 3.0, beginning in 2000 flattened the playing field even more.   The dynamic force was the power by which individuals could collaborate and compete globally.   They could do so digitally with the convergence of the personal computer with fiber-optic cable.   Globalization 3.0 differs from the previous two not only in how the world is flattening, but also in the types of people involved.   In Globalization 1.0 and 2.0 it was mostly American and European businesses who contributed to the globalization where as Globalization 3.0 is driven more by non-Western individuals.

In the new global economy, the US may no longer easily dominate.   As a result of the flat world, new parts of the world are... [continues]

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