Thomas Friedman's Lexus & the Olive Tree

Since the end of the Cold War, new technologies have evolved a new international system known as globalization. In his book The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Thomas L. Friedman (1999) defines globalization as the "integration of capital, technology, and information across national borders, in a way that is creating a single global market and, to some degree, a global village." Even if this is a best scenario definition of the emerging global system of democratic institutions and free-market capitalism referred to as globalization, Friedman acknowledges the animosity of those "brutalized" by the process. The animosity stems from those countries whose traditional culture, economics, government, and community resist the forces of globalization.

In his book, Friedman (1999) maintains globalization is a positive and efficient international system whose balance between progress and tradition can be maintained. This book is designed as a means of spelling out how that balance can be achieved. In explaining the balance that can be had between the Lexus and the olive tree, Friedman (1999) compares and contrasts the old international system (the Cold War) with the new international system (Globalization). He divides his book into four parts. In the first part he explains the new international system, including the influence of technology and the individual in influencing the global arena. In the second part, "Plugging into the System," he discus

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s view. This is because free-market capitalism has inbuilt regulators. When markets are free, those companies or nations that are inefficient and cannot be made efficient will succumb. Countries that continue to keep their markets closed or subsidize their industry will not be able to compete with the "globalized" nation. As Friedman (1999) explains: Those countries that are most willing to let capitalism quickly destroy inefficient companies, so that money can be freed up and directed to more innovative ones, will thrive in the era of globalization. Thos which rely on their governments to protect them from such creative destruction will fall behind in this era. One of the driving forces behind the new system is also the emergence of the U.S. as the dominant world power after the end of the Cold War. Such a position subjects the U.S. to criticism for forcing its will upon nations around the globe, including its markets and culture, but it is quite likely that if the U.S.S.R. has won the Cold War we might all be being absorbed into a new world order with communism and Soviet culture. The reason for this is that due to new technologies and more global stability from a military point of view, one nation or the other would h

Category: Economics - T