Is the World Flat?

Thomas Friedman’s book, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, contends that “the convergence of technology and events that allowed India, China, and so many other countries to become part of the global supply chain for services and manufacturing, [created] an explosion of wealth in the middle classes of the world’s two biggest nations, giving them a huge new stake in the success of globalization…” He continued by writing that with “this ‘flattening’ of the globe (which) requires us to run faster in order to stay in place… (brings us face to face with the reality that) the world has gotten too small and too fast for human beings and their political systems to adjust in stable manner…”

Share your thoughts with the class about one of the following questions, all of which refer to “the world is flat” quotation. For more information on Friedman, visit his website at: http://www.thomaslfriedman.com.

1. Are the material incentives in China and India likely to make those middle class workers more supportive of a global economic and cultural system? Why or why not?
2. How do you account for the anti-globalization reactions of terrorism?
3. Are the new opportunities for Asian workers a threat to American workers? (Is this a zero sum situation?)
4. Will political systems be unable to maintain stability? Explain.