the.world.is.flat-第104章
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Indian national elections； in which the ruling BJP was surprisingly tossed out of
office…despite having overseen a surge in India's growth rate…largely because of the
discontent of rural Indian voters with the slow pace of globalization outside the
giant cities。 These voters were not saying； 〃Stop the globalization train； we want
to get off。〃 They were saying； 〃Stop the globalization train； we want to get on； but
someone needs to help us by building a better stepstool。〃
These rural voters…peasants and farmers； who form the bulk of India's population
just had to spend a day in any nearby big city to see the benefits of the flat world：
the cars； the houses； the educational opportunities。 〃Every time a villager watches
the community TV and sees an ad for soap or shampoo； what they notice are not the
soap and shampoo but the lifestyle of the people using them…the kind of motorbikes
they ride； their dress； and their homes；〃 explained Indian…born Nayan Chanda； editor
of YaleGlobal Online。 〃They see a world they want access to。 This election was about
envy and anger。 It was a classic case of revolutions happening when things are getting
better but not fast enough for many people。〃
At the same time； these rural Indians understood； at gut level； exactly why it was
not happening for them： because local governments in India have become so eaten away
by corruption and mismanagement that they cannot deliver to the poor the schools and
infrastructure they need to get a fair share of the pie。 As some of these millions
of Indians on the outside of the gated communities looking in lose hope； 〃they become
more religious； more tied to their caste/subcaste； more radical in their thinking；
more willing to snatch than create； ＇and＇ view dirty politics as being the only way
to get mobility； since economic mobility is stalled；〃 said Vivek
Paul of Wipro。 India can have the smartest high…tech vanguard in the world； but if
it does not find a way to bring along more of those who are unable； disabled；
undereducated； and underserved； it will be like a rocket that takes off but quickly
falls back to earth for lack of sustained thrust。
The Congress Party got the message； which was why as soon as it took office it chose
as its prime minister not some antiglobalizer but Manmohan Singh； the former Indian
finance minister； who in 1991 first opened the Indian economy to globalization；
placing an emphasis on exports and trade and reform wholesale。 And Singh； in turn；
pledged himself to vastly increase government investments in rural infrastructure
and to bring more reform retail to rural government。
How can outsiders collaborate in this process？ I think； first and foremost； they can
redefine the meaning of global populism。 If populists really want to help the rural
poor； the way to do it is not by burning down McDonald's and shutting down the IMF
and trying to put up protectionist barriers that will unflatten the world。 That will
help the rural poor not one iota。 It has to be by refocusing the energies of the global
populist movement on how to improve local government； infrastructure； and education
in places like rural India and China； so the populations there can acquire the tools
to collaborate and participate in the flat world。 Theglobal populist movement； better
known as the antiglobalization movement； has a great deal of energy； but up to now
it has been too divided and confused to effectively help the poor in any meaningful
or sustained manner。 It needs a policy lobotomy。 The world's poor do not resent the
rich anywhere nearly as much as the left…wing parties in the developed world imagine。
What they resent is not having any pathway to get rich and to join the flat world
and cross that line into the middle class that Jerry Yang spoke about。
Let's pause for a minute here and trace how the antiglobalization movement lost touch
with the true aspirations of the world's poor。 The antiglobalization movement emerged
at the World Trade Organization conference in Seattle in 1999 and then spread around
the world in subsequent years； usually gathering to attack meetings of the World Bank；
the IMF； and the G…8 industrialized nations。 From its origins； the movement that
emerged in Seattle was a primarily Western…driven phenome385
non； which was why you saw so few people of color in the crowds。 It was driven by
five disparate forces。 One was upper…middle…class American liberal guilt at the
incredible wealth and power that America had amassed in the wake of the fall of the
Berlin Wall and the dot…com boom。 At the peak of the stock market boom；lots of pampered
American college kids； wearing their branded clothing； began to get interested in
sweatshops as a way of expiating their guilt。 The second force driving it was a
rear…guard push by the Old Left…socialists； anarchists； and Trotskyites…in alliance
with protectionist trade unions。 Their strategy was to piggyback on rising concerns
about globalization to bring back some form of socialism； even though these ideas
had been rejected as bankrupt by the very people in the former Soviet Empire and China
who had lived under them longest。 （Now you know why there was no antiglobalization
movement tospeak of in Russia； China； or Eastern Europe。） These Old Left forces wanted
to spark a debate about whether we globalize。 They claimed to speak in the name of
the Third World poor； but the bankrupt economic policies they advocated made them；
in my view； the Coalition to Keep Poor People Poor。 The third force was a more amorphous
group。 It was made up of many people who gave passive support to the antiglobalization
movement from many countries； because they saw in it some kind of protest against
the speed at which the old world was disappearing and becoming flat。
The fourth force driving the movement； which was particularly strong in Europe and
in the Islamic world； was anti…Americanism。 The disparity between American economic
and political power and everybody else's had grown so wide after the fall of the Soviet
Empire that America began to…or was perceived to…touch people's lives around the
planet； directly or indirectly； more than their own governments did。 As people around
the world began to intuit this； a movement emerged； which Seattle both reflected and
helped to catalyze； whereby people said； in effect； 〃If America is now touching my
life directly or indirectly more than my own government； then I want to have a vote
in America's power。〃 At the time of Seattle； the 〃touching〃 that people were most
concerned with was from American economic and cultural power； and therefore the demand
for a vote tended to focus around economic rule…making in386
stitutions like the World Trade Organization。 America in the 1990s； under President
Clinton； was perceived as a big dumb dragon； pushing people around in the economic
and cultural spheres； knowingly and unknowingly。 We were Puff the Magic Dragon； and
people wanted a vote in what we were puffing。
Then came 9/11。 And America transformed itself from Puff the Magic Dragon； touching
people around the world economically and culturally； into Godzilla with an arrow in
his shoulder； spitting fire and tossing around his tail wildly； touching people's
lives in military and security terms； not just economic and cultural ones。 As that
happened； people in the world began to say； 〃Now we really want a vote in how America
wields its power〃…and in many ways the whole Iraq war debate was a surrogate debate
about that。
Finally； the fifth force in this movement was a coalition of very serious；
well…meaning； and constructive groups…from environmentalists to trade activists to
NGOs concerned with governance…who became part of the populist antiglobalization
movement in the 1990s in the hopes that they could catalyze a global discussion about
how we globalize。 I had a lot of respect and sympathy for this latter group。 But in
the end they got drowned out by the whether…we…globalize crowd； which began to turn
the movement more violent at the July 2001 Genoa G…8 summit； when an antiglobalization
protester was killed wh
