the.world.is.flat-第13章

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Department　of　Commerce　official　in　the　Clinton　administration　and　now　a　private　


strategic　consultant。　〃But　whatis　going　on　today　is　a　much　broader；　much　more　profound　
phenomenon。〃　It　is　not　simply　about　how　governments；　business；　and　people　communicate；　
not　just　about　how　organizations　interact；　but　is　about　the　emergence　of　completely　
new　social；　political；　and　business　models。　〃It　is　about　things　that　impact　some　of　
the　deepest；　most　ingrained　aspects　of　society　right　down　to　the　nature　of　the　social　
contract；〃　added　Rothkopf。　〃What　happens　if　the　political　entity　in　which　you　are　
located　no　longer　corresponds　to　a　job　that　takes　place　in　cyberspace；　or　no　longer　
really　encompasses　workers　collaborating　with　other　workers　in　different　corners　of　
the　globe；　or　no　longer　really　captures　products　produced　in　multiple　places　
simultaneously？　Who　regulates　the　work？　Who　taxes　it？　Who　should　benefit　from　those　
taxes？〃　
If　I　am　right　about　the　flattening　of　the　world；　it　will　be　remembered　as　one　of　those　
fundamental　changes…like　the　rise　of　the　nation…state　or　the　Industrial　
Revolution…each　of　which；　in　its　day；　noted　Rothkopf；　

produced　changes　in　the　role　of　individuals；　the　role　and　form　of　governments；　the　
way　we　innovated；　the　way　we　conducted　business；　the　role　of　women；　the　way　we　fought　
wars；　the　way　we　educated　ourselves；　the　way　religion　responded；　the　way　art　was　
expressed；　the　way　science　and　research　were　conducted；　not　to　mention　the　political　
labels　we　assigned　to　ourselves　and　to　our　opponents。　〃There　are　certain　pivot　points　
or　watersheds　in　history　that　are　greater　than　others　because　the　changes　they　
produced　were　so　sweeping；　multifaceted；　and　hard　to　predict　at　the　time；〃　Rothkopf　
said。　
If　the　prospect　of　this　flattening…and　all　of　the　pressures；　dislocations；　and　
opportunities　accompanying　it…causes　you　unease　about　the　future；　you　are　neither　
alone　nor　wrong。　Whenever　civilization　has　gone　through　one　of　these　disruptive；　
dislocating　technological　revolutions…　like　Gutenberg's　introduction　of　the　printing　
press…the　whole　world　has　changed　in　profound　ways。　But　there　is　something　about　the　
flattening　of　the　world　that　is　going　to　be　qualitatively　different　from　other　such　
profound　changes：　the　speed　and　breadth　with　which　it　is　taking　hold。　The　introduction　
of　printing　happened　over　a　period　of　decades　and　for　a　long　time　affected　only　a　
relatively　small　part　of　the　planet。　Same　with　the　Industrial　Revolution。　This　
flattening　process　is　happening　at　warp　speed　and　directly　or　indirectly　touching　
a　lot　more　people　on　the　planet　at　once。　The　faster　and　broader　this　transition　to　
a　new　era；　the　more　likely　is　the　potential　for　disruption；　as　opposed　to　an　orderly　
transfer　of　power　from　the　old　winners　to　the　new　winners。　
To　put　it　another　way；　the　experiences　of　the　high…tech　companies　in　the　last　few　
decades　who　failed　to　navigate　the　rapid　changes　brought　about　in　their　marketplace　
by　these　types　of　forces　may　be　a　warning　to　all　the　businesses；　institutions；　and　
nation…states　that　are　now　facing　these　inevitable；　even　predictable；　changes　but　
lack　the　leadership；　flexibility；　and　imagination　to　adapt…not　because　they　are　not　
smart　or　aware；　but　because　the　speed　of　change　is　simply　overwhelming　them。　
And　that　is　why　the　great　challenge　for　our　time　will　be　to　absorb　these　changes　in　
ways　that　do　not　overwhelm　people　but　also　do　not　leave　them　behind。　None　of　this　


will　be　easy。　But　this　is　our　task。　It　
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is　inevitable　and　unavoidable。　It　is　the　ambition　of　this　book　to　offer　a　framework　
for　how　to　think　about　it　and　manage　it　to　our　maximum　benefit。　
I　have　shared　with　you　in　this　chapter　how　I　personally　discovered　that　the　world　
is　flat。　The　next　chapter　details　how　it　got　that　way。　
：：：：：　TWO　
The　Ten　Forces　That　Flattened　the　World　
The　Bible　tells　us　that　God　created　the　world　in　six　days　and　on　the　seventh　day　he　
rested。　Flattening　the　world　took　a　little　longer。　The　world　has　been　flattened　by　
the　convergence　often　major　political　events；　innovations；　and　companies。　None　of　
us　has　rested　since；　or　maybe　ever　will　again。　This　chapter　is　about　the　forces　that　
flattened　the　world　and　the　multiple　new　forms　and　tools　for　collaboration　that　this　
flattening　has　created。　
Flattener　#1　
11/9/89　When　the　Walls　Came　Down　and　the　Windows　Went　Up　
The　first　time　I　saw　the　Berlin　Wall；　it　already　had　a　hole　in　it。　It　was　December　
1990；　and　I　was　traveling　to　Berlin　with　the　reporters　covering　Secretary　of　State　
James　A。　Baker　III。　The　Berlin　Wall　had　been　breached　a　year　earlier；　on　November　
9；　1989。　Yes；　in　a　wonderful　kabbalistic　accident　of　dates；　the　Berlin　Wall　fell　on　
11/9。　The　wall；　even　in　its　punctured　and　broken　state；　was　still　an　ugly　scar　across　
Berlin。　Secretary　Baker　was　making　his　first　visit　to　see　this　crumbled　monument　to　
Soviet　communism。　I　was　standing　next　to　him　with　a　small　group　of　reporters。　〃It　
was　a　foggy；　overcast　day；〃　Baker　recalled　in　
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his　memoir；　The　Politics　of　Diplomacy；　〃and　in　my　raincoat；　I　felt　like　a　character　
in　a　John　leCarre　novel。　But　as　I　peered　through　a　crack　in　the　Wall　＇near　the　Reichstag＇　
and　saw　the　high…resolution　drabness　that　characterizes　East　Berlin；　I　realized　that　
the　ordinary　men　and　women　of　East　Germany；　peacefully　and　persistently；　had　taken　
matters　into　their　own　hands。　This　was　their　revolution。〃　After　Baker　finished　looking　
through　the　wall　and　moved　along；　we　reporters　took　turns　peering　through　the　same　
jagged　concrete　hole。　I　brought　a　couple　of　chunks　of　the　wall　home　for　my　daughters。　
I　remember　thinking　how　unnatural　it　looked…indeed；　what　a　bizarre　thing　it　was；　this　
cement　wall　snaking　across　a　modern　city　for　the　sole　purpose　of　preventing　the　people　
on　the　other　side　from　enjoying；　even　glimpsing；　freedom。　
The　fall　of　the　Berlin　Wall　on　11/9/89　unleashed　forces　that　ultimately　liberated　
all　the　captive　peoples　of　the　Soviet　Empire。　But　it　actually　did　so　much　more。　It　
tipped　the　balance　of　power　across　the　world　toward　those　advocating　democratic；　
consensual；　free…market…oriented　governance；　and　away　from　those　advocating　
authoritarian　rule　with　centrally　planned　economies。　The　Cold　War　had　been　a　struggle　
between　two　economic　systems…capitalism　and　communism…and　with　the　fall　of　the　wall；　
there　was　only　one　system　left　and　everyone　had　to　orient　himself　or　herself　to　it　
one　way　or　another。　Henceforth；　more　and　more　economies　would　be　governed　from　the　
ground　up；　by　the　interests；　demands；　and　aspirations　of　the　people；　rather　than　from　


the　top　down；　by　the　interests　of　some　narrow　ruling　clique。　Within　two　years；　there　
was　no　Soviet　Empire　to　hide　behind　anymore　or　to　prop　up　autocratic　regimes　in　Asia；　
the　Middle　East；　Africa；　or　Latin　America。　If　you　were　not　a　democracy　or　a　
democratizing　society；　if　you　continued　to　hold　fast　to　highly　regulated　or　centrally　
planned　economics；　you　were　seen　as　being　on　the　wrong　side　of　history。　
For　some；　particularly　among　the　older　generations；　this　was　an　unwelcome　
transformation。　Communism　was　a　great　system　for　making　people　equally　poor。　In　fact；　
there　was　no　better　system　in　the　world　for　that　than　communism。　Capitalism　madepeople　
unequally　rich；　and　for　some　who　were　used　to　the　plodding；　limited；　but　secure　
Socialist　
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lifestyle…where　a　job；　a　house；　an　education；　and　a　pension　were　all　guaranteed；　even　
if　they　were　meager…the　fall　of　the　Berlin　Wall　was　deeply　unsettling。　But　for　many　
others；　it　was　a　get…out…of…jail…free　card。　That　is　why　the　fall　of　the　Berlin　Wall　
was　felt　in　so　many　more　places　than　just　Berlin；　and　why　its　fall　was　such　a　
world…flattening　event。　
Indeed；　to　appreciate　the　far…reaching　flattening　effects　of　the　fall　of　the　Berlin　
Wall；　it's　always　best　to　talk　to　non…Germans　or　non…Russians。　Tarun　Das　was　heading　
the　Confederation　of　Indian　Industry　when　the　wall　fell　in　Berlin；　and　he　saw　its　
ripple　effect　felt　all　the　way　to　India。　〃We　had　this　huge　mass　of　regulation　and　
controls　and　bureaucracy；〃　he　recalled。　〃Nehru　had　come　to　power　＇after　the　end　of　
Br