The Lexus And The Olive Tree
Anyone reading this review right now knows that the world is an interconnected place without the boundaries of a generation ago. Whether you eat at a fast food restaurant, use an MP3 player, or read an e-Book, you understand that people in all parts of the world can relate to one another with a variety of similar cultural icons and symbols. This really hit home for me when I was climbing in the Himalayas a few years ago. Here I was in a remote part of the world and I ran into a caravan from Tibet being led by a monk wearing a ski hat and sneakers… each with a Nike swoosh. I was expecting Kwai Chang Caine but I got Michael Jordan. Regardless, many of us rarely consider how the modern world has become such a small place. Thomas Friedman, the acclaimed writer and journalist for The New York Times, succeeds in explaining this transformation in a way we can all understand.
The title of Friedman’s book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, highlights the difference between the last two generations. The epiphany for this book happened while on a train ride in Japan. He was eating sushi and reading a news story of yet again another conflict in the Middle East when he realized that while olive tree owners in Jerusalem deal with ancient land issues, Japanese auto engineers are creating new Lexus automobiles for world consumption. Friedman discusses at length the various ways in which the average global citizen has expanded their horizons. The author claims that the democratization of information through the Internet has made it possible for companies to expand globally and allow people to trade foreign stocks and see the world from their desk.
This assessment is laid out in a very compelling, easy to read way and is made stronger by looking at those nations and companies that suffer from Microchip Immune Deficiency Syndrome (MIDS). The Soviet Union and IBM are only two of the examples used in Friedman’s analysis as demonstrations of antiquated thinking on technology and global politics. Indeed, one of Friedman’s most interesting points is that no two countries that have a McDonald’s within their borders have ever fought a war. I am not so sure about this McDonald’s claim but if you are interested in a good read and a fresh perspective on the new global order, read Friedman’s treatise on globalization. Although the book was published in 1999 and some of the events are dated, the value lies in seeing this interconnectedness through the eyes of a brilliant man.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Picture from Amazon.com
Thomas Friedman
Other books by Friedman
