This is an tedious summary of everything you already know about globalization, wrapped around a series of pet phrases and personal anecdotes that are not poignant, relevant, illustrative, or particularly apt. Perhaps it is because this book is a couple years old now (though mine was an updated edition), but for a book that purports to be so prophetic, this really seems like last century's news. You'd have to be either very isolated or very old to be shocked by any of these dusty observations.

I suppose it is because Mr. Friedman thinks these are new or profound ideas that he feels the need to summarize them in catch phrases, which he then repeats until they take on a Seussian absurdity. Seriously, how many times does he have to write "The fall of the wall"? I'm not sure if Mr. Friedman thinks he's writing to people who need constant repetition or if he just likes pages, but this could have been a much shorter book.

مقتطفات من كتاب العالم مستو للكاتب توماس فريدمان
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من واجب الحكام الجيدين ان يبقوا قلقين فمن دون هذا القلق تتفاقم مشكلات الناس
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الاسئلة الهامة هي :- في أي مجال يناسب بلدي ان ينافس به ؟ - ماهي فرصه ؟ - كيف استطيع ان اكون عالميا ومتعاونا مع الآخرين من خلال بلدي ؟
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الاسئلة الهامة هي أيضاً :- اين يناسب شركتي ان تكون في الاقتصاد العالمي ؟ - كيف تغتنم الاستفادة من الفرص ؟ - كيف استطيع بإمكانياتي الذاتية ان اتعاون مع الآخرين عالمياً ؟
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التغير صعب .. والتغير هو الاصعب على هؤلاء الذين يجدون صعوبة في التغير وهؤلاء الذين نزل فيهم التغير على حين غرة ومع هذا فالتغير طبيعي والتغير ليس جديداً والتغير شيء هام " ديفيد شليسنجر "
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ان اي منتج تدور دائرته الخاصة ب البحث العلمي ثم تطوير بطيء ثم تطوير ثم تجريب ثم انتاج ثم انتشار ثم دعم ثم متابعة في العمل الهندسي لإضافة تحسينات .. واي دولة تريد ان تدخل سوق المنتجات العالمية عليها تطوير مراكز بحوثها بثبات وقدراتها المتطورة لمعالجة هذه المراحل
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الفكرة هي ان تتعلم باستمرار وان تقدم امتحانات دائما .. فليس هنالك نهاية للتعلم ولا توجد نهاية حقيقية لما يمكن ان يفعله المرء " فيفك ككامي "
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هنالك 70 الف ربة منزل في الصين يعملون على أتمته مخططات يابانية كتبت باليد بعضها طبي والآخر قانوني !
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لن ننسى ابدا ان حربا تاريخية وقعت بين الامة الصينية واليابانية ولكن عندما يأتي الامر الى حقل الاقتصاد فنحن نركز فقط على المشكلات الاقتصادية " محافظ داليان الصينية - زيادرين - "
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16% من قوة العمل الامريكية تعمل في المنازل بدوام جزئي لشركات البيع والتأمين
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عندما تعطي الناس طريقة جديدة للاتصال مع الاخرين فسينفتحون عليها وسيتعلمون لغات جديدة فالناس مبرمجون على ارادة الاتصال بالناس الآخرين وسيرفضون عدم قدرتهم على فعل ذلك " مارك اندرس "
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كل شخص .. كل الناس العاديين في هذه الحياة هم ابطال من المعلم في المدرسة الى موزع البيتزا
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سنمنح كل شخص وصولا الى خلاصة كل المعرفة الانسانية " مؤسس ويكيبيديا "
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في العالم المستوي لا تستطيع ان تركض ولا ان تختبئ .. فعش حياتك بشرف لان ما تفعله أيا كان واية خطيئة تقترفها قابلة للكشف ذات يوم وبقدر ما يغدو العالم اكثر استواءاً بقدر ما يغدو الناس العاديون اكثر شفافية
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في هذا العالم الافضل لك ان تكون صالحا .. لأنه لم يعد في الامكان جمع حوائجك و الانتقال الى بلدة جديدة لكي تحصل على بداية جديدة ففي عالم جوجل سمعتك سوف تلحق بك وقد تسبقك الى محطتك التالية فالسمعة تنطلق مبكراً هذه الايام فقل الحقيقة دوما " دف سيدمان "
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ما لم يكافأ المبدعون على ابداعاتهم سيتلاشى الحافز الى الابتكارات الجديدة وسينفذ المال ايضاً من اجل البحث والتطوير الحقيقي " ميكروسوفت "
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الهند هي بلد لا يملك موارد طبيعية جيدة ولكنها عملت شيئاً جيداً واقعيٌ جداً وهو ان حولت ابنائها الى مناجم .. بتعليم شريحة واسعة نسبياً من نخبها في العلوم والهندسة والطب
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كل صباح ينهض غزال وهو يعرف ان عليه ان يعدوا اسرع من الاسد الاسرع او سيُقتل وكل صباح ينهض اسد وهو يعرف ان عليه ان يسبق الغزال الأبطأ او سيتضور جوعاً حتى الموت , لا يهم ان تكون أسداً او غزالاً فعندما تشرق الشمس يُفضل ان تبدأ بالركض
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لا يوجد من تهيمن عليه بعد الآن والامر هو كيف تستطيع ان تخلق فرصتك الكبيرة لنفسك وتثابر وان تبقى تخلق فرصاً حتى تستطيع ان تزدهر وافكر اليوم ان الهيمنة هي للفاعلية والتعاون والكفاءة والقدرة على ان تكون لاعباً رشيقاً لكي تبقى في الفريق الذي يلعب على ذلك الملعب واذا لم تكن جيدا كفاية فسوف تجلس وتراقب المباراة من على دكة الاحتياط .. هكذا هي الامور اليوم " راجيش راو "
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اذا تخصصت كل امة في انتاج السلع التي تمتلك فيها فائدة نسبية بالكلفة ثم تاجرت مع الامم الاخرى مقابل السلع التي تخصصت فيها تلك الامم فستكون هنالك مكاسب عامة للجميع في التجارة " ديفيد ريكاردو "
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لكي يواجه الانسان موجة انخفاض الاجور لصالح العمالة المتدنية عليه ان يتحرك رأسياً وليس افقياً اي لكي يحافظ على مستوى معيشته عليه ان يُحدث تعليمه ويحدث مؤهلاته العلمية ولكي يستطيع ان يشغل الوظائف الجديدة التي لابد من أن تنشأ في السوق العالمية الجديدة في العالم المستوي
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ثمة حدود لعدد وظائف السلع في العالم ولكن لا توجد حدود لعدد الوظائف التي تولدها الافكار
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عليكم ان تحدثوا مؤهلاتكم باستمرار لأنه سيكون هنالك وظائف كثيرة في العالم المستوي للناس ذوي المعرفة والافكار التي يجب ان تضعوا ايديكم عليها !
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لن يكون الحصول على وظيفة جيدة امراً سهلاً فسيكون هنالك اناسٌ آخرون كثر يحاولون ان يكونوا اكثر براعة ولن يكون جيدا على الاطلاق ان تكون عاديا في عالمك فليس الا في عالم الجدران المغلقة يستطيع العمل العادي ان يكسب لك اجراً اما في العالم المستوي فانت حقاً لا تريد ان تكون عادياً
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في العالم المستوي نوعان من الاعمال اعمال يمكن استبدالها واعمال لا يمكن استبدالها واي عمل يمكن تحويله الى ارقام بسهولة ونقله الى الامكنة منخفضة الاجور هو عمل يمكن استبداله والعمل الذي لا يمكن تحويله الى ارقام هو عمل لا يمكن استبداله فاحرص على ان يكون عملك من الثاني "ناندان نايلكاني "
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البلد الذي لا يملك موارد طبيعية عليه ان يميل للتنقيب في ذواته وعليه ان يحاول ان يُفعل طاقات شعبه ومشاريعه وابداعاته وذكاءه بدلا من التنقيب عن الآبار النفطية " ريتشارد . سي . كو "
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يجب ان تساعد وظيفة السياسي حيثما كان على تعليم الشعب ما هية العالم الذي يعيش فيه وما هو بحاجة الى عمله اذا اراد ان يزدهر فيه وتوضيح ذلك له جيداً
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يتوجب على الحكومات التي لا تستطيع ان تضمن لشعبها وظائف مدى الحياة ان تؤمن له الادوار التي تجعلهم اكثر قدرة على العمل طيلة الحياة
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على الابوين ان يعرفا في اي عالم سترعرع ابناؤهم وما يجب عمله لهم ليزدهروا ايضاً .. ونحن بحاجة الى جيل من الاباء مستعد لتقديم حب صارم يكون فيه وقت يمنع فيه الاطفال من اللعب ويطفئ به جهاز التلفاز لكي يحين وقت العلم والعمل
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يجب علينا ان نرفع انفسنا الى الاعلى لا ان نحاول ان نسحب الآخرين الى الاسفل او ان نشعر بالأسف على انفسنا
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التطور عملية طوعية تحتاج لقرار ايجابي لتقوم بالخطوات الصحيحة ولكن ذلك يبدأ من خلال فحص المرء مشاعره وافكاره ودوافعه
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عليك ان تبدأ بالميل الى احترام الناس بسبب مواهبهم وقدراتهم وليس على اساس العرق او الاثنية وعليك ان تغير نظرتك الى الناس جميعاً اذا كنت في هذا العالم القائم على اساس الموهبة والعمل بدلا من الخلفية والعرق " جيري راو "
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الثقافة تنشأ في البيئة وليس في الجينات واذا ما تغيرت الظروف المحيطة وتكيف القادة المحليون تتغير الثقافة ايضاً
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ان ما يسهل التطور هو قدرة المجتمع وارادته بالعمل والتضحية معا في سبيل التطور ووجود قادة مجتمع ذوي بصيرة يرون الحاجات التي يجب ان تتوفر بلغة التطور والارادة ويستخدمون السلطة للدفع نحو التغير بدلا من اثراء انفسهم والحفاظ على الوضع القائم " لويس روبيو "
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بقدر ما تزداد ثقتك بنفسك بقدر ما سوف تتخلص من اوهامك وعقدك " لويس روبيو "
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حتى لو كنت على المسار الصحيح فسيدهسك الآخرون اذا جلست هناك وحسب " ول روجرز "
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في الفوضى اكتشف البساطة ومن التنافر ابتدع الانسجام وفي خضم المصاعب تكمن الفرصة " ألبرت أينشتين "
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عندما يستوي العالم حاول الوصول الى مجرفة واحفر في داخلك ولا تحاول بناء الجدران
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المفتاح لان تكون صغيرا وان تتصرف ككبير هو ان تكون سريعا في اغتنام فائدة كل الادوات الجديدة من اجل التعاون للوصول ابعد واسرع واوسع واعمق
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ان كان باستطاعتك ان تفعل ذلك فيجب ان تفعله او سيقوم منافسوك بفعله والتقدم عليك
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العالم اليوم يحتاج الى جيل جديد جيل من المتفائلين الاستراتيجيين جيل الاحلام لا جيل الذكريات الجيل الذي ينهض كل صباح ولا يتخيل ان الاشياء يمكن ان تكون افضل وحسب بل يعمل على ذلك كل الخيال كل يوم
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"The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman . This book is about how the computer world is emerging and what causes make people's to communicate in flat monitor and how they connected before and after twenty-first century. The author explained with detail history of how the round world is turned into flat world . some of the aspects for flatter world is outsourcing, offshoring, windows pc, netscape internet, workflow software,e.t.c. I liked this book , I recommend this book to those who interested to know about computer rise and its significance .

Can it really be almost two years since I read, and re-read, and re-read this book? It was an eye-opener, to say the least! The author is a famous columnist whom I don't always agree with. However, that doesn't stop me from reading his columns or his wildly successful books. I believe that it's a good idea to consider all solid points of view so that I can make up my own mind with the best information.
This book was by far the best book on the history of Silicon Valley and the impact our technology has brought to the world. I. Had. No. Real. Idea. What? Walmart's doing what? Dell? That's how Dell does it? What? Collaboration with experts in China, India, Canada, etc. for my little businesses here in California? OK!
Once I got over the shock and began applying the facts to my own life, I found that this is THE top book of must-reads to understand business and life in the 21st century.

I enjoyed this book. It gave me a lot of insight into the world. The book is centered around the trend of companies outsourcing and globalizing.

Right before this, I read "23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism", a book that was a bit harsh of free-market capitalism. So, when the Friedman started talking about the benefits it has, I was a little skeptical.

Globalization has always been around. The East India Company existed centuries ago as a global trade company. However, this movement is a lot more on individual empowerment. This has degenerated walls like race and gender. Thanks to the Internet, collaboration is incredibly simple and it goes on continually.

There are caveats. There's no truly global company. When Indians get jobs, Americans do not. One economy grows while the other suffers. The author indicates that Indians are hired because they're cheaper and more productive.

At first the author seemed to be avoiding these caveats, but towards the end he does concede the problems of globalization. After the Berlin Wall fell and a few other political occurrences, the global economy has imploded with laborers. Thanks to the Internet, geography is no longer a barrier to getting cheap labor.

Friedman explores the side effects of globalization but maintains his original point that it is generally a good thing. His political viewpoints coincide a bit with my own: it is best to have a strong economy run by a strong government. He echoes my idea that a strong economy needs to have a strong, progressive government.

What I think was very interesting was that Friedman made several predictions about the economy and politics today that actually came true. India and China are growing a lot, and the 2008 boom likely gave companies a good opportunity to outsource. Several times he also talks about having oppressive religion-based politics which end up preventing economic growth and other issues that eerily represent the Tea Party.

Today though, a lot of our world is digital. So, in explaining a augmented digital world, you really should have some knowledge of the subject. Friedman is a writer, which doesn't necessarily mean anything, but some of his explanations seemed lackluster and a bit incorrect. One time he refers to the Internet as "magic" which doesn't really help people understand it.

To conclude with these thoughts, this is a decent book. It has a very important theme. The world is changing. To try to relate to the policies of the Cold War era just won't work. America isn't the superpower it once was. We've grown stagnant while these other countries have risen. It's important to keep this in perspective, because as time goes on, this will grow even more true. America has to set a new vision, a singular vision, that allows us to move forward. If we don't, we lose out on the world's benefits.

The flattening of the world that Friedman writes about refers to the fact that globalization has leveled the playing field for more people around the world than ever before. He is not arguing that all people have equal access to a middle class lifestyle, simply that more people do. While this is a boon to humanity, it comes with challenges for those of us who are already used to that middle class lifestyle.

He believes that the convergence of several factors produced this "flat" world: 1) personal computers and a more open world; 2) the internet; 3) standardization of tools and technology. PCs and the internet have given people unprecedented ability to give and receive information. Anyone with internet access can learn information and skills and share their own ideas. This can bring isolated people into the global workforce. Once people agreed on basic standards for technology (http, fiberoptic cables, coding languages, etc.) it allowed people to build off of others' ideas instead of reinventing the wheel. This makes room for more innovations where people can adapt existing tools to suit niche needs.

Friedman is a proponent of outsourcing, which often gets a bad rap in the US. It gives people in developing nations access to relatively high paying jobs while allowing US companies to save money on production/workforce costs. While it's tempting to focus on how outsourcing costs Americans their jobs, it's also important to focus on how it can benefit Americans. Outsourcing allows companies to keep prices low so Americans can buy products cheaply. Outsourcing also allows companies to invest in higher level jobs at home. Manufacturing jobs might leave, but "thinking jobs" around streamlining, managing and designing will be created at home.

Friedman believes that America is at a turning point. Earlier generations lived through America's rise to power through manufacturing and the war machine. Our generation feels entitled to a comfortable lifestyle and high salary with relatively little work. With an entire generation of people in the developing world willing to work harder for less, Americans are going to have to change our expectations and work habits if we want to maintain our lifestyles.

As a teacher, my takeaway is how critical it is to get kids interested in math, science and computers so that they will have access to the "thinking jobs" that will be created in the future. Now more than ever we need to encourage kids to think critically and about ways to design and improve systems.

This book opened my eyes to a changing world...or perhaps a changed world as it was written 8 years ago and the I-Phone has already been invented. Strangely enough, I felt increasingly motivated by this book despite the challenges it points out to a globalized, flattened America and world. I felt, during and after reading it, that I wanted to do something...not just anything, but something spectacular. I wanted to get on this Technology Train because hell, it's moving and we are all on it rather we want to be or not--it just depends on if we know it has started moving. The world is indeed flattening. Yes, there are forces out there trying to unflatten it, but I doubt they will win. As a time in my life wherein I'm truly searching for 'my' career, I couldn't have read this book at a better time.

The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century. is an interesting book by Thomas Friedman. I read this book shortly after I returned from Thailand. As such, my view of the book is different than it may have been. I do not share all of his views regarding globalization, but I am glad that I read this book. Also, this was a year ago so it has already become a part of a mass of information gathered from other books (inside of my head). That is why I decided to go back and review as many books as possible. I would like to remember where I read a given idea. Anywho, this review will not encompass this book so I recommend that you read it. I will say that the author provides a great summary of the 10 forces that he believes “flattened the world.” Including:

The Ten Forces That Flattened the World

1. 11/9/89 - When the Walls Came Down and the Windows Went Up

2. 8/9/95 – When Netscape Went Public

3. Work Flow Software

4. Open-Sourcing

5. Outsourcing

6. Offshoring:

7. Supply-Chaining

We get what we want. In season, out of season. Most of us don’t even know what, if anything, is in season in our communities. We want tomatoes, mangoes, and strawberries in January. We want them now. We want them cheaply. We want efficiency. So, we get them in our fancy plastic bags. They don’t taste right and they have a freakishly perfect appearance, but we have them anytime of day at most stores. Friedman points out that Wal-Mart is very efficient, in this regard. I do not shop at Wal-Mart. I used to. Most of my family does. I do not judge them for it, but I cannot shop there. They are the store to beat and so many companies look to them and change their own practices. Yes, I am a consumer. Yes, I sometimes shop at chain stores – hello Target, but I cannot stop into a Wal-Mart. It is a symbol of so much that I dislike. Also, I think their merchandize is so streamlined that it is crap-tastic!

This Wal-Mart topic is a bit of a cliché’ and causes an inner turmoil in most of us. Friedman describes it well:

“Yes, the consumer in us wants Wal-Mart prices, with all the fat gone. But the employee in us wants a little fat left on the bone, the way Costco does it, so that it can offer health care to almost all its employees, rather than just less than half of them, as Wal-Mart does. But the shareholder in us wants Wal-Mart’s profit margins, not Costco’s. Yet the citizen in us wants Costco’s benefits, rather than Wal-Mart’s, because the difference ultimately may have to be paid by society.” P221

“One can only hope that al the bad publicity Wal-Mart has received in the last few years will force it to understand that there is a fine line between a hyper efficient global supply chain that is helping people save money and improve their lives and one that has pursued cost cutting and profit margins to such a degree that whatever social benefits it is offering with one hand, it is taking away with the other.” P137.

8. Insourcing

This chapter was fascinating. I had noticed these things, but I hadn’t thought about the fact that this is “insourcing.” This is an interesting way that the small business folks can compete with the conglomerates. That central hub in Louisville is bringing in business.

9. In-forming

Hello, Google! “Google” a friend’s name and see what happens – not mine.

10. The Steroids – Digital, Mobile, Personal, and Virtual

He then discusses what he calls the” Quiet Crisis.” He describes ambition and education gaps that are present in our country. He makes a great point about the influence of mass media and the tendency for students to aspire to be celebrities and not innovators. Great quote:

“I was talking to a Chinese-American who works for Microsoft and has accompanied Bill Gates on visits to China. He said Gates is recognized everywhere he goes in China. Young people there hang from the rafters and scalp tickets just to hear him speak…In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears—and that is our problem.” P265

While I do not agree with every section of this book, I recommend that you read it. I would love to discuss it with you, but even if you don’t, keep the following thoughts in mind:

“While your lives have been powerfully shaped by 9/11, the world needs you to be forever the generation of 11/9—the generation of strategic optimist, the generation with more dreams than memories, the generation that wakes up each morning and not only imagines that things can be better but also acts on that imagination every day.” P269.

“So even though we can now imagine what could happen when we get on an airplane, we have to get on the plane anyway. Because the alternative to not getting on that plane is putting ourselves in our own cave. Imagination can’t just be about reruns. It also has to be about writing our own new script.” P450

This book didn’t depress me. It reminded me to keep striving for a more collaborative world.

I bought this book simply because of the title and my wish to view the bigger picture of what the world is going through but as I read the beginning pages my curiosity was stirred and my initial expectation of what the book would be about shaken. It makes a lot of sense, what the book suggests and how it builds shouldering theories on the flatness of the world and you begin to see signs that you ignored but that start to come full circle again. It is scary how economy works now and how services are the "new oil" of countries that we thought would be forever barren but it is also hopeful because it suggests that everyone and every country has an equal chance now of playing the field and scoring high. The competition is still there for sure and the rules of this game are different and we better be aware of the silver lining and the challenges or time will pass us by and we will look back to ourselves as nations and see that we are standing at the end of the world (pun-intended).

I consider myself a bit of a tech-nerd. I love any new technology that is designed to enhance my life. I can't imagine life before my cell phone, my iPod, and my mac. I love flat-panel monitors, digital cameras and satellite radio. As such I considered myself pretty up on the latest technological advances. After reading this book, I realized that not only is technology affecting my life more than I was aware, but it is also changing the way the whole world interacts. This book explains (in laymens terms I could understand) that technology is changing the world on an almost daily basis and only the nations that are able to keep up will be able to compete in the new economy. This book is entertaining AND enlightening in a way that I was completely engrossed from the first chapter. Thomas Friedman's writng style is intelligent yet non-condescending. I recommend this to anyone whether you're a techno-geek or if you're just curious about how UPS works or even if you're wondering who the heck you're speaking with when you call "Tech Support". This book should almost be required reading.

P.S. I'm new to goodreads so i will have plenty more reviews to come. This is just one of my recent favorites!

Wow. Much to think about. I learned about the forces shaping our world-and this book was pretty much all-inclusive, focusing on private and public sectors. My only criticism was the treatment of Muslim's in the book-claiming that they are embarassed by the rest of the world's progress. While there may be some truth it seems like too much of a generality.

Friedman is a journalist, not an economist, so the book is more like an extended magazine article than a scientific study. The information is mostly anecdotal, but the conclusions are sound and important. The long-standing guarantee of a middle class life in America is disappearing, and our sense of entitlement to it needs to catch up. If we truly believe in the principles of capitalist meritocracy that have served America so well, we shouldn't be afraid that more countries get to join the game. We should be playing harder.

Those with money always want to protect it from those without. For a simple (and almost certainly inaccurate) example, imagine if prosperous 18th century orange growers from Pennsylvania wanted to impose import taxes on oranges from Georgia. We'd end up with more expensive oranges in Pennsylvania and Pennsylvanian lands that weren't utilized to their fullest potential. The country has benefitted in the long run from allowing free trade, even if it caused some pain at the start.

Just like the fictional 18th-century Pennsylvanians, America needs to embrace its comparative advantages and not dwell on the short-term change in earning opportunites that result. Our policies should try to soften the impact of globalization for those affected and prepare our people for the new economy. We cannot prevent globalization and denial only leaves us unprepared.

Then again, I'm in manufacturing, so I have no credibility here. :)