Freidman: A Theory Of Everything

The New York Times ^ | 06/01/03 | THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

[goldstategop]

Tom, I don't give a damn what the rest of the world thinks. They can either get along with us or they can go to hell.

[jern]

Good read, thanks for the post.

[rellimpank]

yup--and most of the dislike is simple jealousy--

[facedown]

We said, sorry, you don't pay, you don't play.

D*mn straight!

[JmyBryan]

America's emergence as the hyperpower is happening in the age of globalization, when economies have become so intertwined that China, Russia, France or any other rivals cannot hit the U.S. without wrecking their own economies.

Exactly why globalization is a good thing and why America must maintain military dominance.

[Jim Noble]

Finding a stable way to manage this situation will be critical to managing America's relations with the rest of the globe. Any ideas? Let's hear 'em:

A whiff of the grape and a touch of the lash.

Oderint dum metuant

[PatrickHenry]

Friedman seems to be totally ignorant of economics. If someone doesn't like us, they don't have to buy from us, or sell to us. Simple. Lots of great examples out there -- Cuba, North Korea, Lower Slobovia ... That's what free enterprise is all about. Have it your way.

[ex-snook]

"Why do they hate us?" "

Maybe Tom is too complicating.

Because England/USA has a military presence there, establishes their borders and selects their rulers, maybe they just don't want us there ???

[mrsmith]

"the question has grown into, "Why does everybody else hate us?" "
An idiot playing with his strawman.

Everybody else does not hate us.
It's all about do-re-mi.

Socialist and other barbaric economic systems can not compete with a republican system. We'll keep dominating until either we succumb to the siren of feudalism or they turn their backs on it.

"In the valley of the blind the one-eyed man is king."

[KantianBurke]

Friedman's wrong. The rest of the world is envious of us and can't come to grips about how terriblly run their own countries are. They mistake our "influencing their affairs" for their own incompetence.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

What total BS. Boil the problem down to one single word: ENVY. Its been that way since the 1950's or earlier.

[Porterville]

Friedman has been wrong about everything, he underestimates the US consitantley while giving the Middle East the highest regard. Oh, that is the Middle Ease, Charlie Rose, and Katy Curic the highest regard.

[f.Christian]

The alternative ... like the liberals --- make the world -- country a 3rd world democracy // mobocracy !

[Reagan Man]

>>>During the 1990's, America became exponentially more powerful — economically, militarily and technologically — than any other country in the world, if not in history.

Yes Tom, freedom is a wonderful thing. The rest of the world should try following the examples America has set.

>>> ... the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization (whose Web site yaleglobal .yale.edu is full of valuable nuggets),

I'll run right over there. NOT!!!

[Consort]

FRIEDMAN is no Jayson Blair.

[CyberAnt]

Exactly ... and I'm not going to comment on this article because I don't care to contribute to his children's education.

[PoisedWoman]

— a benign U.S. hegemon touching everyone economically and culturally — turns into Godzilla, a wounded, angry, raging beast touching people militarily.

He's right about that. Bush could have launched those missiles, planes, and ships at anyone with any connection to terrorism and the American public would have supported him. I really don't care whether we leave Afghanistan and Iraq in smithereens....Bush's action will discourage anyone else from taking us on. And that's the unvarnished truth. Does that make me Godzilla?

Friedman was on PBS News Hour last week saying the most intelligent things about Iraq I've heard anywhere. (He was pro-war before the war.) He went to Iraq a week or so ago, flew over it, drove through it, talked to everyone, and reports that the country has obviously been a worse wreck from Saddam's regime than anyone could have imagined. Farms have not farmed for decades, business people have done no business...the country is horribly poor and dysfunctional. It's NOT our fault, Friedman stressed over and over. But now we're stuck with trying to fix enough of it to get it moving in some positive direction .....

We need that oil money to pay ourselves back for the cost of liberating Iraqis. And for the decades-long task facing us of educating those people so they don't blame everything on us. We really did not hurt them. Friedman said this quite plainly. But unless we start moving the country in a positive direction very soon, the Iraqis will turn their anger on us. Not good.

[melsec]

He has a point about the infusion of American culture into other societies. As an Australian, a country with many shared experiences as well as similar beginings, we have had little problem in either understanding or excepting most aspects of American culture. The problem with American culture though is that it is so powerfull. I'm not whinning here rather I wish to point out that along with the multitude of great things about American culture comes also the things which we don't enjoy such as the pop culture and porn etc. This is what the other countries find repulsive and having had there own culture swept away in one or two generations they find (more than America itself) that their young become obsessed with whatever is presented from such sweethearts such as Eminem, Slipknot, The internet Porn Industry.

For myself I love your baseball, football, pick-ups, your political system, your heart, your bravery, your intelligence, some of your art and music, your Constitiution and your people but you can keep that rap cr*p, porn, and loose attitudes to sex, drugs, relationships and responsibilies that seems to permeate your current pop cuture. Hey I know it ain't all your fault but your previous Vice- President did invent the internet!!

:) Keep Smilin,

Mel

[Cathryn Crawford]

This is some good, some bad. Overall, it's a good read.

I dogeared my copy of "From Beirut to Jerusalem" that I bought when I was fifteen. So Tom and I go way back. LOL