the.world.is.flat-第12节

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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　
British　colonial　rule＇　and　had　a　huge　country　to　manage；　and　no　experience　of　running　
a　country。　The　U。S。　was　busy　with　Europe　and　Japan　and　the　Marshall　Plan。　So　Nehru　
looked　north；　across　the　Himalayas；　and　sent　his　team　of　economists　to　Moscow。　They　
came　back　and　said　that　this　country　＇the　Soviet　Union＇　was　amazing。　They　allocate　
resources；　they　give　licenses；　there　is　a　planning　commission　that　decides　everything；　
and　the　country　moves。　So　we　took　that　model　and　forgot　that　we　had　a　private　sector　。　。　。　
That　private　sector　got　put　under　this　wall　of　regulation。　By　1991；　the　private　sector　
was　there；　but　under　wraps；　and　there　was　mistrust　about　business。　They　made　profits！　
The　entire　infrastructure　from　1947　to　1991　was　government…owned　。　。　。　＇The　burden　
of　state　ownership＇　almost　bankrupted　the　country。　We　were　not　able　to　pay　our　debts。　
As　a　people；　we　did　not　have　self…confidence。　Sure；　we　might　have　won　a　couple　of　
wars　with　Pakistan；　but　that　did　not　give　the　nation　confidence。〃　
In　1991；　with　India　running　out　of　hard　currency；　Manmohan　Singh；　the　finance　minister　
at　that　time　（and　now　the　prime　minister）；　decided　that　India　had　to　open　its　economy。　
〃Our　Berlin　Wall　fell；〃　said　Das；　〃and　it　was　like　unleashing　a　caged　tiger。　Trade　
controls　were　abolished。　We　were　always　at　3　percent　growth；　the　so…called　Hindu　rate　
of　growth…slow；　cautious；　and　conservative。　To　make　＇better　returns＇；　you　had　to　go　
to　America。　Well；　three　years　later　＇after　the　1991　reforms＇　we　were　at　7　percent　
rate　of　growth。　To　hell　with　poverty！　Now　to　make　it　you　could　stay　in　India　and　become　
one　of　Forbes's　richest　people　in　the　world　。。。　All　the　years　of　socialism　and　controls　
had　taken　us　downhill　to　
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the　point　where　we　had　only　　1　billion　in　foreign　currency。　Today　we　have　　118　


billion　。　。　。　We　went　from　quiet　self…confidence　to　outrageous　ambition　in　a　decade。〃　
The　fall　of　the　Berlin　Wall　didn't　just　help　flatten　the　alternatives　to　free…market　
capitalism　and　unlock　enormous　pent…up　energies　for　hundreds　of　millions　of　people　
in　places　like　India；　Brazil；　China；　and　the　former　Soviet　Empire。　It　also　allowed　
us　to　think　about　the　world　differently…to　see　it　as　more　of　a　seamless　whole。　Because　
the　Berlin　Wall　was　not　only　blocking　our　way；　it　was　blocking　our　sight…our　ability　
to　think　about　the　world　as　a　single　market；　a　single　ecosystem；　and　a　single　community。　
Before　1989；　you　could　have　an　Eastern　policy　or　a　Western　policy；　but　it　was　hard　
to　think　about　having　a　〃global〃　policy。　Amartya　Sen；　the　Nobel　Prize…winning　Indian　
economist　now　teaching　at　Harvard；　once　remarked　to　me　that　〃the　Berlin　Wall　was　not　
only　a　symbol　of　keeping　people　inside　East　Germany…it　was　a　way　of　preventing　a　kind　
of　global　view　of　our　future。　We　could　not　think　globally　about　the　world　when　the　
Berlin　Wall　was　there。　We　could　not　think　about　the　world　as　a　whole。〃　There　is　a　
lovely　story　in　Sanskrit；　Sen　added；　about　a　frog　that　is　born　in　a　well　and　stays　
in　the　well　and　lives　its　entire　life　in　the　well。　〃It　has　a　worldview　that　consists　
of　the　well；〃　he　said。　〃That　was　what　the　world　was　like　for　many　people　on　the　planet　
before　the　fall　of　the　wall。　When　it　fell；　it　was　like　the　frog　in　the　well　was　suddenly　
able　to　communicate　with　frogs　in　all　the　other　wells。。。　If　I　celebrate　the　fall　of　
the　wall；　it　is　because　I　am　convinced　of　how　much　we　can　learn　from　each　other。　Most　
knowledge　is　learning　from　the　other　across　the　border。〃　
Yes；　the　world　became　a　better　place　to　live　in　after　11/9；　because　each　outbreak　
of　freedom　stimulated　another　outbreak；　and　that　process　in　and　of　itself　had　a　
flattening　effect　across　societies；　strengthening　those　below　and　weakening　those　
above。　〃Women's　freedom；〃　noted　Sen；　citing　just　one　example；　〃which　promotes　women's　
literacy；　tends　to　reduce　fertility　and　child　mortality　and　increase　the　employment　
opportunities　for　women；　which　then　affects　the　political　dialogue　and　g