The Flatness of Thomas L. Friedman

New York Times reporter Thomas L. Friedman is one of our more insightful commentators on the mid-East, globalization and international affairs. But it's also true that Friedman at times gets carried away with himself. In his new book, The World Is Flat, Friedman draws a bit too much meaning from East/West, new world/old world, hi tech/low tech juxtapositions that by now are commonplace. For instance, Friedman seems almost dumbstruck by this banal utterance from Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani: "Tom, the playing field is being leveled." New York Press columnist Matt Taibbi's deconstruction of the Friedmanesque world view is biting but spot on and is hilarious to boot."Thomas Friedman in possession of 500 pages of ruminations on the metaphorical theme of flatness would be a very dangerous thing indeed. It would be like letting a chimpanzee loose in the NORAD control room; even the best-case scenario is an image that could keep you awake well into your 50s," writes Taibbi.