By Stefan Kalt

In spite of a recent history of humiliating knocks and dwindling power, the United States is still the land in which the gospel of progress reigns supreme. This faith found expression in Thomas Friedman’s 1999 bestseller, The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization, which assayed America’s fate in the age of globalization. Friedman has now published a new book on the same topic entitled The World is Flat: A Short History of the Twenty-First Century. In many ways, The World is Flat resembles its predecessor, at times merely updating and re-illustrating the latter’s central theses. Unsurprisingly, Friedman’s giddy neo-liberalism is unrelenting. Nor does he shelve his gung ho corporate boosterism, which at times borders on unpaid advertising. Those who found The Lexus and the Olive Tree stylistically grating will find The World is Flat equally so. Nevertheless, The World is Flat does voice some new concerns. Friedman’s optimism is more tempered than it was in The Lexus and the Olive Tree, undoubtedly reflecting the 9/11 aftermath and possibly signaling a growing awareness of the plight of those who have not – or have not as yet – reaped the fruits of globalization. Friedman touts The World is Flat as a companion volume to The Lexus and The Olive Tree. Indeed, The World is Flat makes up for certain deficiencies of its predecessor. To be sure, it contains shortcomings of its own, and even falls behind The Lexus and the Olive Tree in some respects. But, its strengths and weaknesses aside, it has received a good bit of attention and, along with its sibling, sells widely and garners lavish praise, at least in the United States. The popularity of these two books indicates that America’s optimistic self-understanding is alive and kicking. If only for taking a sounding of the American mood, The World is Flat merits a look.