the.world.is.flat-第45部分

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frictions；　and　restraints　to　global　commerce。　
〃Marx　was　one　of　the　first　to　glimpse　the　possibility　of　the　world　as　a　global　market；　
uncomplicated　by　national　boundaries；〃　Sandel　explained。　〃Marx　was　capitalism's　
fiercest　critic；　and　yet　he　stood　in　awe　of　its　power　to　break　down　barriers　and　create　
a　worldwide　system　of　production　and　consumption。　In　the　Communist　Manifesto；　he　
described　capitalism　as　a　force　that　would　dissolve　all　feudal；　national；　and　
religious　identities；　giving　rise　to　a　universal　civilization　governed　by　market　
imperatives。　Marx　considered　it　inevitable　that　capital　would　have　its　way…inevitable　
and　also　desirable。　Because　once　capitalism　destroyed　all　national　and　religious　
allegiances；　Marx　thought；　it　would　lay　bare　the　stark　struggle　between　capital　and　
labor。　Forced　to　compete　in　a　global　race　to　the　bottom；　the　workers　of　the　world　
would　unite　in　a　global　revolution　to　end　oppression。　Deprived　of　consoling　
distractions　such　as　patriotism　and　religion；　they　would　see　their　exploitation　
clearly　and　rise　up　to　end　it。〃　
Indeed；　reading　the　Communist　Manifesto　today；　I　am　in　awe　at　how　incisively　Marx　
detailed　the　forces　that　were　flattening　the　world　during　the　rise　of　the　Industrial　
Revolution；　and　how　much　he　foreshadowed　the　way　these　same　forces　would　keep　
flattening　the　world　right　up　to　the　present。　In　what　is　probably　the　key　paragraph　
of　the　Communist　Manifesto；　Marx　and　Engels　wrote：　
All　fixed；　fast；　frozen　relations；　with　their　train　of　ancient　and　venerable　
prejudices　and　opinions；　are　swept　away；　all　new…formed　ones　become　antiquated　before　
they　can　ossify。　All　that　is　solid　melts　into　air；　all　that　is　holy　is　profaned；　and　
man　is　at　last　compelled　to　face　with　sober　senses　his　real　conditions　of　life　and　


his　relations　with　his　kind。　The　need　of　a　constantly　expanding　market　for　its　products　
chases　the　bourgeoisie　over　the　whole　surface　
203　
of　the　globe。　It　must　nestle　everywhere；　settle　everywhere；　establish　connections　
everywhere。　The　bourgeoisie　has　through　its　exploitation　of　the　world　market　given　
a　cosmopolitan　character　to　production　and　consumption　in　every　country。　To　the　great　
chagrin　of　reactionaries；　it　has　drawn　from　under　the　feet　of　industry　the　national　
ground　on　which　it　stood。　All　old…established　national　industries　have　been　destroyed　
or　are　daily　being　destroyed。　They　are　dislodged　by　new　industries；　whose　introduction　
becomes　a　life　and　death　question　for　all　civilised　nations；　by　industries　that　no　
longer　work　up　indigenous　raw　material；　but　raw　material　drawn　from　the　remotest　zones；　
industries　whose　products　are　consumed；　not　only　at　home；　but　in　every　quarter　of　
the　globe。　In　place　of　the　old　wants；　satisfied　by　the　production　of　the　country；　
we　find　new　wants；　requiring　for　their　satisfaction　the　products　of　distant　lands　
and　climes。　In　place　of　the　old　local　and　national　seclusion　and　self…sufficiency；　
we　have　intercourse　in　every　direction；　universal　inter…dependence　of　nations。　And　
as　in　material；　so　also　in　intellectual　production。　The　intellectual　creations　of　
individual　nations　become　common　property。　National　one…sidedness　and　
narrow…mindedness　become　more　and　more　impossible；　and　from　the　numerous　national　
and　local　literatures　there　arises　a　world　literature。　
The　bourgeoisie；　by　the　rapid　improvement　of　all　instruments　of　production；　by　the　
immensely　facilitated　means　of　communication；　draws　all；　even　the　most　barbarian　
nations　into　civilisation。　The　cheap　prices　of　commodities　are　the　heavy　artillery　
with　which　it　barters　down　all　Chinese　walls；　with　which　it　forces　the　barbarians'　
intensely　obstinate　hatred　of　foreigners　to　capitulate。　It　compels　all　nations；　on　
pain　of　extinction；　to　adopt　the　bourgeois　mode　of　production；　it　compels　them　to　
introduce　what　it　calls　civilisation　into　their　midst；　i。e。；　to　become　bourgeois　
themselves。　In　one　word；　it　creates　a　world　after　its　own　image。　
It　is　hard　to　believe　that　Marx　published　that　in　1848。　Referring　to　the　Communist　
Manifesto；　Sandel　told　me；　〃You　are　arguing　something　sim204　
ilar。　What　you　are　arguing　is　that　developments　in　information　technology　are　enabling　
companies　to　squeeze　out　all　the　inefficiencies　and　friction　from　their　markets　and　
business　operations。　That　is　what　your　notion　of'flattening'　really　means。　But　a　flat；　
frictionless　world　is　a　mixed　blessing。　It　may；　as　you　suggest；　be　good　for　global　
business。　Or　it　may；　as　Marx　believed；　augur　well　for　a　proletarian　revolution。　But　
it　may　also　pose　a　threat　to　the　distinctive　places　and　communities　that　give　us　our　
bearings；　that　locate　us　in　the　world。　From　the　first　stirrings　of　capitalism；　people　
have　imagined　the　possibility　of　the　world　as　a　perfect　market…unimpeded　by　
protectionist　pressures；　disparate　legal　systems；　cultural　and　linguistic　
differences；　or　ideological　disagreement。　But　this　vision　has　always　bumped　up　
against　the　world　as　it　actually　is…full　of　sources　of　friction　and　inefficiency。　
Some　obstacles　to　a　frictionless　global　market　are　truly　sources　of　waste　and　lost　
opportunities。　But　some　of　these　inefficiencies　are　institutions；　habits；　cultures；　


and　traditions　that　people　cherish　precisely　because　they　reflect　nonmarket　values　
like　social　cohesion；　religious　faith；　and　national　pride。　If　global　markets　and　new　
communications　technologies　flatten　those　differences；　we　may　lose　something　
important。　That　is　why　the　debate　about　capitalism　has　been；　from　the　very　beginning；　
about　which　frictions；　barriers；　and　boundaries　are　mere　sources　of　waste　and　
inefficiency；　and　which　are　sources　of　identity　and　belonging　that　we　should　try　to　
protect。　From　the　telegraph　to　the　Internet；　every　new　communications　technology　has　
promised　to　shrink　the　distance　between　people；　to　increase　access　to　information；　
and　to　bring　us　ever　closer　to　the　dream　of　a　perfectly　efficient；　frictionless　global　
market。　And　each　time；　the　question　for　society　arises　with　renewed　urgency：　To　what　
extent　should　we　stand　aside；　'get　with　the　program；'　and　do　all　we　can　to　squeeze　
out　yet　more　inefficiencies；　and　to　what　extent　should　we　lean　against　the　current　
for　the　sake　of　values　that　global　markets　can't　supply？　Some　sources　of　friction　
are　worth　protecting；　even　in　the　face　of　a　global　economy　that　threatens　to　flatten　
them。〃　
The　biggest　source　of　friction；　of　course；　has　always　been　the　nation…state；　with　
its　clearly　defined　boundaries　and　laws。　Are　national　boundaries　a　source　of　friction　
we　should　want　to　preserve；　or　even　can　preserve；　in　a　flat　world？　What　about　legal　
barriers　to　the　free　flow　of　in…　

formation；　intellectualproperty；　and　capital…such　ascopyrights；　worker　protections；　
and　minimum　wages？　In　the　wake　of　the　triple　convergence；　the　more　the　flattening　
forces　reduce　friction　and　barriers；　the　sharper　the　challenge　they　will　pose　to　the　
nation…state　and　to　the　particular　cultures；　values；　national　identities；　democratic　
traditions；　and　bonds　of　restraint　that　have　historically　provided　some　protection　
and　cushioning　for　workers　and　communities。　Which　do　we　keep　and　which　do　we　let　melt　
away　into　air　so　we　can　all　collaborate　more　easily？　
This　will　take　some　sorting　out；　which　is　why　the　point　that　Michael　Sandel　raises　
is　critical　and　is　sure　to　be　at　the　forefront　of　political　debate　both　within　and　
between　nation…states　in　the　flat　world。　As　Sandel　argued；　what　I　call　collaboration　
could　be　seen　by　others　as　just　a　nice　name　for　the　ability　to　hire　cheap　labor　in　
India。　You　cannot　deny　that　when　you　look　at　it　from　an　American　perspective。　But　
that　is　only　if　you　look　at　it　from　one　side。　From　the　Indian　worker's　perspective；　
that　same　form　of　collaboration；　outsourcing；　could　be　seen　as　another　name　for　
empowering　individuals　in　the　developing　world　as　never　before；　enabling　them　to　
nurture；　exploit；　and　profit　from　their　God…given　intellectual　talents…talents　that　
before　the　flattening　of　the　world　often　rotted　on　the　docks　of　Bombay　and　Calcutta。　
Looking　at　it　from　the　American　corner　of　the　flat　world；　you　might　conclude　that　
the　frictions；　barriers；　and　values　that　restrain　outsourcing　should　be　maintained；　
maybe　even　strengthened。　But　from　the　point　of　view　of　Indians；　fairness；　justice；　
and　their　own　aspirations　demand　that　those　same　barriers　and　sources　of　friction　
be　removed。　In　the　flat　world；　one　person's　economic　liberation　could　be　another's　
unemployment。　
India　versus　Indiana：　Who　Is　Exploiting　Whom？　


Consider　this　case　of　multiple　identity　disorder。　In　2003；　the　state　of　Indiana　put　
out　to　bid　a　contract　to　upgrade　the　state's　computer　systems　that　process　
unemployment　claims。　Guess　who　won？　Tata　
206　
America　International；　which　isthe　U。S。…based　subsidiary　ofIndia's　Tata　Consultancy　
Services　Ltd。　Tata's　bid　of　15。2　million　came　in　8。1　million　lower　than　that　of　
its　closest　rivals；　the　New　York…based　companies　Deloitte　Consulting　and　Accenture　
Ltd。　No　Indiana　firms　bid　on　the　contract；　because　it　was　too　big　for　them　to　handle。　
In　other　words；　an　Indian　consulting　firm　won　the　contract　to　upgrade　the　unemployment　
department　of　the　state　of　Indiana！　You　couldn't　make　this　up。　Indiana　was　outsourcing　
the　very　department　that　would　cushion　the　people　of　Indiana　from　the　effects　of　
outsourcing。　Tata　was　planning　to　send　some　sixty…five　contract　employees　to　work　
in　the　Indiana　Government　Center；　alongside　eighteen　state　workers。　Tata　also　said　
it　would　hire　local　subcontractors　and　do　some　local　recruiting；　but　most　workers　
would　come　from　India　to　do　the　computer　overhauls；　which；　once　completed；　were　
〃supposed　to　speed　the　processing　of　unemployment　claims；　as　well　as　save　postage　
and　reduce　hassles　for　businesses　that　pay　unemployment　taxes；〃　the　Indianapolis　Star　
reported　on　June　25；　2004。　You　can　probably　guess　how　the　story　ended。　〃Top　aides　
to　then…Gov。　Frank　O'Bannon　had　signed　off　on　the　politically　sensitive；　four…year　
contract　before　his　death　＇on＇　September　13；　＇2003＇；〃　the　Star　reported。　But　when　
word　of　the　contract　was　made　public；　Republicans　made　it　a