the.world.is.flat-第68部分

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States。　（Canada　remains　number　one。）　Though　Mexico　still　has　a　strong　position　in　
big…ticket　exports　that　are　costly　to　ship；　such　as　cars；　auto　parts；　and　
refrigerators；　China　is　coming　on　strong　and　has　already　displaced　Mexico　in　areas　
such　as　computer　parts；　electrical　components；　toys；　textiles；　sporting　goods；　and　
tennis　shoes。　But　what's　even　worse　for　Mexico　is　that　China　is　displacing　some　Mexican　
companies　in　Mexico；　where　Chinese…made　clothing　and　toys　are　now　showing　up　on　store　
shelves　everywhere。　No　wonder　a　Mexican　journalist　told　me　about　the　day　he　
interviewed　a　Chinese　central　bank　official；　who　told　him　something　about　China's　


relationship　with　America　that　really　rattled　him：　〃First　we　were　afraid　of　the　wolf；　
then　we　wanted　to　dance　with　the　wolf；　and　now　we　want　to　be　the　wolf。〃　
A　few　days　after　returning　from　Mexico；　I　had　breakfast　in　Washington　with　a　friend　
from　Egypt；Lamees　El…Hadidy；　a　longtime　business　reporter　in　Cairo。　Naturally　I　asked　
her　where　she　was　when　she　discovered　the　world　was　flat。　She　answered　that　it　was　
a　just　few　weeks　earlier；　during　the　Muslim　holy　month　of　Ramadan。　She　had　done　a　
story　for　CNBC　Arabiya　Television　about　the　colorful　lanterns　called　fawanis；　
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each　with　a　burning　candle　inside；that　Egyptian　schoolchildren　traditionally　carried　
around　during　Ramadan；　a　tradition　dating　back　centuries　to　the　Fatimid　period　in　
Egypt。　Kids　swing　the　lanterns　and　sing　songs；　and　people　give　them　candy　or　gifts；　
as　in　America　on　Halloween。　For　centuries；　small；　low…wage　workshops　in　Cairo's　older　
neighborhoods　have　manufactured　these　lanterns…until　thelast　few　years。That　was　when　
plastic　Chinese…made　Ramadan　lanterns；　each　with　a　battery…powered　light　instead　of　
a　candle；　began　flooding　the　market；　crippling　the　traditional　Egyptian　workshops。　
Said　Lamees；　〃They　are　invading　our　tradition　…in　an　innovative　way…and　we　are　doing　
nothing　about　it。。。　These　lanterns　come　out　of　our　tradition；　our　soul；　but　＇the　
Chinese　versions＇　are　more　creative　and　advanced　than　the　Egyptian　ones。〃　Lamees　said　
that　when　she　asked　Egyptians；　〃Do　you　know　where　these　are　made？；〃　they　would　all　
answer　no。　Then　they　would　turn　the　lamps　over　and　see　that　they　came　from　China。　
Many　mothers；　like　Lamees；　though；　appreciated　the　fact　that　the　Chinese　versions　
are　safer　than　the　traditional　Egyptian　ones；　which　are　made　with　sharp　metal　edges　
and　glass；　and　usually　still　use　candles。　The　Chinese　versions　are　made　of　plastic　
and　feature　flashing　lights　and　have　an　embedded　microchip　that　plays　traditional　
Egyptian　Ramadan　tunes　and　even　the　theme　song　to　the　popular　Ramadan　TV　cartoon　series　
Bakkar。　As　Business　Monthly；　published　by　the　American　Chamber　of　Commerce　in　Egypt；　
reported　in　its　December　2001　issue；　Chinese　importers　〃are　pitted　not　only　against　
each　other；　but　also　against　the　several…hundred…year…old　Egyptian　industry。　But　the　
Chinese　models　are　destined　to　prevail；　according　to　＇a＇　famous　importer；　Taha　Zayat。　
Imports　have　definitely　cut　down　on　sales　of　traditional　fawanis；'　he　said。　'Of　all　
fawanis　on　the　market；　I　don't　think　that　more　than　5　percent　are　now　made　in　Egypt。'　
People　with　ties　to　the　Egyptian　＇fawanis＇　industry　believe　China　has　a　clear　
advantage　over　Egypt。　With　its　superior　technology；　they　said；　China　can　make　mass　
quantities；　which　helps　to　keep　prices　relatively　low。　Egypt's　traditional　＇fawanis＇　
industry；　by　contrast；　is　characterized　by　a　series　of　workshops　specialized　in　
different　stages　of　the　production　process。　Glassmakers；　painters；　welders　and　metal　
crafts…　
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men　all　have　their　role　to　play。　'There　will　always　be　fawanis　in　Ramadan；　but　in　
the　future　I　think　Egyptian…made　ones　could　become　extinct/　Zayat　said。　'There　is　
no　way　they　can　ever　compete　with　things　made　in　China。'〃　
Think　how　crazy　that　statement　is：　Egypt　has　masses　of　low…wage　workers；　like　China。　
It　sits　right　next　to　Europe；　on　the　Suez　Canal。　It　could　be　and　should　be　the　Taiwan　
of　the　eastern　Mediterranean；　but　instead　it　is　throwing　in　the　towel　to　atheistic　


China　on　the　manufacture　of　one　of　Muslim　Egypt's　most　cherished　cultural　artifacts。　
Ibrahim　El　Esway；　one　of　the　main　importers　from　China　of　fawanis；　gave　The　Business　
Monthly　a　tour　of　his　warehouse　in　the　Egyptian　town　of　Muski：　He　had　imported　sixteen　
different　models　of　Ramadan　lanterns　from　China　in　2004。　〃Amid　the　crowds　at　Muski；　
＇El　Esway＇　gestured　to　one　of　his　employees；　who　promptly　opened　a　dust…covered　box　
and　pulled　out　a　plastic　fawanis　shaped　like　the　head　of　Simba；　from　The　Lion　King。　
'This　is　the　first　model　we　imported　back　in　1994；'　he　said。　He　switched　it　on。　As　
the　blue…colored　lion's　head　lit　up；　the　song　'It's　a　Small　World'　rang　out。〃　
Introspection　
The　previous　section　of　this　book　looked　at　how　individuals；　particularly　Americans；　
should　think　about　meeting　the　challenge　posed　by　the　flattening　of　the　world。　This　
chapter　focuses　on　what　sort　of　policies　developing　countries　need　to　undertake　in　
order　to　create　the　right　environment　for　their　companies　and　entrepreneurs　to　thrive　
in　a　flat　world；　although　many　of　the　things　I　am　about　to　say　apply　to　many　developed　
countries　as　well。　
When　developing　countries　start　thinking　about　the　challenge　of　flatism；　the　first　
thing　they　need　to　do　is　engage　in　some　brutally　honest　introspection。　A　country；　
its　people　and　leaders　alike；　has　to　be　honest　with　itself　and　look　clearly　at　exactly　
where　it　stands　in　relation　to　other　countries　and　in　relation　to　the　ten　flatteners。　
It　has　to　ask　itself；　〃To　what　

extent　is　my　country　advancing　or　being　left　behind　by　the　flattening　of　the　world；　
and　to　what　extent　is　it　adapting　to　and　taking　advantage　of　all　the　new　platforms　
for　collaboration　and　competition？〃　As　that　Chinese　banking　official　boasted　to　my　
Mexican　colleague；　China　is　the　wolf。　Of　all　the　ten　flatteners；　the　entry　of　China　
into　the　world　market　is　the　most　important　for　developing　countries；　and　for　many　
developed　countries。　China　can　do　high…quality　low…cost　manufacturing　better　than　
any　other　country；　and　increasingly；　it　also　can　do　high…quality　higher…cost　
manufacturing。　With　China　and　the　other　nine　flatteners　coming　on　so　strong；　no　
country　today　can　afford　to　be　anything　less　than　brutally　honest　with　itself。　
To　that　end；　I　believe　that　what　the　world　needs　today　is　a　club　that　would　be　modeled　
after　Alcoholics　Anonymous　（A。A。）。　It　would　be　called　Developing　Countries　Anonymous　
（D。C。A。）。　And　just　as　at　the　first　A。A。　meeting　you　attend　you　have　to　stand　up　and　
say；　〃My　name　is　Thomas　Friedman　and　I'm　an　alcoholic；〃　so　at　Developing　Countries　
Anonymous；　countries　would　have　to　stand　up　at　their　first　meeting　and　say；　〃My　name　
is　Syria　and　I'm　underdeveloped。〃　Or　〃My　name　is　Argentina　and　I'm　underachieving。　
I　have　not　lived　up　to　my　potential。〃　
Every　country　needs　〃the　ability　to　make　your　own　introspection；〃　since　〃no　country　
develops　without　going　through　an　X…ray　of　where　you　are　and　where　your　limits　are；〃　
said　Luis　de　la　Calle；　one　of　Mexico's　chief　NAFTA　negotiators。　Countries　that　fall　
off　the　development　wagon　are　a　bit　like　drunks；　to　get　back　on　they　have　to　learn　
to　see　themselves　as　they　really　are。　Development　is　a　voluntary　process。　You　need　
a　positive　decision　to　make　the　right　steps；　but　it　starts　with　introspection。　
I　Can　Get　It　for　You　Wholesale　During　the　late　1970s；　but　particularly　after　the　fall　


of　the　Berlin　Wall；　a　lot　of　countries　started　to　pursue　development　in　a　new　way　
through　a　process　that　I　call　reform　wholesale。　The　era　of　Globalization　2。0；　when　
the　world　shrank　from　a　size　medium　to　a　size　small；　was　the　
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era　of　reform　wholesale；　an　era　of　broad　macroeconomic　reform。　These　wholesale　reforms　
were　initiated　by　a　small　handful　of　leaders　in　countries　like　China；　Russia；　Mexico；　
Brazil；　and　India。　These　small　groups　of　reformers　often　relied　on　the　leverage　of　
authoritarian　politicalsystems　to　unleash　the　state…smothered　market　forces　in　their　
societies。　They　pushed　their　countries　into　more　export…oriented；　free…market　
strategies…based　on　privatization　of　state　companies；　deregulation　of　financial　
markets；　currency　adjustments；　foreign　direct　investment；　shrinking　subsidies；　
lowering　of　protectionist　tariff　barriers；　and　introduction　of　more　flexible　labor　
laws…from　the　top　down　without　ever　really　asking　the　people。　Ernesto　Zedillo；　who　
served　as　president　of　Mexico　from　1994　to　2000　and　was　finance　minister　before　that；　
once　remarked　to　me　that　all　the　decisions　to　open　the　Mexican　economy　were　taken　
by　three　people。　How　many　people　do　you　suppose　Deng　Xiaoping　consulted　before　he　
declared；　〃To　get　rich　is　glorious；〃　and　opened　the　Chinese　economy；　or　when　he　
dismissed　those　who　questioned　China's　move　from　communism　to　free　markets　by　
saying　that　what　mattered　was　jobs　and　incomes；　not　ideology？　Deng　tossed　over　decades　
of　Communist　ideology　with　one　sentence：　〃Black　cat；　white　cat；　all　that　matters　is　
that　it　catches　mice。〃　In　1991；　when　India's　finance　minister；　Manmohan　Singh；　took　
the　first　tentative　steps　to　open　India's　economy　to　more　foreign　trade；　investment；　
and　competition；　it　was　a　result　not　of　some　considered　national　debate　and　dialogue；　
but　of　the　fact　that　India's　economy　at　that　moment　was　so　sclerotic；　so　unappealing　
to　foreign　investors；　that　it　had　almost　run　out　of　foreign　currency。　When　Mikhail　
Gorbachev　started　dabbling　with　perestroika；　it　was　with　his　back　up　against　the　
Kremlin　wall　and　with　few　allies　in　the　Soviet　leadership。　The　same　was　true　of　
Margaret　Thatcher　when　she　took　on　the　striking　coal　miners'　union　in　1984　and　forced　
reform　wholesale　onto　the　sagging　British　economy。　
What　all　these　leaders　confronted　was　the　irrefutable　fact　that　more　open　and　
competitive　markets　are　the　only　sustainable　vehicle　for　growing　a　nation　out　of　
poverty；　because　they　are　the　only　guarantee　that　new　ideas；　technologies；　and　best　
practices　are　easily　flowing　into　your　coun…　
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try　and　that　private　enterprises；　and　even　government；　have　the　competitive