the.world.is.flat-第72部分

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alone　tolerance　of　followers　of　other　Islamic　schools　of　thought…is　one　thing　that　
needs　to　be　re…evaluated　from　top　to　bottom。　Saudi　culture　itself　and　the　fact　that　
the　majority　of　us　do　not　accept　other　lifestyles　and　impose　our　own　on　other　people　
is　another。　And　the　fact　that　from　fourth　to　12th　grade　we　do　not　teach　our　children　
that　there　are　other　civilizations　in　the　world　and　that　we　are　part　of　the　global　
community　and　only　stress　the　Islamic　empires　over　and　over　is　also　worth　
re…evaluating。〃　
It　is　simply　too　easily　forgotten　that　when　it　comes　to　economic　activities；　one　of　
the　greatest　virtues　a　country　or　community　can　have　is　a　culture　of　tolerance。　When　
tolerance　is　the　norm；　everyone　flourishes…　because　tolerance　breeds　trust；　and　trust　
is　the　foundation　of　innovation　and　entrepreneurship。　Increase　the　level　of　trust　
in　any　group；　company；　or　society；　and　only　good　things　happen。　〃China　began　its　
astounding　
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commercial　and　industrial　takeoff　only　when　Mao　Zedong's　odiously　intolerant　form　
of　communism　was　scrapped　in　favor　of　what　might　be　called　totalitarian　
laissez…faire；〃　wrote　British　historian　Paul　Johnson　in　a　June　21；　2004；　essay　in　
Forbes。　〃India　is　another　example。　It　is　the　nature　of　the　Hindu　religion　to　be　
tolerant　and；　in　its　own　curious　way；　permissive　。　。　。　When　left　to　themselves；　Indians　
（like　the　Chinese）　always　prosper　as　a　community。　Take　the　case　of　Uganda's　Indian　
population；　which　was　expelled　by　the　horrific　dictator　Idi　Amin　and　received　into　
the　tolerant　society　of　Britain。　There　are　now　more　millionaires　in　this　group　than　
in　any　other　recent　immigrant　community　in　Britain。　They　are　a　striking　example　of　
how　far　hard　work；　strong　family　bonds　and　devotion　to　education　can　carry　a　people　
who　have　been　stripped　of　all　their　worldly　assets。〃　Islam；　down　through　the　years；　
has　thrived　when　it　fostered　a　culture　of　tolerance；　as　in　Moorish　Spain。　But　in　its　
modern　form；　in　too　many　cases　Islam　has　been　captured　and　interpreted　by　spiritual　
leaders　who　do　not　embrace　a　culture　of　tolerance；　change；　or　innovation；　and　that；　
Johnson　noted；　surelyhas　contributed　to　lagging　economic　growth　in　many　Muslim　lands。　
Here　we　come　again　to　the　coefficient　of　flatness。　Countries　without　natural　resources　
are　much　more　likely；　through　human　evolution；　to　develop　the　habits　of　openness　to　
new　ideas；　because　it　is　the　only　way　they　can　survive　and　advance。　
The　good　news；　though；　is　that　not　only　does　culture　matter；　but　culture　can　change。　
Cultures　are　not　wired　into　our　human　DNA。　They　are　a　product　of　the　context…geography；　
education　level；　leadership；　and　historical　experience…of　any　society。　As　those　
change；　so　too　can　culture。　Japan　and　Germany　went　from　highly　militarized　societies　
to　highlypacifist　and　staunchly　democratic　societies　in　the　last　fifty　years。　Bahrain　
was　one　of　the　first　Arab　countries　to　discover　oil。　It　was　the　first　Arab　country　
to　run　out　of　oil。　And　it　was　the　first　Arab　country　in　the　Arab　Gulf　to　hold　an　election　
for　parliament　where　women　could　run　and　vote。　China　during　the　Cultural　Revolution　
seemed　like　a　nation　in　the　grip　of　a　culture　of　ideological　madness。　China　today　
is　a　synonym　for　pragmatism。　Muslim　Spain　was　one　of　the　most　tolerant　societies　in　
the　history　of　the　world。　Muslim　Saudi　Arabia　today　is　one　of　the　most　in

tolerant。　Muslim　Spain　was　a　trading　and　merchant　culture　where　people　had　to　live　
by　their　wits　and　therefore　learned　to　live　well　with　others；　Saudi　Arabia　today　can　
get　by　just　selling　oil。　Yet　right　next　to　Saudi　Arabia　sits　Dubai；　an　Arab　city…state　
that　has　used　its　petrodollars　to　build　the　trading；　tourist；　service；　and　computing　
center　of　the　Arab　Gulf。　Dubai　is　one　of　the　most　tolerant；　cosmopolitan　places　in　
the　world；　with；　it　often　seems；　more　sushi　bars　and　golf　courses　than　mosques…and　
tourists　don't　even　need　a　visa。　So　yes；　culture　matters；　but　culture　is　nested　in　
contexts；　not　genes；　and　as　those　contexts；　and　local　leaders；　change　and　adapt；　so　
too　can　culture。　
The　Intangible　Things　
You　can　tell　a　lot　by　just　comparing　skylines。　Like　many　Indian　Americans；　Dinakar　
Singh；　the　hedge　fund　manager；　regularly　goes　back　to　India　to　visit　family。　In　the　
winter　of　2004；　he　went　back　to　New　Delhi　for　a　visit。　When　I　saw　him　a　few　months　
later；　he　told　me　about　the　moment　when　he　realized　why　India's　economy；　as　a　whole；　


still　had　not　taken　off　as　much　as　it　should　have…outside　of　the　high…tech　sector。　
〃I　was　on　the　sixth　floor　of　a　hotel　in　New　Delhi；〃　he　recalled；　〃and　when　I　looked　
out　the　window　I　could　see　for　miles。　How　come？　Because　you　do　not　have　assured　power　
in　Delhi　for　elevators；　so　there　are　not　many　tall　buildings。〃　No　sensible　investor　
would　want　to　build　a　tall　building　in　a　city　where　the　power　could　go　out　at　any　
moment　and　you　might　have　to　walk　up　twenty　flights　of　stairs。　The　result　is　more　
urban　sprawl　and　an　inefficient　use　of　space。　I　told　Singh　that　his　story　reminded　
me　of　a　trip　I　had　just　taken　to　Dalian；　China。　I　had　been　to　Dalian　in　1998；　and　
when　I　went　back　in　2004；1　did　not　recognize　the　city。　There　were　so　many　new　buildings；　
including　modern　glass…and…steel　towers；　that　I　began　to　question　whether　I　had　
actually　visited　there　in　1998。　Then　I　added　another　recollection。　I　went　to　school　
in　Cairo　in　the　summer　of　1974。　The　three　most　prominent　buildings　in　the　city　then　
were　the　Nile　Hilton；　the　Cairo　Tower；　and　the　Egyptian　TV　build

ing。　Thirty　years　later；　in　2004；　they　are　still　the　most　prominent　buildings　there；　
the　Cairo　skyline　has　barely　changed。　Whenever　I　go　back　to　Cairo；　I　know　exactly　
where　I　am。　I　visited　Mexico　City　shortly　before　Dalian；　where　I　had　not　visited　in　
five　years。　I　found　it　much　cleaner　than　I　had　remembered；　thanks　to　a　citywide　
campaign　by　the　mayor。　There　were　also　a　few　new　buildings　up；　but　not　as　many　as　
I　expected　after　a　decade　of　NAFTA。　Inside　the　buildings；　though；　I　found　my　Mexican　
friends　a　little　depressed。　They　told　me　that　Mexico　had　lost　its　groove…it　just　
wasn't　growing　like　it　had　been；　and　people's　self…confidence　was　waning。　
So　in　Delhi；　you　can　see　forever。　In　Cairo；　the　skyline　seems　forever　the　same。　In　
China；　if　you　miss　visiting　a　city　for　a　year；　it's　like　you　haven't　been　there　in　
forever。　And　in　Mexico　City；　just　when　Mexicans　thought　they　had　turned　the　corner　
forever；　they　ran　smack　into　China；　coming　the　other　way　and　running　much　faster。　
What　explains　these　differences？　We　know　the　basic　formula　for　economic　
success…reform　wholesale；　followed　by　reform　retail；　plus　good　governance；　education；　
infrastructure；　and　the　ability　to　glocalize。　What　we　don't　know；　though；　and　what　
I　would　bottle　and　sell　if　I　did；　is　the　answer　to　the　question　of　why　one　country　
gets　its　act　together　to　do　all　these　things　in　a　sustained　manner　and　why　another　
one　doesn't。　Why　does　one　country's　skyline　change　overnight　and　another's　doesn't　
change　over　half　a　century？　The　only　answer　I　have　been　able　to　find　is　something　
that　cannot　be　defined：　I　call　it　the　intangible　things。　These　are　primarily　two　
qualities：　a　society's　ability　and　willingness　to　pull　together　and　sacrifice　for　
the　sake　of　economic　development　and　the　presence　in　a　society　of　leaders　with　the　
vision　to　see　what　needs　to　be　done　in　terms　of　development　and　the　willingness　to　
use　power　to　push　for　change　rather　than　to　enrich　themselves　and　preserve　the　status　
quo。　Some　countries　（such　as　Korea　and　Taiwan）　seem　to　be　able　to　focus　their　energies　
on　the　priority　of　economic　development；　and　others　（such　as　Egypt　and　Syria）　get　
distracted　by　ideology　or　local　feuds。　Some　countries　have　leaders　who　use　their　time　
in　office　to　try　to　drive　modernization　rather　than　personally　enrich　themselves。　
And　some　countries　simply　have　venal　elites；　who　use　their　time　in　office　to　line　
their　pockets　


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and　then　invest　those　riches　in　Swiss　real　estate。　Why　India　had　leaders　who　built　
institutes　of　technology　and　Pakistan　had　leaders　who　did　not　is　a　product　of　history；　
geography；　and　culture　that　I　can　only　summarize　as　one　of　those　intangible　things。　
But　even　though　these　intangibles　are　not　easily　measured；　they　really　do　matter。　
The　best　way　I　know　to　illustrate　this　is　by　comparing　Mexico　and　China。　Mexico；　on　
paper；　seemed　perfectly　positioned　to　thrive　in　a　flat　world。　It　was　right　next　door　
to　the　biggest；　most　powerful　economy　in　the　world。　It　signed　a　free…trade　agreement　
with　the　United　States　and　Canada　in　the　1990s　and　was　poised　to　be　a　springboard　
to　Latin　America　for　both　these　huge　economies。　And　it　had　a　valuable　natural　resource　
in　oil；　which　accountedfor　more　than　a　third　ofgovernment　income。　China；　by　contrast；　
was　thousands　of　miles　away；　burdened　by　overpopulation；　with　few　natural　resources；　
with　its　best　labor　crowded　onto　a　coastal　plain；　and　with　a　burdensome　debt　legacy　
from　fifty　years　of　Communist　rule。　Ten　years　ago；　if　you　took　the　names　off　these　
two　countries　andjust　gave　someone　their　profiles；　he　surely　would　have　bet　on　Mexico。　
And　yet　China　has　replaced　Mexico　as　the　second…largest　exporter　of　goods　into　the　
United　States。　And　there　is　a　general　sense；　even　among　Mexicans；　that　even　though　
China　is　thousands　of　miles　away　from　America；　it　is　growing　closer　to　America　
economically；　while　Mexico；　right　on　America's　border；　is　becoming　thousands　of　miles　
away。　
I　am　by　no　means　writing　Mexico　off。　Mexico；　in　the　fullness　of　time；　may　turn　out　
to　be　the　slow…but…sure　tortoise　to　China's　hare。　China　still　has　a　huge　political　
transition　to　get　through；　which　could　derail　it　at　any　moment。　Moreover；　Mexico　has　
many　entrepreneurs　who　are　as　Chinese　as　the　most　entrepreneurial　Chinese。　Mexico　
would　not　have　exported　138　billion　worth　of　goods　to　the　United　States　in　2003　if　
that　were　not　the　case。　And　you　have　many　rural　Chinese　who　are　no　more　advanced　or　
productive　than　rural　Mexicans。　But　on　balance；　when　you　add　it　all　up；　the　fact　is　
that　China　has　become　the　hare　and　Mexico　has　not；　even　though　Mexico　seemed　to　start　
with