Rating: 
Summary: kopeck
Review: In order to reach the book's arguments, you must hack your way through jungles of vanity. Friedman is one of the most self-admiring columnists who ever hoisted pen (or laptop). His editor must secretly dislike him, to allow such damning and deeply embarrassing nonsense into the book. He informs you that no one has ever done his job better than he does it, that he is that rare beast, "a six-dimensional thinker", and poised to add a seventh, that his calling is "to explain the world," and so on. Add to that relentless name dropping and meretricious stories about how he startled world and financial leaders with his crisp insights or doubled them over with his jokes. Having prepared you in this manner for one of the Sibylline books, he serves you...jesus, how can one describe it? The best stylistic comparison is late night info-mercials selling a food processor or some rotisserie device. Friedman, who actually narrates seven television commecials from beginning to end in support of his thesis, is an advertising copy writer. He is a slangy cheerleader for the financial state of the earth, using an english we all recognize from political campaign speeches, telemarketing, and so on--Hacklish, you could call it. This book is a transitory pile of pompous journalese which belongs on the same shelf of classics as The Man Nobody Knew. Having known some real journalists who won Pulitzers, I feel it is a sign of decadence that this fellow has one. It is as if a currency trader had raided the Pulitzer and devalued it to the price of one kopeck.
Rating: 
Summary: A great introduction to globalization.
Review: Lots of good examples. His points are typically well thought and supported. Some of his labels are silly or cumbersome, e.g. DOS capital. But most of his analogies are right on. The book really makes you think and provides numerous insights. Just look at some of the long-winded reviews. It really made them think, wether they rated it high or not. (Either that, or they just wanted to show-off their fabulous vocabulary ;^) If you just want a great introduction to the concept of globalization and aren't a super (web) empowered angry man like some of the reviewers, then get this book!
Rating:
Summary: On its way
Review: Mr. Friedman has written a good book. And though he sees many upsides to globalization and is obviously pro-globalization, he certainly addresses the downsides as well. I agree with the author that globalization is coming and it is not a matter of "plugging-in" or not, only a matter of when...because the people of your country will demand it as they see the living standards of globalized nations increase dramatically all around them. He does caution against forgetting your roots (or "Olive Trees") as globalization occurs (and you acquire your Lexus). I believe he presents a useful paradigm through which we can view the coming years of greater and greater integration.
Rating: 
Summary: globalizing yourself
Review: before reading this book, it would be advisable to read "capitalism, socialism and democracy" by schumpeter...with that said, i must say that although this book is VERY general, it does open your eyes/mind to the fact that globalization is happening and will most likely happen internationally... the author presents various ideas that are based on simple examples... the combination of these ideas builds a fabric for globalization that can be well understood... however, it is the way the fabric is sewn in detail that is missing. so, if you truly wish to find out about the good/bad behind globalization you may want to start reading between the lines - information can be found online pertaining to sovereign/internal discussions... seek and you shall find. in any case, after having read this book one clear point was made: in order to grow and succeed in business, and at a personal level w/ relationships/society, it is crucial that you become globalized as an individual... too much internalism can hinder growth. buy it, read it, and make your own conclusions... for desert, read "connexity" by geoff mulgan.
Rating: 
Summary: Of "Golden Straitjackets" and polyester suits
Review: Imagine that back in 1969 somebody took the famous line "I have one word for you - plastics!" from "The Graduate" too seriously and ran with it to start a "universal theory" of the coming Plastic World. Vinyl furniture! Nylon blouses! Polyester suits! This will completely change everything forever! "The Metal World had predominant battleship-gray color... the Plastic World is shining bright and can have any color imaginable... The Metal World was full of giant smokestacks with rows of tall chimneys, resembling Titanic... The Plastic World is compact and mobile, with production anywhere one wants; ...heavy and rigid ... light and flexible...", and so on. One could fill a longer book with such passages than the "Lexus and Olive Tree" with its endless juxtapositions "The Cold War World was... The Globalization World is...". Not that this is completely wrong. Plastics, after all, did change a lot of things. Some things became crucial components of modern technology and consumer goods, some - useful and handy, but almost invisible and mundane. And some things became, well, polyester suits. Similar things will most likely happen to the globalization phenomena. Nobody will dig up fiber-optic cables and unplug web servers. Many things will have major impact but will not come out as predicted today. Lowering trade barriers and expanding capital flows solves some problems and creates new ones - for which completely new solutions will be needed. Many other things are going to end up like polyester suits - and Tom Friedman amassed a lot of them in his wardrobe. This one-dimensional outlook is, however, only one of the problems with this book. It is not an in-depth analysis of the most important trends of the current era (although it pretends to be one), but a simple though verbose cheerleading for much more narrow interpretation of it, also know as "Washington Consensus" - the official Imperial Ideology of the New World Order. To stress its highest approval by the Imperial Court he uses a fancy terms like "golden straitjacket". There is no other alternative, he claims. Be assimilated or be destroyed. For every little fad and fetish he invents names like "Electronic Herd", "DOS Capital" - awkward and annoying slang; it is simultaneously the Newspeak and the Imperial Pantheon to be worshipped. This unabashedly imperialistic diatribe is spiced with obligatory politically correct references to the "olive tree" - so cute, but - ah, what a pity - destined to be destroyed under caterpillar tracks of history. No, Mr. Friedman is not interested in a "balance" with "olive tree" as he keeps mentioning it in passing. You better march straight forward and wave little shiny flags with Imperial Court-approved logos of our brave invincible legions - competitive, future-oriented and environmentally-friendly (if you politely ask them to be with a few e-mails) transnational corporations. In the end there will be reward - a plastic toy from the Happy Meal package (there are two of them on the shelf; take the middle one). Otherwise several cruise missiles will point out a mistake in case anyone wanders away from the herd. "The world needs McDonnel-Douglas (i.e. F-15) in order for MacDonalds to operate efficiently", and, remains unsaid, to carry this new "white man's burden". At least R. Kipling was more honest and had much greater writing talent. When reality doesn't conform, for T. Friedman this means only one thing (as it is clear from his many NYTimes columns) that there are still too many stupid backward people who have the temerity not to follow his codex of acceptable behavior, who refuse to be paved over by a strip mall with Golden Arches. Although he includes no shortage of touchy-feely sentiments about growing inequalities, winners and losers he mainly argues that the globalization along the his prescriptions is not only inevitable, but how it can potentially benefit everyone by allegedly creating a level-playing field, so that any underdeveloped country can just "plug into the system". Really. Imagine two pearl divers, called N. and S. The former owns much longer shoreline and collects many more pearls, though both operate within their own narrow strips of a beach. One day he suggests an attractive proposal to S. "Before we searched only close to shores. Now things changed, we all need to swim in the open ocean, the whole sea is our oyster". They scrap all boundaries and start diving everywhere. At first, things are looking great; the catch is better. Suddenly sharks appear. Soon a high-speed boat appears and picks N. out of the water. "Oh, didn't I mention I've had a rescue service subscription... You should've called them too... Bye now!" - tells N., speeding away. The sharks will be coming one day or another, no matter how much a country adheres to Mr. Friedman silly prescriptions. When well-connected big boys, like LTCM, will screw up big time, one can be sure they will be rescued by Fed sugar daddies. When some far-away country gets in trouble, IMF will come to evacuate rich foreign bondholders and a few highly placed local plutocrats, leaving behind destruction, increased poverty and foreign debt in the wake of the "electronic herd" stampede. And Tom Friedman will write new columns, explaining that they must be punished for not following his theories enthusiastically enough, just a few months after cheering how great this country was doing by strictly following these theories. Incidentally, from purely financial point of view, the best way to profit in the international markets recently was to move against this "electronic herd", lying low while this cattle stampedes and investing in the wake of the financial crises. If this celebrated "electronic herd" stayed solvent at all, it is due to the overall rise of the markets and various bailouts. Sorry, Mr. Friedman, you don't look good in that polyester suit you call "golden straitjacket". And peoples around the world should think carefully before putting it on.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: "The Lexus and the Olve Tree" is probably the most eye-opening book I've read in my adult life. Mr. Friedman is a wonderful writer who introduces his readers to the concept of globalization in such a painless and entertaining manner that it becomes nearly impossible to set his book down. You'll never read another newspaper or listen to another newscast the same way after reading this book! It should be required reading for every member of our government.
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Summary: Friedman Thy Name Be Pompous
Review: The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas L. Friedman OR How Pompous Can You Get? What is Wrong with this book: -- Tom Fridman treats the whole world as his private playground. We are just mice in an unending maze to be observed - to be observed by Him. He is our judge and He is our jury. He can tell us what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong and of course He can tell us what we should be doing to correct the situation. -- Why make a point once when you can make the same point five times. The book is one half to one third redundant. The same ideas are brought foward time and time again from any angle possible. Just to make sure you don't forget what was said before, the author will quote himself to remind you. -- The full title of the book, as it appears on the cover is: The Lexus and the Olive Tree - Understanding Globalization. The main thrust of the book is the globalization process that the world is going through - or at least should be going through according to Friedman. The word "Globalization" should be substituted for the word "Americanization". Tom Friedman is the most Ameri-Centric writer I have read in a long time. This is amazing especially for a person who claims to travel as much as he does. Perhaps the problem is that, during his travels, he mostly hobnobs with heads of state and governors of central banks. The really is a whole world out there Tom - and most of it is not located in North America. Wake up and smell the humus! Well, aside from all that Mr. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the book? Tom Friedman brings forth a number of interesting theories. Parts of the book are well written and a number of his anecdotes are actually quite funny. This book had a lot of potential. It is a shame that the author's demagoguery and one-sided personal feelings played such a large part of the final product.
Rating: 
Summary: Good description; bad prediction
Review: Friedman describes globalization as the post-Cold War world-order. He recognizes what appears to be an irreconcilable conflict between the aspiration to a higher standard of living, symbolized by "The Lexus," and our cultural values, symbolized by "the Olive Tree." He notes that globalization homogenizes and standardizes to the extent that local cultures are often "erased" and replaced by American or Western culture. He recommends that countries impose restrictions or "filters" to protect their cultural values in very specific terms while still outfitting themselves for the capitalist global marketplace. Friedman notes that in this new world order, there is no alternative road to prosperity that respects human values, in itself. He advocates a free flow of capital and full transparency along with cultural filters. He acknowledges that building walls with cultural filters is not going to work very well, but within this system he doesn't see any choices. We need to use this system to prosper and we need protection from it, both in regard to our cultural and personal (human) values and in regard to the higher gap between rich a poor and a declining middle class that it produces. Friedman presents a compelling and credible description of the way things <b>are</b>. And he notes the resistance to these forces by countries/cultures that are striving to protect their "Olive Trees" and trying to avoid getting overridden or burned by the Electronic Herd (investors), but facing poverty as the only alternative. Or by individuals, minorities or countries who are too slow for the faster pace of life in the global system. Survival of the fittest (and the most willing to adapt to the criterion of the Electronic Herd) is the theme of this description of globalization. I agree with most of Friedman's assessment of how things work, but not with his thesis that this is the only road to prosperity and well-being -- moreover, because it increases the rich/poor gap and because it often tramples human values, I would not even agree that it is a real path toward prosperity and well-being. The protestors of this functioning, tangible and apparently unstoppable system of globalization are diffuse and ultimately without any solutions, maintains Friedman. He ascribes the breakdown of law and order and increasing anarchy to the incoherence of the protestors of globalization. But to pin postmodern diffusion and breakdown solely or even mostly upon the feeble efforts of protest gone sour is, I believe, to misread the situation. I agree that the increase of individual crime serves no beneficial purpose, but without the recognition of human principles, the corporate forces are equally criminal and even more divisive and destructive (on a larger scale). In either case, we need principles to aspire to rather than pragmatic solutions or fixes (globally or individually) that rely so much on the status quo of domination, hierarchic culture and philosophy. Many people protest globalization because it liberates people from stifling sociopolitical and cultural values and forces them to cut the red tape and protectionism; to become more honest, efficient, responsible, and better educated. I protest globalization on the issue of corporatism and the consequent need for the regulations and restrictions that Friedman deems necessary to protect cultural and human values from destruction. Friedman makes the common error of using the words company (or business) and corporation interchangeably, and failing to note that the corporation -- distinctively -- is the driving force of the cultural rape and spoilage that he says we need protection from. In my books, "Reciprocia" and "Ethics for Earthlings", I propose an alternative based on the equality and reciprocity of individual rights -- this premise defines the political boundaries and the consequent economic system. Economics is not something added-on; it is integral to individual rights based political system. Individual rights based polity has many of the same requirements for producing prosperity as globalization, but originates from human values rather than corporate (material) values, and it results in a market that creates rather than attracts wealth. It is internally driven on a human scale. It is careless in regard to those cultural values and ethical systems which stifle, subdue, enslave or exploit individuals, but it defuses such flaws (repudiating them as particular applications) rather than erasing and replacing entire cultures with something alien. Friedman answers the question, "Does globalization mean we all have to become Americans?" by saying that protective filters need to be erected or one will probably lose one's culture. In <b>"Blundering Social Bodies"</b>, I answer a similar question, "Does having an individual rights based polity mean we will become Westernized?" by saying, "of course not." An individual rights based political system is culturally neutral. The culture will evolve from within by natural forces rather than being replaced by alien values. Many key elements of an individual rights based polity are required for globalization (attracting investment), but globalization only gets you half-way there, is at the bidding of outsiders rather than internally driven in accordance with natural principles, and does not evolve from within your culture but requires stringent protection of all aspects of your culture artificially whether they are good or bad in regard to individual rights. <b>"The Lexus & the Olive Tree"</b> is an astute and able description of how the world works today. Friedman easily presents a host of factual information on global economics and leavens these facts with a broad spectrum of anecdotal examples and stories, as befits his years as a columnist. He is easy to read and to understand, and his thesis is clear. But the way the world <b>is</b> is not <i>ipso facto</i> the way it has to be. And we should not settle for false choices and false alternatives thusly presented as a set, finished, end-game deal.
Rating:
Summary: Ugh
Review: Journalistic shlock at its worst. No doubt this book has come into the public consciousness because of Mr. Friedman's position, but not due to its merits. On the whole, it's a rather poor effort, as it seems to be lacking serious thought or analysis, and seems merely like an extended newspaper column. If you want to use it to play buzzword bingo, on the other hand, it should prove excellent. If you want a serious book that contains actual analysis, try looking at "Future Perfect" from Micklethwait and Wooldridge.
Rating:
Summary: INMUN Secretary General recommends this easy to read explan
Review: Friedman characteristacally explains Globalism in a consise, easy to swallow format. He leaves few elements of Globalism unexplained, shows why the states of the earth are unable to resist or turn away from Globalism and still prosper, and he finally explains the possibility of a backlash against Globalism which is argueably the same which caused both world wars among others. A must read to see the true symbiosis of politics and economics.
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