As technology of the past gives way to the technology of the future, the world is becoming a smaller and smaller place. In economic terms, Global Interdependence is increasing as time goes on. In other words, we as the United States, as well as other countries, rely on each other for the three factors of production, Land, Labor and Capital. As noted in Thomas L. Freidman’s book, The World is Flat, there are several instances in which the Global Interdependence started. For example, the introduction of the Internet created a common forum in which people could connect to each other instantly was revolutionary in the interdependence process. In addition, the Global Interdependence Center, located in Philadelphia, PA is a non-profit organization that has a global goal. According to the GIC their mission is to “encourage the expansion of global dialogue and free trade in order to improve cooperation and understanding among nation states, with the goal of reducing international conflicts and improving worldwide living standards.” The American Economic system has become closely linked to foreign economies through global interdependence by the rise of new technologies, methods of communications and transportations that break down barriers that previously could not have been broken. This is shown in our relationships with countries and organizations such as China, The European Union, and OPEC.
As Globalization increases, countries become more reliant on each other for resources such as oil. Oil, nicknamed “Black Gold,” has become one of the most valuable resources in the world. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the United States of America is the largest consumer of oil in the world, devouring a whopping 19,150,000 b...
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...ds and it would help us make a firmer footprint in history.
Works Cited
Thomas L. Friedman, The World Is Flat: a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, 1st updated and expanded ed. (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006), page nr.
http://www.interdependence.org/about/overview-mission/
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2174rank.html
http://www.cnbc.com/id/41887743/The_World_s_15_Biggest_Oil_Producers?slide=16
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sa.html
http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/data_graphs/330.htm
http://recession.org/history/1970s-oil-crisis
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/wto_dg_stat_e.htm
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/fact2_e.htm
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/fact2_e.htm#nondiscrimination
In some shape or form, nearly all aspects of American life contribute to unnecessary exploitation of natural resources. The automobile is a staple of American life and culture, and perhaps best exemplifies Americans’ dependence on gross quantities of raw materials. On any given day, over 235 million vehicles travel 11 billion miles on U.S. highways, consuming nearly 20 million barrels of oil daily 1,2,3. Worldwide, oil consumption has reached a 16-year high of 80.6 million barrels per day 17. Most important of all, proven oil reserves around the world only provide roughly 40 years of production at these current rates 18. Oil consumers ignore this reality either through lack of education or simple apathy, because right now there are no immediate consequences to consuming such vast volumes of a polluting, non-renewable resource. Numbers like those mentioned above are so large it is difficult for one to fathom their true magnitude, however they still convey the reliance average Americans have on their automobiles and oil.
As Americans we have to start to comprehend that the world around us is changing technologically, politically, and economically. In “The Last Superpower” an excerpt from the book The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria published in 2008. Zakaria emphasizes on these changes. Thomas Friedman the author of “The World is Flat” a piece from the book The World is Flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century published in 2005 also emphasizes on the same changes currently happening in the world. Zakaria and Friedman define these changes as globalization. The obvious common ground shared by both authors is their representation of globalization and the effects that it has and will continue to have on modern life. In contrast to sharing the same main topic both authors take a drastically different approach on how the relay their information to the audience. The differences displayed are mainly due to their personal and educational backgrounds, definitions of globalization as well as the individual writing styles of each author.
The world is flat is written by Thomas Loren Friedman who is an American journalist and author. He goes on to write about how flat the world has become and the level of globalization achieved over the years. The journey to Bangalore India and the interaction he had with the Nadhan ‘Nielkani the CEO of Infosys technologies limited, in one of the conferences he attended as a part of the discovery crew. Where he witnesses how the
The World is Flat is a historical and geographical journey book because of the several trips that made by Friedman around the world to be able to analyze the concept of globalization in the 21st century . The title is an allegory to image the world today as a playground of play and competition between players , where each player has equal opportunities with the others. Friedman emphasizes the need for awareness of the countries ,peoples , companies and individuals in order to continue to compete in the market. Fred calls himself "free trader" because he is a believer of that change that will happen because of globalization. In the book, Friedman goes on a trip to India to discover that globalization can bring a radical change in the economic concepts .
America is dependent on other nations for their ability to create energy. The United States is the world’s largest consumer of oil at 18.49 million barrels of oil per day. And it will continue to be that way for the foreseeable future considering the next largest customer of oil only consumes about 60% of what the U.S. does. This makes the U.S. vulnerable to any instability that may arise in the energy industry. In 2011, the world’s top three oil companies were Saudi Aramco (12%), National Iranian Oil Company (5%), and China National Petroleum Corp (4%). The risk associated with these countries being the top oil producers is twofold. One, they are located half way around the world making it an expensive to transport the product logistically to a desired destination. And two, the U.S. has weak, if not contentious,...
Indeed, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) predicts that domestic petroleum consumption will increase to 60 Btu by the year 2025. This statistic, in and of itself, is a matter of concern with respect to the greenhouse gas emissions that result from petroleum combustion. However, perhaps more disconcerting is the fact that U.S. oil production peaked in 1970 and has continued to fall since then (Campbell et. al., 1998). Therefore, the American public has turned to foreign oil, in particular Middle Eastern oil, to supplement its increase in demand. In an age where terrorism is at the forefront of people's minds, we still continue to import oil from the same nations that supposedly harbor so-called terrorist groups. The fact is that we are unwilling to responsibly face our energy future and instead choose to maintain a policy of increasing oil supply through importation.
The phrase: "the world is flat" can be interpreted in many ways. Basically what Friedman means by "flat" is "linked." The falling of trade and political barriers and technical advances have made it possible to do business, instantaneously with billions of other people around the world. It has allowed for parts of the world, which had previously been cut off, like China and India, to successfully compete in the world market. Thus, the playing field is being leveled, and no one nation has an advantage. Friedman could also refer to a "flat world" in a metaphorical sense. In a spherical earth you cannot see around the world and cannot recognize the opportunities far from where you live. If the world were flat you could see it all. There would be no barriers to get in your way. This is the equivalent to a smaller globe which allows one to reach far away opportunities.
Oil is a significant, non renewable resource that is found underground and extracted through technological processes (Grubb). Consumption rates of the substance have never been higher. Oil remains to this day a vital aspect of production in industries like plastics, fertilizers, and asphalt. World oil consumption presently rests around 83 million barrels per day (...
The world is ever changing and has been that way even before humans dominated Earth. However, what we are interested in for this topic is in the last few decades where globalization has had an impact in the early 21st century, making the world "flat". The phrase that the world has become flat is a metaphor for viewing the world level in terms of commerce and competition, meaning a level playing field where everyone has an equal opportunity. However, opinions are divided on how much globalization has actually impacted the world as a whole. Critics argue that Friedman’s term "flat" is grossly exaggerated as his view is from an American perspective. This paper investigates major arguments for both sides.
North American college students have many advantages and disadvantages that shape their capacity for creating alliances with other social movements outside the boundaries of the campus.
There are three types of task interdependence, such as Pooled, Sequential and Reciprocal. The Pooled interdependence, for each organizational department or component performs totally independent functions. While departments may not directly interact with each other in the pooled interdependence model, each does supply individual pieces of the same overall system. For Sequential interdependence, it takes place when one unit in the all-inclusive procedure creates an output that is required for the next unit. And for the Reciprocal, interdependence is similar to sequential interdependence in that the output of one division becomes the input of another, with the addition of being cyclical. “Pooled interdependence is perhaps the loosest form of the three.”(Murray & Media, 2014) An example at SRC is where they have three teams that need to work together to give support to the product that was delivered to the customer. One team (testing) will often get reports about any hardware, software issue and will attempt to help or mitigate any issue the customers have with systems delivered. Team ...
Interdependence: The possibility that unhindered commerce trade prompts interconnections that make clash too much over the top.
Hope for peace is difficult to have and even more difficult to maintain. This is especially true when throughout history we have been taught that war, domination, and destruction are the only ways to deal with conflict. “The Histories” by Herodotus and “The Peloponnesian War” by Thucydides are regarded as two of the greatest histories of all time and these stories give the impression that violence and war are inevitable and even desirable. Our history is full of stories and influences like these, yet ever since the beginning of war; there has been a cry for peace. With the fighters of war, come the empowered people for peace. There are many obstacles to overcome on the path to empowerment, ranging from constructed structures and apathy to the past and habit, but it can be done.
The basis of the world is built on interdependence. The actions that go on in one country will have some impact in another country. Throughout the past 20 years, global interdependence has created a sense of great competition between many national economies, yet this sense of competition has also created benefits and new opportunities in every part of the world. This kind of mutuality has led to the many politics, developments, conflicts, and social justices that all nations face today. It shapes and continuously changes the world in many ways. The United Kingdom, Mexico, Russia, China, Iran, and Nigeria all are interdependent of each other. This interdependence is how I see the world develop and grow into the communities that are present today.
The book, The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman draws attention to some very good points concerning globalization and the world economy today. Friedman emphasizes the status of America today in relation to the other countries of the world. As I looked at the things in which he warned about or highlighted, I realized the importance of this issue. He talks about a few aspects in which need to be kept competitive in order for America to retain their current standing in the world market.