Lexus Olive Tree
Lexus Olive Tree
The Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention - Thoughts?
In Thomas L. Friedman's 1999 book The Lexus and the Olive Tree the following theory was presented: "No two countries that both had McDonald's had fought a war against each other since each got its McDonald's". While that statement was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, his point was that due to globalization, countries that have made strong economic ties with one another have too much to lose to ever go to war with one another. While the observation may be true, the conclusions to be drawn are unclear. The global expansion of McDonald's restaurants is a relatively recent phenomenon when put into the context of the history of warfare, and, with a few notable exceptions, has proceeded into relatively stable markets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_McDonald's_franchises#Golden_Arches_Theory_of_Conflict_Prevention
So? What do you think?
In my MBA program we talked about the "Big Mac Index", an inexact way of identifying the relative strengths of two countries currency by comparing the cost of a big mac in the two countries.
This is simlar but people are taking it too literally. Friedman was simply pointing out that commerce is a great deterrent to war. McDonald's is used because it is a visible example that can be quickly grasped.
"The World is Flat" contains similar thoughts in terms of how globalization affects nations and their interactions.
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 The Lexus and the Olive Tree : Understanding Globalizat  US $10.05
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 The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization by Thomas L....B6 US $3.39
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 The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas L. Friedman (2001, Abridged Compact Disc) US $4.50
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And a selection of products from Amazon
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Charlie Rose with Thomas Friedman; John Travolta (May 10, 2000)
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DescriptionThomas Friedman, the foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, talks about the most recent global, political and economic developments to promote his well-known book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, now in a newly updated and expanded edition... |
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Charlie Rose with Thomas Friedman (April 15, 1999)
Sale Price: $24.95 |
DescriptionThomas Friedman talks about his acclaimed new book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, which deals with the importance and impact of globalization. Friedman discusses a wide variety of topics, including the origins of the project, the conflict between the developed and developing worlds, and foreign relations in a variety of countries... |
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Charlie Rose with Tom Friedman (May 28, 1999)
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DescriptionPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tom Friedman, author of the new book The Lexus and the Olive Tree, an in-depth discussion about United States foreign policy, specifically the ongoing challenges NATO faces with respect to Milosevic and Kosovo... |
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The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization
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DescriptionFrom one of our most perceptive commentators and winner of the National Book Award, a comprehensive look at the new world of globalization, the international system that, more than anything else, is shaping world affairs today... |
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The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
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DescriptionThomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a presentist. His aim, in his new book, The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive Tree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here... |
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Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism
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DescriptionA rising young star in the field of economics attacks the free-trade orthodoxy of The World Is Flat head-on--a crisp, contrarian history of global capitalism. One economist has called Ha-Joon Chang "the most exciting thinker our profession has turned out in the past fifteen years... |
