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East German who got into Hungary could pass through to Austria and the free world。
Sure enough； more than thirteen thousand East Germans escaped through Hungary's back
door。 Pressure built up on the East German government。 When in November it announced
plans to ease travel restrictions； tens of thousands of East Germans converged on
the Berlin Wall； where； on 11/9/89； border guards just opened the gates。
Someone there in Hungary； maybe it was the prime minister； maybe it was just a
bureaucrat； must have said to himself or herself； 〃Imagine… imagine what might happen
if we opened the border with Austria。〃 Imagine if the Soviet Union were frozen in
place。 Imagine…imagine if East German citizens； young and old； men and women； were
so emboldened by seeing their neighbors flee to the West that one day they just swarmed
that Berlin Wall and started to tear it down？ Some people must have had a conversation
just like that； and because they did； millions of Eastern Europeans were able to walk
out from behind the Iron Curtain and engage with a flattening world。 It was a great
era in which to be an American。 We were the only superpower； and the world was our
oyster。 There were no walls。 Young Americans could think about traveling； for a
semester or a summer； to more countries than any American generation before them。
Indeed； they could travel as far as their imagination and wallets could take them。
They could also look around at their classmates and see people from more different
countries and cultures than any other class before them。
Nine…eleven； of course； changed all that。 It showed us the power of a very different
kind of imagination。 It showed us the power of a group of hateful men who spent several
years imagining how to kill as many innocent people as they could。 At some point bin
Laden and his gang literally must have looked at one another and said； 〃Imagine if
we actually could hit both towers of the World Trade Center at the exact right spot；
between the ninety…fourth and ninety…eighth floors。 And imagine if each tower were
to come crashing down like a house of cards。〃 Yes； I am sorry
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to say； some people had that conversation； too。 And； as a result； the world that was
our oyster seemed to close up like a shell。
There has never been a time in history when the character of human imagination wasn't
important； but writing this book tells me that it has never been more important than
now； because in a flat world so many of the inputs and tools of collaboration are
becoming commodities available to everyone。 They are all out there for anyone to grasp。
There is one thing； though； that has not and can never be commoditized … and that
is imagination。
When we lived in a more centralized； and more vertically organized； world …where
states had a near total monopoly of power…individual imagination was a big problem
when the leader of a superpower state …a Stalin； a Mao； or a Hitler…became warped。
But today； when individuals can easily access all the tools of collaboration and
superempower themselves； or their small cells； individuals do not need to control
a country to threaten large numbers of other people。 The small can act very big today
and pose a serious danger to world order…without the instruments of a state。
Therefore； thinking about how we stimulate positive imaginations is of the utmost
importance。 As Irving Wladawsky…Berger； the IBM computer scientist； put it to me：
We need to think more seriously than ever about how we encourage people to focus on
productive outcomes that advance and unite civilization…peaceful imaginations that
seek to 〃minimize alienation and celebrate interdependence rather than
self…sufficiency； inclusion rather than exclusion；〃 openness； opportunity； and hope
rather than limits； suspicion； and grievance。
Let me try to illustrate this by example。 In early 1999； two men started airlines
from scratch； just a few weeks apart。 Both men had a dream involving airplanes and
the savvy to do something about it。 One was named David Neeleman。 In February 1999；
he started JetBlue。 He assembled 130 million in venture capital； bought a fleet of
Airbus A…320 passenger jets； recruited pilots and signed them to seven…year contracts；
and outsourced his reservation system to stay…at…home moms and retirees living around
Salt Lake City； Utah； who booked passengers on their home computers。
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The other person who started an airline was； as we now know from the 9/11 Commission
Report； Osama bin Laden。 At a meeting in Kandahar； Afghanistan； in March or April
1999； he accepted a proposal initially drawn up by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed； the
Pakistan…born mechanical engineer who was the architect of the 9/11 plot。 JetBlue's
motto was 〃Same Altitude。 Different Attitude。〃 Al…Qaeda's motto was 〃Allahu Akbar；〃
God is great。 Both airlines were designed to fly into New York City…Neeleman's into
JFK and bin Laden's into lower Manhattan。
Maybe it was because I read the 9/11 report while on a trip to Silicon Valley that
I could not help but notice how much Khalid Sheikh Mohammed spoke and presented himself
as just another eager engineer…entrepreneur； with his degree from North Carolina
Agricultural and Technical State University； pitching his ideas to Osama bin Laden；
who comes off as just another wealthy venture capitalist。 But Mohammed； alas； was
looking for adventure capital。 As the 9/11 Commission Report put it； 〃No one
exemplifies the model of the terrorist entrepreneur more clearly than Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed （KSM）； the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks。 。 。 Highly educated and
equally comfortable in a government office or a terrorist safe house； KSM applied
his imagination； technical aptitude and managerial skills to hatching and planning
an extraordinary array of terrorist schemes。 These ideas included conventional car
bombing； political assassination； aircraft bombing； hijacking； reservoir poisoning；
and； ultimately； the use of aircraft as missiles guided by suicide operatives 。 。 。
KSM presents himself as an entrepreneur seeking venture capital and people 。 。 。 Bin
Laden summoned KSM to Kandahar in March or April 1999 to tell him that al…Qaeda would
support his proposal。 The plot was now referred to within al…Qaeda as the 'planes
operation。'〃
From his corporate headquarters in Afghanistan； bin Laden proved to be a very deft
supply chain manager。 He assembled a virtual company just for this project…exactly
like any global conglomerate would do in the flat world…finding just the right
specialist for each task。 He outsourced the overall design and blueprint for 9/11
to KSM and overall financial management to KSM's nephew； Ali Abdul Aziz Ali； who
coordinated the dispersal of funds to the hijackers through wire transfers；
cash； traveler's checks； and credit and debit cards from overseas bank accounts。 Bin
Laden recruited from the al…Qaeda roster just the right muscle guys from Asir Province；
in Saudi Arabia； just the right pilots from Europe； just the right team leader from
Hamburg； and just the right support staff from Pakistan。 He outsourced the pilot
training to flight schools in America。 Bin Laden； who knew he needed only to 〃lease〃
the Boeing 757s； 767s； A32Os； and possibly 747s for his operation； raised the
necessary capital for training pilots on all these differentaircraft from a syndicate
of pro…al…Qaeda Islamic charities and other Muslim adventure capitalists ready to
fund anti…American operations。 In the case of 9/11； the total budget was around
400；000。 Once the team was assembled； bin Laden focused on his own core
competency…overall leadership and ideological inspiration of his suicide supply
chain； with assistance from his deputies Mohammed Atef and Ayman Zawahiri。
You can get the full flavor of the bin Laden supply chain； and what an aggressive
adopter of new technology al…Qaeda was； by reading just one entry from the December
2001 U。S。 District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia's official indictment
of Zacarias Moussaoui； the so…called nineteenth hijacker from 9/11。 It reported the
following： 〃In or about June 1999； in an interview with an Arabic…language television
station； Osama bin Laden issued a 。。。 threat indicating that all American males should
be killed。〃 It then points out that throughout the year 2000； all of the hijackers；
including Moussaoui； began either attending or inquiring about flight school courses
in America： 〃On or about September 29； 2000； Zacarias Moussaoui contacted Airman
Flight School in Norman； Oklahoma； using an e…mail account he set up on September
6 with an Internet service provider in Malaysia。 In or about October 2000； Zacarias
Moussaoui received letters from Infocus Tech； a Malaysian company； stating that
Moussaoui was appointed Infocus Tech's marketing consultant in the United States；
the United Kingdom and Europe； and that he would receive； among other things； an
allowance of 2；500 per month 。 。 。 On or about December 11； 2000； Mohammed Atta
purchased flight deck videos for the Boeing 767 Model 300ER and the Airbus A320 Model
200 from the