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who can summon the nation to get smarter and study harder in science； math； and
engineering in order to reach the new frontiers of knowledge that the flat world is
rapidly opening up and pushing out。 And it requires a Great Society that commits our
government to building the infrastructure； safety nets； and institutions that will
help every American become more employable in an age when no one can be guaranteed
lifetime employment。 I call my own version of this approach compassionate flatism。
Getting Americans to rally around compassionate flatism is much more difficult than
getting them to rally around anticommunism。 〃National
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peril is a lot easier to convey than individual peril；〃 noted Johns Hopkins University
foreign policy expert Michael Mandelbaum。 Economics； as noted； is not like war；
because economics can always be a win…win game。 But sometimes I wish economics were
more like war。 Inthe Cold War； we actually got to see the Soviets parade their missiles
in Red Square。 We all got to be scared together； from one end of the country to the
other； and all our politicians had to be focused and serious about marshaling the
resources and educational programs to make sure Americans could keep pace with the
Soviet Union。
But today； alas； there is no missile threat coming from India。 The 〃hot line；〃 which
used to connect the Kremlin with the White House； has been replaced by the 〃help line；〃
which connects everyone in America to call centers in Bangalore。 While the other end
of the hotline might have had Leonid Brezhnev threatening nuclear war； the other end
of the help line just has a soft voice eager to help you sort out your AOL bill or
collaborate with you on a new piece of software。 No； that voice has none of the menace
of Nikita Khrushchev pounding a shoe on the table at the UN； and it has none of the
sinister snarl of the bad guys in From Russia with Love。 There is no Boris or Natasha
saying 〃We will bury you〃 in a thick Russian accent。 No； that voice on the help line
just has a friendly Indian lilt that masks any sense of threat or challenge。 It simply
says： 〃Hello； my name is Rajiv。 Can I help you？〃
No； Rajiv； actually； you can't。
When it comes to responding to the challenges of the flat world； there is no help
line we can call。 We have to dig into ourselves。 We in America have all the tools
to do that； as I argued in Chapter 6。 But； as I argued in Chapter 7； we have not been
tending to those tools as we should。 Hence； our quiet crisis。 The assumption that
because America's economy has dominated the world for more than a century； it will
and must always be that way is as dangerous an illusion today as the illusion that
America would always dominate in science and technology was back in 1950。 But this
is not going to be easy。 Getting our society up to speed for a flat world is going
to be extremely painstaking。 We are going to have to start doing a lot of things
differently。 It is going to take the sort of focus and national will that President
John F。 Kennedy called for in
his famous May 25； 1961； speech to Congress on 〃urgent national needs。〃 At that time；
America was recovering from the twin shocks of Sputnik and the Soviet space launch
of a cosmonaut； Yuri Gagarin； less than two months before Kennedy's speech。 Kennedy
knew that while America had enormous human and institutional assets…far more than
the Soviet Union…they were not being fully utilized。
〃I believe we possess all the resources andtalents necessary；〃 said President Kennedy。
〃But the facts of the matter are that we have never made the national decisions or
marshaled the national resources required for such leadership。 We have never
specified long…range goals on an urgent time schedule； or managed our resources and
our time so as to ensure their fulfillment。〃 After then laying out his whole program
for putting a man on the moon within ten years； President Kennedy added； 〃Let it be
clear that I am asking the Congress and the country to accept a firm commitment to
a new course of action； a course which will last for many years and carry very heavy
costs。 。 。 This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and
technical manpower； materiel and facilities； and the possibility of their diversion
from other important activities where they are already thinly spread。 It means a
degree of dedication； organization and discipline which have not always characterized
our research and development efforts。〃
In that speech； Kennedy made a vow that has amazing resonance today： 〃I am therefore
transmitting to the Congress a new Manpower Development and Training program； totrain
or retrain several hundred thousand workers； particularly in those areas where we
have seen chronic unemployment as a result of technological factors； in new
occupational skills over a four…year period …in order to replace those skills made
obsolete by automation and industrial change with the new skills which the new
processes demand。〃
Amen。 We too have to do things differently。 We are going to have to sort out what
to keep； what to discard； what to adapt； what to adopt； where to redouble our efforts；
and where to intensify our focus。 That is what this chapter is about。 This is just
an intuition； but the flattening of the world is going to be hugely disruptive to
both traditional and developed societies。 The weak will fall farther behind faster。
The traditional
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will feel the force of modernization much more profoundly。 The new will get turned
into old quicker。 The developed will be challenged by the underdeveloped much more
profoundly。 I worry； because so much political stability is built on economic
stability； and economic stability is not going to be a feature of the flat world。
Add it all up and you can see that the disruptions are going to come faster and harder。
Think about Microsoft trying to figure out how to deal with a global army of people
writing software for free！ We are entering an era of creative destruction on steroids。
Even if your country has a comprehensive strategy for dealing with flatism； it is
going to be a challenge of a whole new dimension。 But if you don't have a strategy
at all。。。 well； you've been warned。 This is not a test。
Being an American； I am most focused on my own country。 How do we go about maximizing
the benefits and opportunities of the flat world； and providing protection for those
who have difficulty with the transition； without resorting to protectionism or
runaway capitalism？ Some will offer traditional conservative responses； some will
offer traditional liberal ones。 I offer compassionate flatism； which is a policy blend
built around five broad categories of action for the age of flat： leadership； muscle
building； cushioning； social activism； and parenting。
Leadership
The job of the politician in America； whether at the local； state； or national level；
should be； in good part； to help educate and explain to people what world they are
living in and what they need to do if they want to thrive within it。 One problem we
have today； though； is that so many American politicians don't seem to have a clue
about the flat world。 As venture capitalist John Doerr once remarked to me； 〃You talk
to the leadership in China； and they are all the engineers； and they get what is going
on immediately。 The Americans don't； because they're all
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lawyers。〃 Added Bill Gates； 〃The Chinese have risk taking down； hard work down；
education； and when you meet with Chinese politicians； they are all scientists and
engineers。 You can have a numeric discussion with them…you are never discussing 'give
me a one…liner to embarrass ＇my political rivals＇ with。' You are meeting with an
intelligent bureaucracy。〃
I am not saying we should require all politicians to hold engineering degrees； but
it would be helpful if they had a basic understanding of the forces that are flattening
the world； were able to educate constituents about them and galvanize a response。
We have way too many politicians in America today who seem to do the opposite。 They
seem to go out of their way actually to make their constituents stupid…encouraging
them to believe that certain jobs are 〃American jobs〃 and can be protected from foreign
competition； or that because America has always dominated economically in our
lifetimes it always will； or that compassion should be equated with protectionism。
It is hard to have an American national strategy for dealing with flatism if people
won't even acknowledge that there is an education gap emerging and that there is an
ambition gap emerging and that we are in a quiet crisis。 For instance； of all the
policy choices that the Republican…led Congress could have made in forging the FY
2005 budget； how in the world could it have decided to cut the funding of the National
Science Foundation by more than 100 million？
We need politicians who are able and willing to both explain and inspire。 And what
they most need to explain to Americans is pretty much what Lou Gerstner explained
to the workforce of IBM when he took over as chair