the.world.is.flat-第87章

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opportunity　and　there　is　no　Soviet　Union　out　there　competing　with　us　for　influence　
over　such　countries。　On　the　other　hand；　there　may　be　nothing　more　dangerous　today　
than　a　failed　state　with　broadband　capability。　That　is；　even　failed　states　tend　to　
have　telecommunications　systems　and　satellite　links；　and　therefore　if　a　terrorist　
group　infiltrates　a　failed　state；　as　al…Qaeda　did　with　Afghanistan；　it　can　amplify　
its　power　enormously。　As　much　as　big　powers　want　to　stay　away　
456　
from　such　states；　they　may　feel　compelled　to　get　even　more　deeply　embroiled　in　them。　
Think　of　America　in　Afghanistan　and　Iraq；　Russia　in　Chechnya；　Australia　in　East　Timor。　
In　the　flat　world　it　is　much　more　difficult　to　hide；　but　much　easier　to　get　connected。　
〃Think　of　Mao　at　the　beginning　of　the　Chinese　communist　revolution；〃　remarked　Michael　
Mandelbaum；　the　Johns　Hopkins　foreign　policy　specialist。　〃The　Chinese　Communists　had　
to　hide　in　caves　in　northwest　China；　but　they　could　move　around　in　whatever　territory　
they　were　able　to　control。　Bin　Laden；　by　contrast；　can't　show　his　face；　but　he　can　
reach　every　household　in　the　world；　thanks　to　the　Internet。〃　Bin　Laden　cannot　capture　
any　territory　but　he　can　capture　the　imagination　of　millions　of　people。　And　he　has；　
broadcasting　right　into　American　living　rooms　on　the　eve　of　the　2004　presidential　
election。　
Hell　hath　no　fury　like　a　terrorist　with　a　satellite　dish　and　an　interactive　Web　site。　
Too　Personally　Insecure　
In　the　fall　of　2004；1　was　invited　to　speak　at　a　synagogue　in　Woodstock；　New　York；　
home　of　the　famous　Woodstock　music　festival。　I　asked　my　hosts　how　was　it　that　they　
were　able　to　get　a　synagogue　in　Woodstock；　of　all　places；　big　enough　to　support　a　
lecture　series。　Very　simple；　they　said。　Since　9/11；　Jews；　and　others；　have　been　moving　
from　New　York　City　to　places　like　Woodstock；　to　get　away　from　what　they　fear　will　
be　the　next　ground　zero。　Right　now　this　trend　is　a　trickle；　but　it　would　become　a　
torrent　if　a　nuclear　device　were　detonated　in　any　European　or　American　city。　
Since　this　threat　is　the　mother　of　all　unflatteners；　this　book　would　not　be　complete　
without　a　discussion　of　it。　We　can　live　with　a　lot。　We　lived　through　9/11。　But　we　
cannot　live　with　nuclear　terrorism。　That　would　un…flatten　the　world　permanently。　
The　only　reason　that　Osama　bin　Laden　did　not　use　a　nuclear　device　on　9/11　was　not　
that　he　did　not　have　the　intention　but　that　he　did　not　
437　
have　the　capability。　And　since　the　Dell　Theory　offers　no　hope　of　restraining　the　
suicide　supply　chains；　the　only　strategy　we　have　is　to　limit　their　worst　capabilities。　
That　means　a　much　more　serious　global　effort　to　stanch　nuclear　proliferation　by　
limiting　the　supply…to　buy　up　the　fissile　material　that　is　already　out　there；　
particularly　in　the　former　Soviet　Union；　and　prevent　more　states　from　going　nuclear。　
Harvard　University　international　affairs　expert　Graham　Allison；　in　his　book　Nuclear　
Terrorism：　The　Ultimate　Preventable　Catastrophe；　outlines　just　such　a　strategy　for　
denying　terrorists　access　to　nuclear　weapons　and　nuclear　materials。　It　can　be　done；　
he　insists。　It　is　a　challenge　to　our　will　and　convictions；　but　not　to　our　capabilities。　
Allison　proposes　a　new　American…led　international　security　order　to　deal　with　this　


problem　based　on　what　he　calls　〃a　doctrine　of　the　Three　No's：　No　loose　nukes；　No　new　
nascent　nukes；　and　No　new　nuclear　states。〃　No　loose　nukes；　says　Allison；　means　locking　
down　all　nuclear　weapons　and　all　nuclear　material　from　which　bombs　could　be　made…in　
a　much　more　serious　way　than　we　have　done　up　till　now。　〃We　don't　lose　gold　from　Fort　
Knox；〃　says　Allison。　〃Russia　doesn't　lose　treasures　from　the　Kremlin　armory。　So　we　
both　know　how　to　prevent　theft　of　those　things　that　are　super　valuable　to　us　if　we　
are　determined　to　do　it。〃　No　new　nascent　nukes　means　recognizing　that　there　is　a　group　
of　actors　out　there　who　can　and　do　produce　highly　enriched　uranium　or　plutonium；　which　
is　nothing　more　than　nuclear　bombs　just　about　to　hatch。　We　need　a　much　more　credible；　
multilateral　nonprolif…eration　regime　that　soaks　up　this　fissile　material。　Finally；　
no　new　nuclear　states　means　〃drawing　a　line　under　the　current　eight　nuclear　powers　
and　determining　that；　however　unfair　and　unreasonable　it　may　be；　that　club　will　have　
no　more　members　than　those　eight；〃　says　Allison；　adding　that　these　three　steps　might　
then　buy　us　time　to　develop　a　more　formal；　sustainable；　internationally　approved　
regime。　
It　would　be　nice　also　to　be　able　to　deny　the　Internet　to　al…Qaeda　and　its　ilk；　but　
that；　alas；　is　impossible…without　undermining　ourselves。　That　is　why　limiting　their　
capabilities　is　necessary　but　not　sufficient。　We　also　have　to　find　a　way　to　get　at　
their　worst　intentions。　If　we　are　not　going　to　shut　down　the　Internet　and　all　the　
other　creative　and　collaborative　tools　that　have　flattened　the　world；　and　if　we　can't　
restrict　access　to　them；　

the　only　thing　we　can　do　is　try　to　influence　the　imagination　and　intentions　that　people　
bring　to　them　and　draw　from　them。　When　I　raised　this　issue；　and　the　broad　themes　of　
this　book；　with　my　religious　teacher；　Rabbi　Tzvi　Marx　from　Holland；　he　surprised　me　
by　saying　that　the　flat　world　I　was　describing　reminded　him　of　the　story　of　the　Tower　
of　Babel。　
How　so？　I　asked。　〃The　reason　God　banished　all　the　people　from　the　Tower　of　Babel　and　
made　them　all　speak　different　languages　was　not　because　he　did　not　want　them　to　
collaborate　per　se；〃　answered　Rabbi　Marx。　〃It　was　because　he　was　enraged　at　what　they　
were　collaborating　on…an　effort　to　build　a　tower　to　the　heavens　so　they　could　become　
God。〃　This　was　a　distortion　of　the　human　capacity；　so　God　broke　their　union　and　their　
ability　to　communicate　with　one　another。　Now；　all　these　years　later；　humankind　has　
again　created　a　new　platform　for　more　people　from　more　places　to　communicate　and　
collaborate　with　less　friction　and　more　ease　than　ever：　the　Internet。　Would　God　see　
the　Internet　as　heresy？　
〃Absolutely　not；〃　said　Marx。　〃The　heresy　is　not　that　mankind　works　together…it　is　
to　what　ends。　It　is　essential　that　we　use　this　new　ability　to　communicate　and　
collaborate　for　the　right　ends…for　constructive　human　aims　and　not　megalomaniacal　
ends。　Building　a　tower　was　megalo…maniacal。　Bin　Laden's　insistence　that　he　has　the　
truth　and　can　flatten　anyone　else's　tower　who　doesn't　heed　him　is　megalomaniacal。　
Collaborating　so　mankind　can　achieve　its　full　potential　is　God's　hope。〃　
How　we　promote　more　of　that　kind　of　collaboration　is　what　the　final　chapter　is　all　
about。　


：：：：：　Conclusion：　Imagination　

：：：：：　THIRTEEN　
11/9　Versus　9/11　
Imagination　is　more　important　than　knowledge。　
…Albert　Einstein　
On　the　Internet；　nobody　knows　you're　a　dog。　
…Two　dogs　talking　to　each　other；　in　a　New　Yorker　cartoon　by　Peter　Steiner；　July　5；　
1993　
Reflecting　on　this　past　decade　and　a　half；　during　which　the　world　went　flat；　it　strikes　
me　that　our　lives　have　been　powerfully　shaped　by　two　dates：　11/9　and　9/11。　These　two　
dates　represent　the　two　competing　forms　of　imagination　at　work　in　the　world　today：　
the　creative　imagination　of　11/9　and　the　destructive　imagination　of　9/11。　One　brought　
down　a　wall　and　opened　the　windows　of　the　world…both　the　operating　system　and　the　
kind　we　look　through。　It　unlocked　half　the　planet　and　made　the　citizens　there　our　
potential　partners　and　competitors。　Another　brought　down　the　World　Trade　Center；　
closing　its　Windows　on　the　World　restaurant　forever　and　putting　up　new　invisible　and　
concrete　walls　among　people　at　a　time　when　we　thought　11　The　dismantling　of　the　Berlin　
Wall　on　11/9　was　brought　about　by　people　who　dared　to　imagine　a　different；　more　open　
world…one　where　every　human　being　would　be　free　to　realize　his　or　her　full　potential　

…　and　who　then　summoned　the　courage　to　act　on　that　imagination。　Do　
442　
you　remember　how　it　happened？　It　was　so　simple；　really：　In　July　1989；　hundreds　of　
East　Germans　sought　refuge　at　the　West　German　embassy　in　Hungary。　In　September　1989；　
Hungary　decided　to　remove　its　border　restrictions　with　Austria。　That　meant　that　any　
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　
443　
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　themse