The World is Flat [antikvár]

Introduction to the Updated and Expanded Edition Why go through all the trouble of writing an expanded and updated version of The World Is Flat only a year after the book was first published? 1 can offer a very brief answer: because 1 could and because 1 must. Precisely because of the powerful technological forces detailed in this book, the publishing industry has sped up and it is now possible to revamp a whole book relatively easily. That is what I mean when 1 say 1 could. The reason 1 must do it is threefold: First, because the forces flattening the world didn't stop when this book was published in April 2005, and 1 wanted to keep tracking them and weaving them into my overall thesis. Second, 1 wanted to answer one of the questions 1 was asked most often by parents while I was traveling around the country to speak about the book: "O.K., Mr. Friedman, thank you for telling us that the world is flat—now what do 1 tell my kids?" So readers will find a lot more on education and the flat world in this new edition of the book. Finally, I found many of the comments from readers and reviewers both thoughtful and useful, and 1 wanted to absorb some of the best of them into the book. At some point 1 will stop writing this book. But for now, 1 am just enjoying the chance to keep sharing what 1 am learning—and thankful that the flattening of the world makes that easier than ever. Thomas L. Friedman Washington, D.C. January 2006