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Russia disproves the "Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention"
New York Times columnist and mustachioed flat-earth proponent Thomas Friedman posited back in 1996 that two countries with McDonald's restaurants had never gone to war with each other.
This "Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention," as some have called it, holds that governments with large enough middle classes to support a McDonald's would not be able to cajole their populaces into supporting drawn-out wars. People in McDonald's countries "don't like to fight wars," Friedman says, "They like to wait in line for burgers."
As this short article from the Guardian points out, that theory is now just about shot. Russia's war with Georgia seems to disprove the idea that countries with McDonald's automatically shy away from war.
Of course, Friedman was speaking metaphorically, not literally. His main point, that well-off countries tend to avoid war, is still valid.
Now, you'll have to excuse me while I go pick up a twelver of Chicken Nuggets.
[For a hilarious, scathing review of Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat, read this article by Matt Taibbi.]
Filed under: Food and Drink, Russian Federation, Georgia, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
yugan Sep 16th 2008 10:04AM
aren't you forgetting two big countries south of russia?
i am talking about india and pakistan.
Captainmicahp Sep 15th 2008 9:45PM
Even though I am not a big fan of Thomas Friedman, his theory is not threatened by Russia just yet. He says that no country with a McDonalds will fight a war with another country that also has a McDonalds. According to the Mcdonalds website there is no McDonalds in Georgia.
concerned citizen Oct 12th 2008 12:34PM
Yes, the most hilarious review of "The world is flat" is by Matt Taibbi, it is my favorite too!
But, there is also a small, but interesting book I would recommend, by Aronica and Ramdoo, "The World is Flat? A Critical Analysis of Thomas Friedman's New York Times Bestseller," which offers a counterperspective to Friedman's theory on globalization.
It is a small book compared to the 600 page tome by Friedman, and aimed at the common man and students alike. As popular as the book may be, some reviewers assert that by what it leaves out, Friedman's book is dangerous. The authors point to the fact that there isn't a single table or data footnote in Friedman's entire book.
"Globalization is the greatest reorganization of the world since the Industrial Revolution," says Aronica. Aronica and Ramdoo conclude by listing over twenty action items that point the way forward, for understanding the critical issues of globalization.
Interestingly enough, the book written about two years back, discusses in the chapter, "Debt and Financialization of America," the debt ridden American society, deregulated financial institutions, mortgage crisis and other related issues, with clear pointers to the economic crisis gripping US today.
You may want to see www.mkpress.com/flat
and watch www.mkpress.com/flatoverview.html
for an interesting counterperspective on Friedman's
"The World is Flat".
Also a really interesting 6 min wake-up call: Shift Happens! www.mkpress.com/ShiftExtreme.html
There is also a companion book listed: Extreme Competition: Innovation and the Great 21st Century Business Reformation
www.mkpress.com/extreme
http://www.mkpress.com/Extreme11minWMV.html
Niko Apr 5th 2009 6:55AM
Thank you for writing very interesting travel articles, thanks for sharing,
greetings from Georgian Tour Operator