he process of converting to this system is called putting on‘the golden straitjackets.’ Anyone suffering from “Microchip Immune Deficiency” has some serious catching up to do. He also emphasizes the Internet’s importance, and importance of connectivity. Friedman deems that the Internet is the main shaper in the economic realm, and will become the backbone of global commerce, education, andcommunication. Friedman also talked about the role of governments and politics in the globalization era. Globalization has changed the nature of the playing field of the countries for three reasons.First, countries have to operate more like companies as they are now on the open market, become more efficient and be competitive for foreign investment. Second, marketsare playing more of a role in determining the fate of the countries. What happens to citizens of a country is determined not by their elected officials, but by internationalmarkets. Third, many individuals are amassing so much wealth and influence that they act as equal players along side nation state. Friedman adds that many of the functions ofa government could be outsourced to companies, which are able to perform these functions more efficiently. In general, Friedman believes that economic growth and politicsare inversely related. If we wish to see our economy prosper, we must shrink politics. He also believes that government should interfere less in the market, and remove allrestrictions such as minimize bureaucracy, lower tariffs, remove foreign investments restriction, and deregulate capital markets; this would eventually leave the private sector to operate freely. When it comes to culture and globalization, Friedman thinks that unlike the Cold War system, globalizing has its own dominant culture, which is why it tends to be a homogenizing factor. In previous eras this sort of cultural homogenization happened on a regional scale like the Russification ...
