This document summarizes and critiques Thomas Friedman's essay "Globalization: A Super-Story". The summary identifies three key points: 1) Friedman introduces the concept of a "super-story", which is the narrative framework through which we view world events. He argues globalization replaced the Cold War narrative after 9/11. 2) Friedman identifies three dominant forces shaping the globalized world: nation-states led by the US, global market forces, and "super-empowered individuals" enabled by technology. 3) The critique argues Friedman overlooks that individuals derive power from leading organizations, not acting alone, and new non-national organizations also influence world events. However, the analysis of

1. Chang Zhong
Professor lawless
WRI102
2016/02／07
Understanding Globalization: The Super-Story that Replaced the Cold War Narrative
After the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Thomas Friedman published an essay
entitled Longitudes and Attitudes to explaining the world after 9/11. The specific
aim of this critique is review the essay Globalization: A Super-Story, Friedman
gives us an explain how the world has changed since the 1980s and he use a
specific focus on narrative. Only 10 years after the collapse of the soviet Union,
the USA had experienced one of the worse attacks, and most Americans did not
understand how this happened. Many people try to understand who would do
that, and were revenge should be targeted. Friedman’s explain how the
Globalization has changed the way people influence the world, and has changed
the way we interpret world events. This critique will give praise to the author’s
extremely insightful explanation of the change world narrative, and it also point
out the flaws in his vision of super-empowered individuals.
From the text, Friedman introduces us the idea of a super-story, he

2. describes as “a big framework through which we look at the world”. （Friedman,
2002）This super-story is narrative and context that shapes the world, and affect
the way we view events. There is specific focus on the events of 9/11, because
they symbolized a transition away from the old model of national super-powers.
The world before the 1980s could be illustrated by the ideological battle between
the USA and the Soviet Union, Globalization is a new world system in which
power is no longer related to the nation state. He explains the previous world
system was division, and Globalization is integration. Furthermore, the cold war
system balance of power is only dependent in the action of the two dominant
super-powers, and both state’s actions regulated each other. In the globalization
system, there are three dominant forces shape the world. First of all, nation state
do shape world events, but now they are focused on one dominant hegemonic
state: the USA. The USA is by far the dominant culture, political, military and
economic leader. The second dynamic that shapes our world system is that
Friedman labels as “the electronic Herd”. This concept refers to the global market
forces in some cases are more powerful than nation states themselves. These
markets have not governing body, it is the force of flows of capital which depend
on investor confidence that make the power of these markets. Last, Friedman
introduces the concept of “ super-empowered individuals”. The interconnect of
communication system have given the chance to ordinary individuals to wield
major power on the outcome of situation that affect millions people. He gives two
examples to explain these individuals. The first is Nobel prize winner Jody

3. Williams who enabled a treaty between 120 countries with the use of emails and
network. The second example is Bin Laden, he was the target of an extremely
costly manhunt by the USA for his terrorist activities.
As early as 2002, Friedman explains the new world narrative which is now
more effective than back then. In 2007, the economic crisis explain the
devastating power of markets, and the unprecedented scale of economic shock.
This relation between markets and states is explain by case study in economic
growth. Movements of capital and Foreign Direct Investment have more
influence on the development of a country than state aid. For example, China has
been the source for the vast majority of poverty alleviation over the past 30-50
years, but this is not result of inter-state interactions. Rather, it has been the
result of enormous inflow of capital through investment by foreign companies.
As political ideology become less influential, the “supermarkets” a major force to
shape the world.
In addition to this, Friedman gives an excellent insight into the rise of super-
empowered individuals. With 2002 was still the early days of mass internet use,
and as the internet population rises, any personal has access to enormous source
of exposure for their views. Indeed, Bin Laden was the costliest manhunt in
history, he involvements in several attacks against the USA, and he is typical of
the new super-empowered individual. Also the narrative of the super villain is

4. always recurring, like Saddam Hussein, Bashar AL-Assad and Muammar Gadhafi
are there examples for individuals that the USA has either overthrown or is in the
process of undermining. Indeed, the USA did not wage war on those countries in
the classical meaning of war. Instead, the target was only to overthrow the head
of state. On the other end of the spectrum, there has also been a rise of the super
empowered CEO, such as Larry Ellison and Mark Zuckerberg wield an incredible
amount soft power and influence because they are the head of company that are
richer than many nations.
In Friedman’s explaination of super-empowered individuals, the weakness of
his argument is that he did not point out these individuals’ power only point out
their position in an organization. For example, Bin Laden’s power is from his
leadership of Al-Qaeda. He did not single-handedly fly a plane to the World Trade
Center. His explanation would need to include the notion that non-national
organizations have emerged, and the leaders of these organizations are
becoming important in terms of influence over world events. Friedman’s point is
not wrong, but it is not placed in the context that explains it properly. Even
modern means of mass communication, an individual cannot accomplish much
by himself directly, rather, individual’s power lies in their capacity to influence
power structures of the world.
For the conclude this critique, Thomas Friedman provides an excellent
analysis of the new world system and the way what we view the world events
around us. Despite weakness in his argument about super empowered

5. individuals, his explain for the three main powers give a great explain to what
forces affect our lives.

6. Work cited
Thomas L. Friedman. “Globalization: The Super-Story.” works in an anthology. Ed.
Gilbert Muller. Boston, MA: Suffolk University, 2016. 391-394. Print.