the.world.is.flat-第92节

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control　insects　that　transmit　agents　of　disease；　how　to　develop　a　genetic　or　chemical　
strategy　to　incapacitate　a　disease…transmitting　insect　population；　how　to　create　a　
full　range　of　optimal　bioavailable　nutrients　in　a　single　staple　plant　species；　and　
how　to　create　immunological　methods　that　can　cure　chronic　infections。　Within　a　year；　
the　foundation　received　sixteen　hundred　proposals　for　ways　to　meet　these　challenges　
from　scientists　in　seventy…five　countries；　and　the　foundation　is　now　in　the　process　
of　funding　the　best　proposals　with　250　million　in　cash。　
〃We're　trying　to　accomplish　two　things　with　this　program；〃　explained　Rick　Klausner；　
a　former　head　of　the　National　Cancer　Institute　who　now　runs　the　global　health　programs　
for　the　Gates　Foundation。　〃The　first　is　＇to　make＇　a　moral　appeal　to　the　scientific　
imagination；　＇pointing　out＇　that　there　are　great　problems　to　be　solved　that　we；　the　
scientific　community；　have　ignored；　even　though　we　pride　ourselves　in　how　
international　weare。　We　have　not　taken　our　responsibilities　as　globalproblem　solvers　
as　seriously　as　our　self…identity　as　an　international　community。　We　wanted　the　Grand　
Challenges　to　say　these　are　the　most　exciting；　sexy；　scientific　things　that　anyone　
in　the　world　could　work　on　right　now　。　。　。　The　idea　was　to　fire　the　imagination。　The　
second　thing　is　to　actually　direct　some　of　the　foundation's　resources　to　see　if　we　
could　do　it。〃　
Given　the　phenomenal　advances　in　technology　in　the　last　twenty　years；　it　is　easy　to　
assume　that　we　already　have　all　the　tools　to　address　some　of　these　challenges　and　


that　the　only　thing　lacking　is　money。　I　wish　that　were　the　case。　But　it　is　not。　In　
the　instance　of　malaria；　for　example；　it　isn't　just　the　drugs　that　are　missing。　As　
anyone　who　has　visited　Africa　or　rural　India　knows；　the　health…care　systems　in　these　
areas　are　often　broken　or　functioning　at　a　very　low　level。　So　the　Gates　Foundation　
is　trying　to　stimulate　the　development　of　drugs　and　delivery　systems　that　presume　
a　broken　health…care　system　and　therefore　can　be　safely　self…administered　by　ordinary　
people　in　the　field。　That　may　be　the　grandest　challenge　of　all：　to　use　the　tools　of　
the　flat　world　to　design　tools　that　work　in　an　unflat　world。　〃The　most　important　
health…care　system　in　the　world　is　a　mother；〃　
382　
said　Klausner。　〃How　do　you　get　things　in　her　hands　that　she　understands　and　can　afford　
and　can　use？〃　
The　tragedy　of　all　these　people　is　really　a　dual　tragedy；　added　Klausner。　There　is　
the　individual　tragedy　of　facing　a　death　sentence　from　disease　or　a　life　sentence　
of　broken　families　and　limited　expectations。　And　there　is　the　tragedy　for　the　world　
because　of　the　incredible　lost　contribution　that　all　these　people　still　outside　the　
flat　world　could　be　making。　In　a　flat　world；　where　we　are　connecting　all　the　knowledge　
pools　together；　imagine　what　knowledge　those　people　could　bring　to　science　or　
education。　In　a　flat　world；　where　innovation　can　come　from　anywhere；　we　are　letting　
a　huge　pool　of　potential　contributors　and　collaborators　slip　under　the　waves。　There　
is　no　question　that　poverty　causes　ill　health；　but　ill　health　also　traps　people　in　
poverty；　which　in　turn　weakens　them　and　keeps　them　from　grasping　the　first　rung　of　
the　ladder　to　middle…class　hope。　Until　and　unless　we　can　meet　some　of　these　grand　
challenges；　much　of　that　50　percent　of　the　world　that　is　still　not　flat　will　stay　
that　way…no　matter　how　flat　the　other　50　percent　gets。　
TOO　DlSEMPOWERED　
There's　not　just　the　flat　world　and　the　unflat　world。　Many　people　live　in　the　twilight　
zone　between　the　two。　Among　these　are　the　people　I　call　the　too　disempowered。　They　
are　a　large　group　of　people　who　have　not　been　fully　encompassed　by　the　flattening　
of　the　world。　Unlike　the　too　sick；　who　have　yet　even　to　get　a　chance　to　step　onto　
the　flat　world；　the　too　disempowered　are　people　who　you　might　say　are　half　flat。　They　
are　healthy　people　who　live　in　countries　with　significant　areas　that　have　been　
flattened　but　who　don't　have　the　tools　or　the　skills　or　the　infrastructure　to　
participate　in　any　meaningful　or　sustained　way。　They　have　just　enough　information　
to　know　that　the　world　is　flattening　around　them　and　that　they　aren't　really　getting　
any　of　the　benefits。　Being　flat　is　good　but　full　of　pressure；　being　unflat　is　awful　
and　full　of　pain；　but　being　half　flat　has　its　own　special　anxiety。　As　exciting　and　
as　visible　as　the　flat　
383　
Indian　high…tech　sector　is；　have　no　illusions：　It　accounts　for　0。2　percent　of　
employment　in　India。　Add　those　Indians　involved　in　manufacturing　for　export；　and　you　
get　a　total　of　2　percent　of　employment　in　India。　
The　half　flat　are　all　those　other　hundreds　of　millions　of　people；　particularly　in　
rural　India；　rural　China；　and　rural　Eastern　Europe；　who　are　close　enough　to　see；　touch；　


and　occasionally　benefit　from　the　flat　world　but　who　are　not　really　living　inside　
it　themselves。　We　saw　how　big　and　how　angry　this　group　can　be　in　the　spring　of　2004　
Indian　national　elections；　in　which　the　ruling　BJP　was　surprisingly　tossed　out　of　
office…despite　having　overseen　a　surge　in　India's　growth　rate…largely　because　of　the　
discontent　of　rural　Indian　voters　with　the　slow　pace　of　globalization　outside　the　
giant　cities。　These　voters　were　not　saying；　〃Stop　the　globalization　train；　we　want　
to　get　off。〃　They　were　saying；　〃Stop　the　globalization　train；　we　want　to　get　on；　but　
someone　needs　to　help　us　by　building　a　better　stepstool。〃　
These　rural　voters…peasants　and　farmers；　who　form　the　bulk　of　India's　population　
just　had　to　spend　a　day　in　any　nearby　big　city　to　see　the　benefits　of　the　flat　world：　
the　cars；　the　houses；　the　educational　opportunities。　〃Every　time　a　villager　watches　
the　community　TV　and　sees　an　ad　for　soap　or　shampoo；　what　they　notice　are　not　the　
soap　and　shampoo　but　the　lifestyle　of　the　people　using　them…the　kind　of　motorbikes　
they　ride；　their　dress；　and　their　homes；〃　explained　Indian…born　Nayan　Chanda；　editor　
of　YaleGlobal　Online。　〃They　see　a　world　they　want　access　to。　This　election　was　about　
envy　and　anger。　It　was　a　classic　case　of　revolutions　happening　when　things　are　getting　
better　but　not　fast　enough　for　many　people。〃　
At　the　same　time；　these　rural　Indians　understood；　at　gut　level；　exactly　why　it　was　
not　happening　for　them：　because　local　governments　in　India　have　become　so　eaten　away　
by　corruption　and　mismanagement　that　they　cannot　deliver　to　the　poor　the　schools　and　
infrastructure　they　need　to　get　a　fair　share　of　the　pie。　As　some　of　these　millions　
of　Indians　on　the　outside　of　the　gated　communities　looking　in　lose　hope；　〃they　become　
more　religious；　more　tied　to　their　caste/subcaste；　more　radical　in　their　thinking；　
more　willing　to　snatch　than　create；　＇and＇　view　dirty　politics　as　being　the　only　way　
to　get　mobility；　since　economic　mobility　is　stalled；〃　said　Vivek　

Paul　of　Wipro。　India　can　have　the　smartest　high…tech　vanguard　in　the　world；　but　if　
it　does　not　find　a　way　to　bring　along　more　of　those　who　are　unable；　disabled；　
undereducated；　and　underserved；　it　will　be　like　a　rocket　that　takes　off　but　quickly　
falls　back　to　earth　for　lack　of　sustained　thrust。　
The　Congress　Party　got　the　message；　which　was　why　as　soon　as　it　took　office　it　chose　
as　its　prime　minister　not　some　antiglobalizer　but　Manmohan　Singh；　the　former　Indian　
finance　minister；　who　in　1991　first　opened　the　Indian　economy　to　globalization；　
placing　an　emphasis　on　exports　and　trade　and　reform　wholesale。　And　Singh；　in　turn；　
pledged　himself　to　vastly　increase　government　investments　in　rural　infrastructure　
and　to　bring　more　reform　retail　to　rural　government。　
How　can　outsiders　collaborate　in　this　process？　I　think；　first　and　foremost；　they　can　
redefine　the　meaning　of　global　populism。　If　populists　really　want　to　help　the　rural　
poor；　the　way　to　do　it　is　not　by　burning　down　McDonald's　and　shutting　down　the　IMF　
and　trying　to　put　up　protectionist　barriers　that　will　unflatten　the　world。　That　will　
help　the　rural　poor　not　one　iota。　It　has　to　be　by　refocusing　the　energies　of　the　global　
populist　movement　on　how　to　improve　local　government；　infrastructure；　and　education　
in　places　like　rural　India　and　China；　so　the　populations　there　can　acquire　the　tools　
to　collaborate　and　participate　in　the　flat　world。　Theglobal　populist　movement；　better　


known　as　the　antiglobalization　movement；　has　a　great　deal　of　energy；　but　up　to　now　
it　has　been　too　divided　and　confused　to　effectively　help　the　poor　in　any　meaningful　
or　sustained　manner。　It　needs　a　policy　lobotomy。　The　world's　poor　do　not　resent　the　
rich　anywhere　nearly　as　much　as　the　left…wing　parties　in　the　developed　world　imagine。　
What　they　resent　is　not　having　any　pathway　to　get　rich　and　to　join　the　flat　world　
and　cross　that　line　into　the　middle　class　that　Jerry　Yang　spoke　about。　
Let's　pause　for　a　minute　here　and　trace　how　the　antiglobalization　movement　lost　touch　
with　the　true　aspirations　of　the　world's　poor。　The　antiglobalization　movement　emerged　
at　the　World　Trade　Organization　conference　in　Seattle　in　1999　and　then　spread　around　
the　world　in　subsequent　years；　usually　gathering　to　attack　meetings　of　the　World　Ban