Currently, I’m reading Thomas Friedman’s book “The Lexus and the Olive Tree,” about the new world of globalization. He tells how globalization has replaced the Cold War as the “lens” through which we should look at the world.

“The globalization system, by contrast, is built around three balances which overlap and affect one another.”

These three balances are 1.) between the various “nation-states,” 2.) between “nation-states and global markets,” and 3.) between “individuals and nation-states.”

I think this is a far cry better than the two-party, “us vs. them” worldview of the Cold War. Friedman is correct in his analysis that these conflicts exist and are much harder to track than a simple dichotomy.

He points out that in the Cold War, enemies were easy to identify. To use George W. Bush terminology the situation could be described as, “You are either with us or against us.” Such thinking allows the enemy of my enemy to be my friend. “He’s a dictator, but he’s OUR dictator,” is a two-dimensional thought process. Friedman does a great service by adding more information about the complexity of the system.

I think we have always had more players than just the nation-state versus the nation-state. There have always been individuals on whose backs the burden of creativity and reform were carried. Nation-states are run by people and their quality determines the quality of the nation-state. Also, the cultures that nation-states exist within are governed by the individual decisions and their objective and subjective valuations.

The balances might better be seen in more general terms: 1.) Concentrated Power vs Concentrated Power, 2.) Concentrated Power vs Decentralized Power, 3.) Decentralized Power vs. Decentralized Power, 4.) Individuals vs. Centralized Power, and 5.) Individuals vs. Decentralized Power.

Concentrated power is represented by governments and giant corporations. Decentralized power takes the form of culture and markets -- basically, what everyone else is doing. Individuals are the free-thinking, creative spirits that challenge both regimented authority and the conventional wisdom.

As a free liberal, I think of myself as an individual who stands apart from both centralized and decentralized power. Globalization offers tremendous opportunities for individuals, but only if we realize our singular, individual roles in making change happen. Centralized Power and Decentralized Power ultimately emanates from individuals. We choose to conform or to make things better.

-- Kevin D. Rollins