Everyone in the world is directly or indirectly affected by this new system. But not everyone benefits from it. Not by a long shot. Which is why the more it becomes diffused, the more it creates a backlash by people who feel overwhelmed by it, homogenized by it, or unable to keep pace with its demands. The other key difference between the Cold War system, and the globalization system, is how power is structured within them. The Cold War system was built primarily around nation states. You acted on the world in that system through your state. The Cold War was a drama of states confronting states, balancing states, and aligning with states. And as a system, the Cold War was balanced at the center by two super states, two super powers; the United States and the Soviet Union.
Longitudes and Attitudes by Thomas L. Friedman
