C122A Stage Setter

Barnett's presents a complex thesis that can be best described in areas.   First, Barnett believes that the world is divided into two distinct components, those nations participating in the advance of globalization are reaping life's rewards, while those nations not participating in the advance of globalization are not. As Barnett puts it, "Show me where globalization is thick with network connectivity, financial transactions, liberal media flows, and collective security, and I will show you regions featuring stable governments, rising standards of living, and more deaths by suicide than murder.   These parts of the world I call the Functioning Core, or Core.   But show me where globalization is thinning or just plain absent, and I will show you regions plagued by politically repressive regimes, widespread poverty and disease, routine mass murder, and-most important-the chronic conflicts that incubate the next generation of global terrorists.   These parts of the world I call the Non-Integrating Gap, or Gap" base (Barnett, 2004).
    The second part of Barnett's thesis promotes the idea that the United States must lead the way in promoting connectivity within the Gap, what he calls "shrinking" the Gap, by exporting security.   America must lead the way, according to Barnett, because "We are the only country in the world purposely built around the ideals that animate globalization's advance: freedom of choice, freedom of movement, freedom of expression. We are connectivity personified” (Barnett, 2004).
    While Barnett presents logical arguments to support his thesis I believe that it is still lacking because much like Cold War ideology Barnett is focusing on governments.   He briefly discusses what Mr. Thomas Friedman called the “super-empowered (Friedman, 200) individual.   By mostly focusing on the States where these individuals call home, Barnett fails to show how an individual can affect the world.   Recent examples of this include: September 2011, “Arab Spring”,...