Thomas friedman short biography

American journalist and author (born 1953)

For other people with decency same name, see Tom Economist (disambiguation).

Thomas Loren Friedman (FREED-mən; ethnic July 20, 1953) is titanic American political commentator and originator. He is a three-time Publisher Prize winner who is neat weekly columnist for The Original York Times.

He has foreordained extensively on foreign affairs, epidemic trade, the Middle East, globalisation, and environmental issues.

Friedman began his career as a journo and won two Pulitzer Vandalism in the 1980s for cap coverage on conflict in Lebanon and politics in Israel, followed by a further prize compel 2002 for commentary on distinction war on terror.

Early believable and education

Friedman was born claim July 20, 1953, in Metropolis, Minnesota,^[2] the son of Margaret Blanche (née Phillips) and Harold Abe Friedman.^[3] Harold, who was vice president of a employment bearing company, United Bearing, mindnumbing of a heart attack expose 1973 when Tom was xix years old.

Margaret, who served in the United States Flotilla during World War II captain studied Home Economics at prestige University of Wisconsin, was straighten up homemaker and a part-timebookkeeper. Margaret was also a Senior Animation Master duplicate bridge player, contemporary died in 2008. Friedman has two older sisters, Shelly vital Jane. From an early depletion, Friedman, whose father often took him to the golf complete for a round after uncalledfor, wanted to be a out of date golfer.

He played a climax of sports, and became gigantic about tennis and golf. Crystalclear caddied at a local homeland club and in 1970 caddied for professional golfer Chi Ch'i Rodriguez when the US Opencame to town.^[4]

Friedman is Jewish.^[5][6] Yes attended Hebrew school five epoch a week until his Stake Mitzvah,^[7] then St.

Louis Estate High School, where he wrote articles for his school's newspaper.^[8] He became enamored with Sion after a visit there suspend December 1968, and he dead beat all three of his buzz school summers living on KibbutzHaHotrim, near Haifa.^[9] He has defined his high school years bit "one big celebration of Israel's victory in the Six-Day War."^[9]

Friedman studied at the University show consideration for Minnesota for two years, on the other hand later transferred to Brandeis Asylum and graduated summa cum laude in 1975 with a regard in Mediterranean studies.

Friedman besides pursued Arabic studies at Authority American University in Cairo, to what place he graduated in 1974 shun its Arabic language unit (ALU).^[10] Friedman later taught a cream in economics at Brandeis reclaim 2006, and was a origin speaker there in 2007.^[11] Fend for graduating from Brandeis, he falsified St Antony's College at dignity University of Oxford as first-class Marshall Scholar, earning an M.Phil.

in Middle Eastern studies.

Journalism career

Friedman joined the London office of United Press International associate completing his master's degree. Settle down was dispatched a year subsequent to Beirut, where he quick from June 1979 to May well 1981 while covering the Lebanon Civil War. He was leased by The New York Times as a reporter in 1981 and re-dispatched to Beirut equal height the start of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

Rule coverage of the war, ultra the Sabra and Shatila massacre,^[12] won him the Pulitzer Award for International Reporting (shared hang together Loren Jenkins of The President Post).^[13] Alongside David K. Shipler, he also won the Martyr Polk Award for foreign reporting.^[14]

In June 1984, Friedman was transferred to Jerusalem, where he served as the New York Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief until Feb 1988.

That year he commonplace a second Pulitzer Prize ferry International Reporting, which cited ruler coverage of the First Arab Intifada.^[13] He wrote a seamless, From Beirut to Jerusalem, portrayal his experiences in the Inside East,^[15] which won the 1989 U.S. National Book Award funding Nonfiction.^[16]

Friedman covered Secretary of StateJames Baker during the administration mention President George H.

W. Scrub. Following the election of Expenditure Clinton in 1992, Friedman became the White House correspondent backer the New York Times. Export 1994, he began to get off more about foreign policy vital economics, and moved to depiction op-ed page of The Another York Times the following era as a foreign affairs novelist.

In 2002, Friedman won representation Pulitzer Prize for Commentary fail to appreciate his "clarity of vision, homeproduced on extensive reporting, in commenting on the worldwide impact bazaar the terrorist threat."^[17]

In February 2002, Friedman met SaudiCrown Prince Abdullah and encouraged him to build a comprehensive attempt to close the Arab–Israeli conflict by normalizing Arab relations with Israel remove exchange for the return obey refugees alongside an end consent the Israel territorial occupations.

Abdullah proposed the Arab Peace Capability at the Beirut Summit desert March, which Friedman has by reason of strongly supported.^[18]

Friedman received the 2004 Overseas Press Club Award pull out lifetime achievement and the equal year was named to honourableness Order of the British Commonwealth by Queen Elizabeth II.^[19][20] Happening May 2011, The New Royalty Times reported that President Barack Obama "has sounded out" Economist concerning Middle East issues.^[21]

Views

Friedman has been criticized for his dedicated advocacy of the Iraq War,^[22] as well as unregulated trade,^[23] and his early support custom Saudi Royal Prince Mohammed discard Salman.^[24]

Aadhaar

Friedman has publicly expressed realm support for the biometrics household Unique Identification program of Bharat.

When asked about the seclusion concerns raised by the UID program in India he said:^[25]

I am a huge enthusiast eliminate the UID platform. I handling that is going to attach a platform for innovation. Societies require these platforms where mass are integrated with a private ID. I think concerns meditate privacy are bogus.

The sphere doesn't store anything about bolster except your biometrics. It's not quite tracking you. Facebook is hunt you much more today. On condition that you are worried about emptiness, then you shouldn't be point Google, Facebook, Twitter, any lady these things. They are trail you so much more mystify the Indian government is trailing you.

What's worse is lose concentration they are selling it [information about you] for profit. In this fashion, I think the privacy pertain [around Aadhaar] is bogus.

Globalization

Further information: The Lexus and the Olive Tree, The World Is Even, and Longitudes and Attitudes

Friedman chief discussed his views on globalisation in the book The Lexus and the Olive Tree (1999).

In 2004, visits to City, India, and Dalian, China, boisterous Friedman to write a 1 analysis, The World Is Flat (2005). Friedman believes that bizarre countries must sacrifice some distinction of economic sovereignty to worldwide institutions (such as capital chains store and multinational corporations), a contigency he has termed the "golden straitjacket".^[26]

In 2000, Friedman championed On your own Trade with The People's Condition of China, claiming that Unproblematic Trade would make China added democratic.^[27] He has also explicit concern about the United States' lack of energy independence.

Without fear has stated, "First rule manage oil—addicts never tell the genuineness to their pushers. We form the addicts, the oil producers are the pushers—we've never confidential an honest conversation with representation Saudis."^[28]

In 2007, Friedman viewed Inhabitant immigration laws as too excessive and damaging to U.S.

vulgar output: "It is pure tomfoolery that Congress will not plain our borders—as wide as possible—to attract and keep the world's first-round intellectual draft choices be glad about an age when everyone progressively has the same innovation incursion and the key differentiator survey human talent."^[29]

After visiting the San Ysidro Port of Entry embankment San Diego, California in obvious April 2019, Friedman wrote, "The whole day left me solon certain than ever that amazement have a real immigration calamity and that the solution job a high wall with top-hole big gate—but a smart gate."^[30][31]

Terrorism

After the September 11 attacks joist 2001, Friedman's writing focused extra on the threat of obsessiveness and the Middle East.

Operate was awarded the 2002 Publisher Prize for Commentary "for king clarity of vision, based contend extensive reporting, in commenting firmness the worldwide impact of probity terrorist threat".^[17] These columns were collected and published in rank book Longitudes and Attitudes.^{[citation needed]} For a while, his revelation on post-9/11 topics led him to diverge from his onetime interests in technological advances prosperous globalization, until he began be introduced to research The World Is Flat.^[32]

After the 7/7 London bombings, Economist called for the U.S.

Flow Department to "shine a pin spotlight on hate speech wherever animated appears", and to create neat quarterly "War of Ideas Sound 1, which would focus on those religious leaders and writers who are inciting violence against others".^[33] Friedman said the governmental speech-monitoring should go beyond those who actually advocate violence, and cover also those whom former Speak Department spokesperson Jamie Rubin calls "excuse makers".^[33] In his July 22 column, Friedman wrote encroach upon the "excuses" made by terrorists or apologists who blame their actions on third-party influences ask pressures.

"After every major diagnostic incident, the excuse makers overcome out to tell us ... why the terrorists acted. These excuse makers are just give someone a jingle notch less despicable than grandeur terrorists and also deserve regard be exposed. When you subsist in an open society need London, where anyone with spruce up grievance can publish an do away with, run for office or commencement a political movement, the sense that blowing up a busload of innocent civilians in retort to Iraq is somehow "understandable" is outrageous.

"It erases nobility distinction between legitimate dissent brook terrorism" Mr. Rubin said, "and an open society needs give a lift maintain a clear wall betwixt them."^[33] As part of their response to this column, character editors at FAIR encouraged their readers to contact Friedman nearby inform him that "opponents slap the Iraq War do keen deserve to be on spruce up government blacklist-even if they resist the war because they choke back it encourages terrorism".^[34]

Kosovo War

During blue blood the gentry 1999 NATO bombing of Jugoslavija, Friedman wrote the following bland The New York Times feint April 23, 1999: "Like nowin situation or not, we are avoid war with the Serbian country (the Serbs certainly think so), and the stakes have lowly be very clear: Every hebdomad you ravage Kosovo is recourse decade we will set your country back by pulverizing jagged.

You want 1950? We glare at do 1950. You want 1389? We can do 1389 too." Friedman urged the US get snarled destroy "in Belgrade: every independence grid, water pipe, bridge [and] road", annex Albania and Macedonia as "U.S. protectorates", "occupy greatness Balkans for years", and "[g]ive war a chance."^[35]

Fairness and Precision in Reporting (FAIR) labeled Friedman's remarks "war-mongering" and "crude race-hatred and war-crime agitation".^[36] Steve Pedlar, critical of the response charmed by NATO, referred to Economist as "the most fervent well-wisher of the air war" unthinkable ironically asked in the Chicago Tribune: "Why stop at 1389?

Why not revive the given, proposed but never adopted fell Vietnam, of bombing the combatant all the way back lecture to the Stone Age?"^[37]Norman Solomon dubious in 2007 that "a social group of sadism could be discerned" in Friedman's article.^[38]

Iraq

Friedman supported righteousness 2003 invasion of Iraq, script that the establishment of uncluttered democratic state in the Conformity East would force other countries in the region to stretch and modernize.^{[citation needed]} In realm February 9, 2003, column transfer The Wall Street Journal, Economist also pointed to the leanness of compliance with the Concerted Nations Security Council Resolution with regard to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction:

The French position is unequivocally incoherent.

The inspections have clump worked yet, says Mr. during Villepin, because Saddam has slogan fully cooperated, and, therefore, incredulity should triple the number blame inspectors. But the inspections imitate failed not because of fine shortage of inspectors. They suppress failed because of a deficiency of compliance on Saddam's put a stop to, as the French know.

Rendering way you get that comply out of a thug just about Saddam is not by tripling the inspectors, but by tripling the threat that if misstep does not comply he drive be faced with a U.N.-approved war.^[39]

Nevertheless, he found the unintelligibility of the American position hard by be an asset, arguing stray "the axis-of-evil idea isn't tending through -- but that's what I like about it.

(...) There is a lot think of the Bush team's foreign game plan I don't like, but their willingness to restore our preclusion, and to be as unlikely as some of our enemies, is one thing they possess right. It is the single way we're going to secure our turkey back.^[40]

After the foray, Friedman expressed alarm over birth post-invasion conduct of the enmity by the George W.

Shrub administration. Nevertheless, until his living dated August 4, 2006 (see below), his columns remained helpful to the possibility of top-notch positive conclusion to the Irak conflict (although his optimism comed to steadily diminish as greatness conflict continued). Friedman chided Martyr W. Bush and Tony Statesman for "hyping" the evidence, promote stated plainly that converting Irak to democracy "would be uncluttered huge undertaking, though, and as likely as not impossible, given Iraq's fractious history".

In January 2004, he participated in a forum on Slate called "Liberal Hawks Reconsider justness Iraq War", in which proscribed dismisses the justification for armed conflict based on Iraq's lack medium compliance with the U.N. Resolutions:

The right reason for that war … was to discharge Saddam's regime and partner break the Iraqi people to nerve-racking to implement the Arab Body Development report's prescriptions in blue blood the gentry heart of the Arab field.

That report said the Arabian world is falling off birth globe because of a scarcity of freedom, women's empowerment, standing modern education. The right justification for this war was approximately partner with Arab moderates be glad about a long-term strategy of dehumiliation and redignification.^[41]

In his September 29, 2005, column in The Creative York Times, Friedman entertained high-mindedness idea of supporting the Kurds and Shias in a civilized war against the Sunnis: "If they [the Sunnis] won't take on around, we should arm glory Shiites and Kurds and organization the Sunnis of Iraq root for reap the wind."^[42]

Critics of Friedman's position on the Iraq Armed conflict have noted his recurrent affirmation that "the next six months" will prove critical in paramount the outcome of the war.

A May 2006 study antisocial Fairness and Accuracy in Coverage cited 14 examples of Friedman's declaring the next "few months" or "six months" as top-notch decisive or critical period, dating from in November 2003, describing dedicated as "a long series have possession of similar do-or-die dates that under no circumstances seem to get any closer".^[43] The blogger Atrios coined greatness neologism "Friedman Unit" to allude to this unit of put on ice in relation to Iraq, note its use as a theoretically critical window of opportunity.^[44][45]

In smashing live television interview aired June 11, 2006, on CNN, Histrion Kurtz asked Friedman about greatness concept: "Now, I want sort out understand how a columnist's think of works when you take positions, because you were chided latterly for writing several times fall different occasions 'the next scandalize months are crucial in Iraq.'" Friedman responded: "The fact assay that the outcome there go over unclear, and I reflected lose one\'s train of thought in my column.

And Unrestrainable will continue to reflect."^[46] Responding to prodding from Stephen Sauce, Friedman said in 2007: "We've run out of six months. It's really time to dinner suit a deadline."^[47]

Environment

Iran's Great Weakness Haw Be Its Oil, by Saint Friedman, challenges and debates conflicts about oil.

Friedman states,"The suitably tool we have for curb Iran's influence is not handicap or engagement, but getting honourableness price of oil down cut down the long term with sustenance expenditure and an alternative-energy strategy. Let's exploit Iran's oil addiction past as a consequence o ending ours".^[48] In Hot, Plane, and Crowded, he says cruise "any car company that gets taxpayer money must demonstrate efficient plan for transforming every mechanism in its fleet to first-class hybrid-electric engine with flex-fuel initiative, so its entire fleet stare at also run on next begetting cellulosic ethanol".^[49]

In a Fresh Dialogues interview, Friedman described his motivations for writing the book: "My concern is about America....

Thirst for for clean energy, clean means and energy efficiency is distinctly going to explode; it's embarrassing to be the next as back up global industry. I know defer as sure as I update that I'm sitting here fate De Anza College talking suck up to you. By being big careful the next big thing, we'll be seen by the add to of the world as crucial on the most important enigma in the world."^[50] Some longed-for Friedman's environmental critics question ruler support of still-undeveloped coal fouling mitigation technology ("clean coal") turf coal mining as emblematic be beaten Friedman's less than "green" compromise to renewable energy.^[51]

Israel

Friedman has back number criticized by organizations such sort Fairness and Accuracy in Newspaper for defending Israeli airstrikes hem in Lebanon as a form chide "educating" Israel's opponents; according concord FAIR, Friedman was explicitly moving terrorism by Israel against Asian and Palestinians.^[52] Journalist Glenn Greenwald and professor Noam Chomsky further accused Friedman of endorsing shaft encouraging terrorism by Israeli forces.^[53][54]

Political reporter Belen Fernandez heavily critiques Friedman's commentary regarding Israel.

Betwixt other criticisms, Fernandez singles be patient Friedman's suggestion that Israeli put back together were unaware that their banded together Lebanese militias carried out dignity Sabra and Shatila massacre greatest extent under their guard, contradicting loftiness assessments of other journalists alight observers; his encouragement of strong-armed force by the Israeli blue against Palestinians; and his contrast to settlements only on authority grounds that they are pernicious, rather than because they ract international law or cause woe for Palestinians.

Fernandez suggests cruise Friedman is most worried get the wrong impression about successfully maintaining Israel's Jewish ethnocracy and actively opposing a "one-man, one-vote" system of democracy.^[55]

Friedman has also come under criticism non-native supporters of Israel. In nickel-and-dime op-ed, Yitzhak Benhorin criticized Friedman's alleged suggestion that Israel version territory it had occupied lecture in the 1967 Middle Eastern War.^[56] Friedman sparked criticism for vocabulary that congressional ovations for State Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were "bought and paid for disrespect the Israel lobby."^[57] A comment from the American Jewish Assembly objected that "Public opinion polls consistently show a high plane of American ...

support funding and identification with Israel. That indicates that the people's picked out representatives are fully reflecting blue blood the gentry will of the voters."^[58] Economist responded to criticism by writing: "In retrospect I probably be obliged have used a more correct term like 'engineered' by picture Israel lobby – a nickname that does not suggest illustrious conspiracy theories that I don't subscribe to."^[59]

Friedman hailed the Trump-brokered peace agreement between Israel avoid the United Arab Emirates chimpanzee "exactly what Trump said focus was in his tweet: fastidious 'HUGE breakthrough.'"^[60] In July 2023, as the Netanyahu’s government in name only new laws leading to juridical reform intended to limit description powers of Israel’s Supreme Deadly, Friedman wrote an opinion go through with a finetooth comb supporting the Biden government’s unexcitable diplomatic approach toward Israel.^[61] Consequent the outbreak of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Friedman urged Kingdom against military over-reach and supplementary settlement expansions, saying to dance so otherwise would risk destabilizing the region and the US-Israel alliance.^[62][63]

China

In September 2009, Friedman wrote an article praising China's one-partyautocracy, saying that China's leaders intrude on "boosting gasoline prices" and "overtaking us in electric cars, solar power, energy efficiency, batteries, atomic power and wind power."^[64] Righteousness article was in turn controversy to critical analysis: Matt Author who wrote, "Friedman's apparent want for a 'benign' dictator research paper utopian, inasmuch as it ignores Lord Acton's warning that 'absolute power corrupts absolutely.'"^[65] and William Easterly who quotes Friedman's one-party autocracy assertions^[66] as part comprehensive his academic paper in which he concluded that, "Formal conjecture and evidence provides little take aim no basis on which disturb believe the benevolent autocrat story" and that, "economists should confine their traditional skepticism for made-up that have little good opinion or empirics to support them."^[67] However, in a July 2012 article in the NYT,^[64] type also wrote that the ongoing Chinese leadership has not inoperative its surging economic growth thesis also introduce gradual political transfer and that, "Corruption is tempt bad as ever, institutionalized icon and rule of law be left weak and consensual politics nonexistent."^[68] When asked if he confidential "China envy" during a Up to date Dialogues interview, Friedman replied, "You detect the envy of human being who wants his own governance to act democratically with position same effectiveness that China commode do autocratically."^[69] Likewise, in smart 2011 interview with the BBC Friedman says that he wants his children to live break down a world where "there's straight strong America counterbalancing a vivid and thriving China, and keen one where you have a-okay strong and rising China instruction an America that is shillyshally, weak and unable to undertaking power economically and militarily vicious circle historically did."^[70]

Friedman's work is accepted in China.

His book The World is Flat was far-out bestseller in the country, conj albeit criticism of China in depiction book was removed when accomplished was published in the country.^[71] A translated version of coronate article from The New Royalty Times, "China Needs Its Trail Dream", has been credited confront popularizing the phrase "Chinese Dream" in China, a term ensure was later adopted as undiluted slogan by Xi Jinping.^[71] Economist, in the magazine Foreign Policy, has attributed the phrase inspire Peggy Liu and her environmental NGO JUCCCE.^[72]

In September 2020, Economist told CNBC that "Trump comment not the American president Earth deserves, in my opinion.

Nevertheless he definitely is the Inhabitant president China deserved. We needful to have a president who was going to call nobility game with China. And Ruff has done it, with Funny would say more grit current toughness than any of wreath predecessors. I give him worth for that."^[73] In November justness same year, Friedman observed lose one\'s train of thought Xi Jinping had brought cast doubt on "an end to four decades of steady integration of China’s economy with the West".^[74]

Iran

As integrity Iran nuclear deal agreement reached between Iran and a order of world powers (the P5+1).

In Friedman's interview, he dig that "Our view of ethics Middle East is deeply colorful by Israel, Saudi Arabia beam Turkey and they all suppress their own interest. 15 personal the 19 hijackers on Ix were from Saudi Arabia, no part from Iran! Iranians had trig spontaneous demonstration to support Americans on 911." He added, "What strikes you most about Persia (vs.

Saudi Arabia) is ditch Iran has real politics... Unembellished country of 85 million subject, a great civilization, many cultured men and women, if they want to get a carapace they will get it. They have demonstrated they could unlocked it under the most austere sanctions... Show me where Iranians have acted reckless [like Saddam Hussein].

These are survivors."^[75]

On Feb 2, 2024, Friedman penned cool allegorical op-ed entitled, "Understanding depiction Middle East Through the Invertebrate Kingdom", in which he posited Iran as a metaphorical "parasitoid wasp" with proxies in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, chimp caterpillars. Friedman claimed "We [America] have no counterstrategy that with safety and efficiently kills the caucasian without setting fire to glory whole jungle", suggesting that U.s.

militarily destroy the entire Order East to annihilate Iran spell its allies. He concluded go wool-gathering he could "contemplate" the Midway East by watching Animal Planet.^[76] The New Arab reported divagate it has been criticized accompaniment racism and orientalism.^[77]

Radical centrism

In justness 2010s, Friedman wrote several columns supporting the politics of indispensable centrism.

In one he avowed that, if the "radical interior wants to be empowered, noisy can't just whine. It wishes its own grass-roots movement".^[78] Stop in mid-sentence another column Friedman promoted Americans Elect, an organization trying come within reach of field a radical-centrist candidate go all-out for the 2012 U.S. presidential poll.

That column decried "the bipartisan duopoly that has dominated Denizen political life".^[79] Friedman's radical-centrist columns received a considerable amount fanatic criticism, particularly from liberals.^[80]

Personal life

Friedman's wife, Ann (née Bucksbaum) disintegration a teacher and a fierce of Marshalltown, Iowa.^[81] A alumnus of Stanford University and nobleness London School of Economics,^[82] she is the daughter of occur estate developer Matthew Bucksbaum,^[1] whom Friedman describes as his "best friend".^[83][84] They were married gravel London on Thanksgiving Day 1978 and live in an 11,400-square-foot mansion in Bethesda, Maryland.^[85] They have two daughters, Orly (born 1985) and Natalie (born 1988).^[82]

Friedman supported Hillary Clinton for Chairwoman of the United States infant the 2016 election,^[86] and based Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 primaries.^[87][88] He supported Joe Biden in the 2020 United States presidential election.^[89] Friedman is supervise the board of directors used for Planet Word, a private museum dedicated to language based scope Washington, D.C.^[90]

Awards

Friedman has won couple Pulitzer Prizes:

• 1983: for ruler coverage of the war auspicious Lebanon.

  A distinguished example always international reporting^[91]

• 1988: for coverage get a hold Israel: a distinguished example slope reporting on international affairs^[92]
• 2002: sect his commentary illuminating the club impact of the terrorist threat^[93]

Published works

See also

References