Editing Thomas L. Friedman (section)

===Globalization===
{{further|The Lexus and the Olive Tree|The World Is Flat|Longitudes and Attitudes}}
[[File:Secretary Kerry Sits With New York Times Columnist Friedman for a Conversation at the World Economic Forum in Davos (32368960855).jpg|thumb|Friedman and U.S. Secretary of State [[John Kerry]] at the [[World Economic Forum]] in Davos, January 17, 2017]]
Friedman first discussed his views on [[globalization]] in the book ''The Lexus and the Olive Tree'' (1999). In 2004, visits to [[Bangalore]], India, and [[Dalian]], China, led Friedman to write a follow-up analysis, ''[[The World Is Flat]]'' (2005). Friedman believes that individual countries must sacrifice some degree of economic sovereignty to global institutions (such as [[capital market]]s and [[multinational corporation]]s), a situation he has termed the "golden straitjacket".<ref>{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Thomas L.|title=The Lexus and the Olive Tree|url=https://archive.org/details/lexusolivetre00frie|url-access=registration|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux|date=1999|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lexusolivetre00frie/page/87 87–88]|isbn=9780374192037}}</ref>

In 2000, Friedman championed Free Trade with The People's Republic of China, claiming that Free Trade would make China more democratic.<ref>Friedman, Thomas. "Trade bill will expand democracy in China. Eugene Register Guard. May 17, 2000.</ref> He has also expressed concern about the United States' lack of [[energy independence]]. He has stated, "First rule of oil—addicts never tell the truth to their pushers. We are the addicts, the oil producers are the pushers—we've never had an honest conversation with the Saudis."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2010/12/03/us-has-lost-its-leverage-in-the-world-friedman.html|title=US Has 'Lost Its Leverage' in the World: Friedman|website=[[CNBC]]|access-date=September 16, 2017|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031555/https://www.cnbc.com/id/40489880|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2007, Friedman viewed [[Immigration to the United States|American immigration laws]] as too restrictive and damaging to U.S. economic output: "It is pure idiocy that Congress will not open our borders—as wide as possible—to attract and keep the world's first-round intellectual draft choices in an age when everyone increasingly has the same innovation tools and the key differentiator is human talent."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/23/opinion/23friedman.html?_r=1 |title=Laughing and Crying |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 27, 2007 |access-date=November 17, 2010 |first=Thomas L. |last=Friedman |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031555/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/23/opinion/23friedman.html?_r=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

After visiting the [[San Ysidro Port of Entry]] in San Diego, California in early April 2019, Friedman wrote, "The whole day left me more certain than ever that we have a real immigration crisis and that the solution is a high wall with a big gate—but a smart gate."<ref name="TFriedmanNYTApril2019">{{cite web |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/opinion/trump-immigration-border-wall.html |title= Trump Is Wasting Our Immigration Crisis: The system needs to be fixed, but "the wall" is only part of the solution |author= Thomas L. Friedman |date= April 23, 2019 |work= [[The New York Times]] |access-date= April 25, 2019 |archive-date= December 23, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031557/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/opinion/trump-immigration-border-wall.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name="RScarryExaminerApril2019">{{cite web |url= https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/thomas-friedman-joins-america-endorses-trumps-immigration-positions |title= Thomas Friedman joins America, endorses Trump's immigration positions |author=  Eddie Scarry |date= April 25, 2019 |work= [[Washington Examiner]] |quote= Give New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman credit for his admission, rare among the national news media, that President Trump's immigration positions are logical, humane, and morally right. |access-date= April 25, 2019 }}</ref>