Thomas Friedman: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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Friedman began his career as a reporter and won two Pulitzer Prizes in the 1980s for his coverage on conflict in Lebanon and politics in Israel, followed by a further prize in 2002 for commentary on the [[war on terror]].

~~His later work as a political columnist has been criticised for both weak writing style and a gravitation towards voguish positions.~~

==Early life and education==

[[File:Thomas Friedman World Economic Forum 2013.jpg|thumb|Friedman during the [[World Economic Forum|WEF]] 2013]]

Friedman was born on July 20, 1953, in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/about-the-author |title=About the Author | Thomas L. Friedman |access-date=September 19, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502195146/http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/about-the-author |archive-date=May 2, 2016 }}</ref> the son of Margaret Blanche (née Phillips) and Harold Abe Friedman.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VC2S-FF3 |title=Person Details for Thomas Loren Friedman, "Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002" — FamilySearch.org |website=[[FamilySearch]] |access-date=January 25, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305001626/https://familysearch.org/ark%3A/61903/1%3A1%3AVC2S-FF3 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 }}</ref> Harold, who was vice president of a [[ball bearing]] company, United Bearing, died of a [[heart attack]] in 1973 when Tom was nineteen years old. Margaret, who served in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]] and studied [[Home Economics]] at the [[University of Wisconsin]], was a [[Homemaking|homemaker]] and a [[Part-time job|part-time]] [[bookkeeper]]. Margaret was also a Senior Life Master [[duplicate bridge]] player, and died in 2008. Friedman has two older sisters, Shelly and Jane. From an early age, Friedman, whose father often took him to the [[golf]] course for a round after work, wanted to be a professional golfer. He played a lot of sports, and became serious about [[tennis]] and golf. He [[Golf caddy|caddied]] at a local country club and in 1970 caddied for professional golfer [[Chi Chi Rodriguez]] when the [[US Open (golf)|US Open]] [[1970 U.S. Open (golf)|came to town]].<ref name="wired flat">{{cite news | url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.05/friedman.html | title=Why the World Is Flat | website=Wired.com | date=May 2005 | access-date=February 6, 2012 | archive-date=February 12, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212203153/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.05/friedman.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

Friedman is [[Jewish]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=3&hp |title=Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 14, 2011 |access-date=March 26, 2012 |first=Thomas L. |last=Friedman |archive-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508010430/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=3&hp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-21 |title=“I"I Am ~~Jewish”~~Jewish" {{!}} Facing History & Ourselves |url=https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/i-am-jewish |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.facinghistory.org |language=en}}</ref> He attended [[Hebrew]] school five days a week until his [[Bar Mitzvah]],<ref>''From Beirut to Jerusalem''. 1990, page 4</ref> then [[St. Louis Park High School]], where he wrote articles for his [[Student publication|school's newspaper]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.slpschools.org/sh/Echo/First%20One/Frame%20Set/Front%20Page1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050428164819/http://www.slpschools.org/sh/Echo/First%20One/Frame%20Set/Front%20Page1.html|url-status=dead|title=''The Echo''|archive-date=April 28, 2005}}</ref> He became enamored with [[Israel]] after a visit there in December 1968, and he spent all three of his high school summers living on [[Kibbutz]] [[HaHotrim]], near [[Haifa]].<ref name=bei>''From Beirut to Jerusalem''. 1990, page 5</ref> He has characterized his high school years as "one big celebration of Israel's victory in the [[Six-Day War]]."<ref name=bei />▼

From an early age, Friedman, whose father often took him to the [[golf]] course for a round after work, wanted to be a professional golfer. He played a lot of sports, and became serious about [[tennis]] and golf. He [[Golf caddy|caddied]] at a local country club and in 1970 caddied for professional golfer [[Chi Chi Rodriguez]] when the [[US Open (golf)|US Open]] came to town.<ref name="wired flat">{{cite news | url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.05/friedman.html | title=Why the World Is Flat | website=Wired.com | date=May 2005 | access-date=February 6, 2012 | archive-date=February 12, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212203153/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.05/friedman.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

Friedman studied at the [[University of Minnesota]] for two years, but later [[College transfer|transferred]] to [[Brandeis University]] and graduated ''[[summa cum laude]]'' in 1975 with a degree in Mediterranean studies. Friedman also pursued Arabic studies at [[The American University in Cairo]], where he graduated in 1974 from its Arabic language unit (ALU).<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/casa/notable-alumni|title=Notable Alumni | The American University in Cairo|website=www.aucegypt.edu|access-date=April 20, 2020|archive-date=April 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429044931/https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/casa/notable-alumni|url-status=live}}</ref> Friedman later taught a class in [[economics]] at Brandeis in 2006, and was a [[Commencement speech|commencement speaker]] there in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://my.brandeis.edu/news/item?news_item_id=9179 |title=Brandeis University :: News |website=My.brandeis.edu |access-date=March 26, 2012 |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719103849/http://my.brandeis.edu/news/item?news_item_id=9179 |url-status=live }}</ref> After graduating from Brandeis, he attended [[St Antony's College, Oxford|St Antony's College]] at the [[University of Oxford]] as a [[Marshall Scholarship|Marshall Scholar]], earning an [[Master of Philosophy|M.Phil.]] in [[Middle Eastern studies]].▼

▲Friedman is [[Jewish]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=3&hp |title=Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 14, 2011 |access-date=March 26, 2012 |first=Thomas L. |last=Friedman |archive-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508010430/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=3&hp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-21 |title=“I Am Jewish” {{!}} Facing History & Ourselves |url=https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/i-am-jewish |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.facinghistory.org |language=en}}</ref> He attended [[Hebrew]] school five days a week until his [[Bar Mitzvah]],<ref>''From Beirut to Jerusalem''. 1990, page 4</ref> then [[St. Louis Park High School]], where he wrote articles for his [[Student publication|school's newspaper]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.slpschools.org/sh/Echo/First%20One/Frame%20Set/Front%20Page1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050428164819/http://www.slpschools.org/sh/Echo/First%20One/Frame%20Set/Front%20Page1.html|url-status=dead|title=''The Echo''|archive-date=April 28, 2005}}</ref> He became enamored with [[Israel]] after a visit there in December 1968, and he spent all three of his high school summers living on [[Kibbutz]] [[HaHotrim]], near [[Haifa]].<ref name=bei>''From Beirut to Jerusalem''. 1990, page 5</ref> He has characterized his high school years as "one big celebration of Israel's victory in the [[Six-Day War]]."<ref name=bei />

▲Friedman studied at the [[University of Minnesota]] for two years, but later [[College transfer|transferred]] to [[Brandeis University]] and graduated ''[[summa cum laude]]'' in 1975 with a degree in Mediterranean studies. Friedman also pursued Arabic studies at [[The American University in Cairo]], where he graduated in 1974 from its Arabic language unit (ALU).<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/casa/notable-alumni|title=Notable Alumni | The American University in Cairo|website=www.aucegypt.edu|access-date=April 20, 2020|archive-date=April 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429044931/https://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/casa/notable-alumni|url-status=live}}</ref> Friedman later taught a class in [[economics]] at Brandeis in 2006, and was a [[Commencement speech|commencement speaker]] there in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://my.brandeis.edu/news/item?news_item_id=9179 |title=Brandeis University :: News |website=My.brandeis.edu |access-date=March 26, 2012 |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719103849/http://my.brandeis.edu/news/item?news_item_id=9179 |url-status=live }}</ref>

After graduating from Brandeis, he attended [[St Antony's College, Oxford|St Antony's College]] at the [[University of Oxford]] as a [[Marshall Scholarship|Marshall Scholar]], earning an [[Master of Philosophy|M.Phil.]] in [[Middle Eastern studies]]. He is a virulent racist.

==Journalism career==

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In February 2002, Friedman met [[House of Saud|Saudi]] [[Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud|Crown Prince Abdullah]] and encouraged him to make a comprehensive attempt to end the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]] by normalizing Arab relations with Israel in exchange for the [[right of return|return of refugees]] alongside an end to the [[Israeli-occupied territories|Israel territorial occupations]]. Abdullah proposed the [[Arab Peace Initiative]] at the [[Beirut Summit]] that March, which Friedman has since strongly supported.<ref name=what>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/833589.html |title=What Arab initiative?|author=Akiva Eldar|website=Haaretz.com}}</ref>

Friedman received the 2004 [[Overseas Press Club]] Award for lifetime achievement and the same year was named to the [[Order of the British Empire]] by [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/events/the-world-is-fast-by-thomas-l-friedman/|title="The world is fast" by Thomas L. Friedman|website=Oxford Martin School|access-date=June 8, 2020|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031516/https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/events/the-world-is-fast-by-thomas-l-friedman/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Columnist Biography: Thomas L. Friedman|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/FRIEDMAN-BIO.html?8qa|access-date=August 27, 2020|website=The New York Times|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031526/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/opinion/FRIEDMAN-BIO.html?8qa|url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2011, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that President [[Barack Obama]] "has sounded out" Friedman concerning Middle East issues.<ref>{{cite news|last=Landler|first=Mark|title=Obama Seeks Reset in Arab World|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/us/politics/12prexy.html?_r=1&sq=zakaria&st=nyt&scp=1&pagewanted=print|access-date=May 25, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 11, 2011|archive-date=January 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107045357/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/us/politics/12prexy.html?_r=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2011, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that President [[Barack Obama]] "has sounded out" Friedman concerning Middle East issues.<ref>{{cite news|last=Landler|first=Mark|title=Obama Seeks Reset in Arab World|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/us/politics/12prexy.html?_r=1&sq=zakaria&st=nyt&scp=1&pagewanted=print|access-date=May 25, 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 11, 2011|archive-date=January 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107045357/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/us/politics/12prexy.html?_r=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Views==

{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?185389-1/depth-thomas-friedman ''In Depth'' interview with Friedman, May 1, 2005], [[C-SPAN]]}}

Friedman has been criticized for his staunch advocacy of the [[Iraq War]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Iraq 10 Years Later: The Deadly Consequences of Spin|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/03/iraq-war-spin-bush-david-corn/|access-date=April 25, 2019|website=Motherjones.com|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031513/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/03/iraq-war-spin-bush-david-corn/|url-status=live}}</ref> ~~and~~as well as unregulated trade,<ref>{{cite web|date=February 18, 2014|title=What Does Tom Friedman Know About TPP?|url=https://fair.org/home/what-does-tom-friedman-know-about-tpp/|access-date=April 25, 2019|website=Fair.org|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031532/https://fair.org/home/what-does-tom-friedman-know-about-tpp/|url-status=live}}</ref> and his early support of Saudi Royal Prince [[Mohammed bin Salman]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Larison|first=Daniel|date=September 5, 2018|title=Treat MbS as the War Criminal He Is|url=https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/treat-mbs-as-the-war-criminal-he-is/|access-date=April 25, 2019|website=The American Conservative|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031537/https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/treat-mbs-as-the-war-criminal-he-is/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Aadhaar ===

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{{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/id/40489880|title=US Has 'Lost Its Leverage' in the World: Friedman|website=CNBC.com|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>▼

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>

▲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/id/40489880|title=US Has 'Lost Its Leverage' in the World: Friedman|website=CNBC.com|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>

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During the [[1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]], Friedman wrote the following in ''The New York Times'' on April 23, 1999: "Like it or not, we are at war with the Serbian nation (the Serbs certainly think so), and the stakes have to be very clear: Every week you ravage Kosovo is another decade we will set your country back by pulverizing you. You want 1950? We can do 1950. You want [[Battle of Kosovo|1389]]? We can do 1389 too." Friedman urged the US to destroy "in Belgrade: every power grid, water pipe, bridge [and] road", annex Albania and Macedonia as "U.S. protectorates", "occupy the Balkans for years," and "[g]ive war a chance."<ref>{{cite news|author=Thomas Friedman|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/23/opinion/foreign-affairs-stop-the-music.html|title=Stop the Music|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 23, 1999|access-date=February 13, 2017|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031604/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/23/opinion/foreign-affairs-stop-the-music.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]] (FAIR) labeled Friedman's remarks "war-mongering" and "crude race-hatred and war-crime agitation".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2941 |title=CPJ Declares Open Season on Thomas Friedman|website= Fair.org}}</ref> Steve Chapman, critical of the response taken by NATO, referred to Friedman as "the most fervent supporter of the air war" and ironically asked in the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'': "Why stop at 1389? Why not revive the idea, proposed but never adopted in Vietnam, of bombing the enemy all the way back to the Stone Age?"<ref>{{cite news |author=Steve Chapman |url=~~http~~https://~~articles~~www.chicagotribune.com/1999-/04-/29/~~news/9904290059_1_nato~~a-~~serbian~~war-~~civilians~~against-all-of-the-serbs/ |title=A War Against All Of The Serbs |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=April 29, 1999 |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-date=November 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103113452/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-04-29/news/9904290059_1_nato-serbian-civilians |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Norman Solomon]] asserted in 2007 that "a tone of sadism could be discerned" in Friedman's article.<ref>{{cite news | first=Norman | last=Solomon | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/thomas-friedman-hooked-on_b_63368 | title=Thomas Friedman: Hooked on War | work=[[HuffPost]] | date=September 6, 2007 | access-date=April 26, 2020 | archive-date=December 23, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031610/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/thomas-friedman-hooked-on_b_63368 | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Iraq===

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In his September 29, 2005, column in ''The New York Times'', Friedman entertained the idea of supporting the [[Kurds]] and [[Shias]] in a civil war against the [[Sunnis]]: "If they [the Sunnis] won't come around, we should arm the Shiites and Kurds and leave the Sunnis of Iraq to reap the wind."<ref>[http://web.krg.org/articles/article_detail.asp?LangNr=12&RubricNr=94,106,109&ArticleNr=6377&LNNr=28&RNNr=70 The Endgame in Iraq] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051216010417/http://web.krg.org/articles/article_detail.asp?LangNr=12&RubricNr=94%2C106%2C109&ArticleNr=6377&LNNr=28&RNNr=70 |date=December 16, 2005 }} Sep 29. 2005</ref>

Critics of Friedman's position on the Iraq War have noted his recurrent assertion that "the next six months" will prove critical in determining the outcome of the conflict. A May 2006 study by [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]] cited 14 examples of Friedman's declaring the next "few months" or "six months" as a decisive or critical period, dating from in November 2003, describing it as "a long series of similar do-or-die dates that never seem to get any closer".<ref>[http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2884 Tom Friedman's Flexible Deadlines: Iraq's 'decisive' six months have lasted two and a half years] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004120725/http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2884 |date=October 4, 2012 }} May 16, 2006</ref> The blogger [[Atrios]] coined the neologism "[[Friedman Unit]]" to refer to this unit of time in relation to Iraq, noting its use as a supposedly critical window of opportunity.<ref name="Black">{{cite web | first = Duncan | last = Black | url = https://www.eschatonblog.com/2006_05_21_atrios_archive.html#114826445526365297 | author-link = Atrios | title = The Six Monthers | publisher = Blogspot | date = May 21, 2006 | access-date = April 26, 2020 | archive-date = December 23, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031615/https://www.eschatonblog.com/2006_05_21_atrios_archive.html#114826445526365297 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>''[[HuffPost]]'' cited it as the "Best New Phrase" of 2006.{{cite news | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/media-winners-of-2006-ho_n_37388 | title=Media Winners of 2006: Honorable Mentions (Rapid-Fire Round II) | work=[[HuffPost]] | date=January 2, 2007 | access-date=April 26, 2020 | archive-date=December 23, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031606/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/media-winners-of-2006-ho_n_37388 | url-status=live }}</ref>

The blogger [[Atrios]] coined the [[neologism]] "[[Friedman Unit]]" to refer to this unit of time in relation to Iraq, noting its use as a supposedly critical window of opportunity.<ref name="Black">{{cite web | first = Duncan | last = Black | url = https://www.eschatonblog.com/2006_05_21_atrios_archive.html#114826445526365297 | author-link = Atrios | title = The Six Monthers | publisher = Blogspot | date = May 21, 2006 | access-date = April 26, 2020 | archive-date = December 23, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031615/https://www.eschatonblog.com/2006_05_21_atrios_archive.html#114826445526365297 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>''[[HuffPost]]'' cited it as the "Best New Phrase" of 2006.{{cite news | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/media-winners-of-2006-ho_n_37388 | title=Media Winners of 2006: Honorable Mentions (Rapid-Fire Round II) | work=[[HuffPost]] | date=January 2, 2007 | access-date=April 26, 2020 | archive-date=December 23, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031606/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/media-winners-of-2006-ho_n_37388 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In a live television interview aired June 11, 2006, on [[CNN]], [[Howard Kurtz]] asked Friedman about the concept: "Now, I want to understand how a columnist's mind works when you take positions, because you were chided recently for writing several times in different occasions 'the next six months are crucial in Iraq.'" Friedman responded: "The fact is that the outcome there is unclear, and I reflected that in my column. And I will continue to reflect."<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/11/rs.01.html White House Mounts Media Blitz After Killing of Zarqawi] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005082152/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/11/rs.01.html |date=October 5, 2016 }} June 11, 2006</ref> Responding to prodding from [[Stephen Colbert]], Friedman said in 2007: "We've run out of six months. It's really time to set a deadline."<ref>{{cite web|last=Corley |first=Matt |url=http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/25/friedman-six-months-no-more/ |title=No more 'Friedmans' for Friedman. |website=ThinkProgress.org |date=September 25, 2007 |access-date=October 6, 2011}}</ref>

===Environment===

''Iran's Great Weakness May Be Its Oil'', by Thomas Friedman, challenges and debates conflicts about oil. Friedman states,"The best tool we have for curbing Iran's influence is not containment or engagement, but getting the price of oil down in the long term with [[North American energy independence|conservation and an alternative-energy strategy]]. Let's exploit [[Iran's oil]] addiction by ending ours".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2007/02/thomas_friedman.html |title=Economist's View: Thomas Friedman: Iran's Great Weakness May Be Its Oil |website=Economistsview.typepad.com |date=February 3, 2007 |access-date=October 6, 2011}}</ref> In ''[[Hot, Flat, and Crowded]]'', he says that "any car company that gets taxpayer money must demonstrate a plan for transforming every vehicle in its fleet to a [[hybrid electric|hybrid-electric engine]] with [[flex-fuel]] capability, so its entire fleet can also run on next generation [[cellulosic ethanol]]".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/opinion/12friedman.html?_r=1 | newspaper=The New York Times | title=How to Fix a Flat | first=Thomas L. | last=Friedman | date=November 12, 2008 | access-date=March 28, 2010}}</ref>

In a Fresh Dialogues interview, Friedman described his motivations for writing the book: "My concern is about America.... Demand for clean energy, clean fuel and [[Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]] is clearly going to explode; it's going to be the next great global industry. I know that as sure as I know that I'm sitting here at [[De Anza College]] talking to you. By being big in the next big thing, we'll be seen by the rest of the world as working on the most important problem in the world."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freshdialogues.com/2009/09/18/tom-friedman-transcript-of-fresh-dialogues-interview/ |title=Fresh Dialogues interview with Alison van Diggelen, September 10, 2009 |website=Freshdialogues.com |date=September 18, 2009 |access-date=May 15, 2010}}</ref> Some of Friedman's environmental critics question his support of still-undeveloped [[coal pollution mitigation]] technology ("clean coal") and coal mining as emblematic of Friedman's less than "green" commitment to renewable energy.<ref name="autogenerated1">[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/opinion/10friedman.html?scp=2&sq=Friedman+green+lump&st=nyt The NYT's Thomas Friedman ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104204255/http://select.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/opinion/10friedman.html?scp=2&sq=Friedman+green+lump&st=nyt |date=January 4, 2016 }} January 2007</ref>▼

In ''[[Hot, Flat, and Crowded]]'', he says that "any car company that gets taxpayer money must demonstrate a plan for transforming every vehicle in its fleet to a [[hybrid electric|hybrid-electric engine]] with [[flex-fuel]] capability, so its entire fleet can also run on next generation [[cellulosic ethanol]]".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/opinion/12friedman.html?_r=1 | newspaper=The New York Times | title=How to Fix a Flat | first=Thomas L. | last=Friedman | date=November 12, 2008 | access-date=March 28, 2010}}</ref>

▲In a Fresh Dialogues interview, Friedman described his motivations for writing the book: "My concern is about America.... Demand for clean energy, clean fuel and [[Efficient energy use|energy efficiency]] is clearly going to explode; it's going to be the next great global industry. I know that as sure as I know that I'm sitting here at [[De Anza College]] talking to you. By being big in the next big thing, we'll be seen by the rest of the world as working on the most important problem in the world."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freshdialogues.com/2009/09/18/tom-friedman-transcript-of-fresh-dialogues-interview/ |title=Fresh Dialogues interview with Alison van Diggelen, September 10, 2009 |website=Freshdialogues.com |date=September 18, 2009 |access-date=May 15, 2010}}</ref>

Some of Friedman's environmental critics question his support of still-undeveloped [[coal pollution mitigation]] technology ("clean coal") and coal mining as emblematic of Friedman's less than "green" commitment to renewable energy.<ref name=autogenerated1>[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/opinion/10friedman.html?scp=2&sq=Friedman+green+lump&st=nyt The NYT's Thomas Friedman ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104204255/http://select.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/opinion/10friedman.html?scp=2&sq=Friedman+green+lump&st=nyt |date=January 4, 2016 }} January 2007</ref>

===Israel===

Line 117 ⟶ 99:

Political reporter Belen Fernandez heavily critiques Friedman's commentary regarding Israel. Among other criticisms, Fernandez singles out Friedman's suggestion that Israeli forces were unaware that their allied Lebanese militias carried out the [[Sabra and Shatila massacre]] while under their guard, contradicting the assessments of other journalists and observers; his encouragement of strong-armed force by the Israeli army against Palestinians; and his opposition to [[Israeli settlement|settlements]] only on the grounds that they are counter-productive, rather than because they violate [[International law and Israeli settlements|international law]] or cause suffering for Palestinians. Fernandez suggests that Friedman is most worried about successfully maintaining Israel's Jewish ethnocracy and actively opposing a "one-man, one-vote" system of democracy.<ref>Fernandez, Belen. ''The Imperial Messenger: Thomas Friedman at Work''. Verso Books, 2011, p 99-107</ref>

Friedman has also come under criticism from supporters of Israel. In an op-ed, Yitzhak Benhorin criticized Friedman's alleged suggestion that Israel relinquish territory it had occupied in the 1967 Middle Eastern War.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4028408,00.html|title=Go figure Tom Friedman|newspaper=Ynetnews|date=February 14, 2011|access-date=February 14, 2011|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031624/https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4028408,00.html|url-status=live|last1=Sherman|first1=Martin}}</ref> Friedman sparked criticism for writing that congressional ovations for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were "bought and paid for by the [[Israel lobby in the United States|Israel lobby]]."<ref>Thomas L. Friedman: [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=1 Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322100547/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=1 |date=March 22, 2015 }} ''New York Times'' December 13, 2011.</ref> A letter from the [[American Jewish Committee]] objected that "Public opinion polls consistently show a high level of American ... support for and identification with Israel. This indicates that the people's elected representatives are fully reflecting the will of the voters."<ref>[http://blogs.jpost.com/content/new-york-times-columnist-tom-friedman-crossed-line New York Times Columnist Tom Friedman Crossed a Line] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103070852/http://blogs.jpost.com/content/new-york-times-columnist-tom-friedman-crossed-line |date=November 3, 2013 }} ''Jerusalem Post,'' December 19, 2011.</ref> Friedman responded to criticism by writing: "In retrospect I probably should have used a more precise term like 'engineered' by the Israel lobby – a term that does not suggest grand conspiracy theories that I don't subscribe to."<ref>[http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/20/3090840/friedman-sorry-for-bought-and-paid-for-jab-at-congress Friedman responds to criticism over ‘bought and paid for’ jab at Congress] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418202933/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/20/3090840/friedman-sorry-for-bought-and-paid-for-jab-at-congress |date=April 18, 2012 }} JTA, December 20, 2011.</ref>

Friedman sparked criticism for writing that congressional ovations for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were "bought and paid for by the [[Israel lobby in the United States|Israel lobby]]."<ref>Thomas L. Friedman: [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=1 Newt, Mitt, Bibi and Vladimir] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322100547/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/opinion/friedman-newt-mitt-bibi-and-vladimir.html?_r=1 |date=March 22, 2015 }} ''New York Times'' December 13, 2011.</ref> A letter from the [[American Jewish Committee]] objected that "Public opinion polls consistently show a high level of American ... support for and identification with Israel. This indicates that the people's elected representatives are fully reflecting the will of the voters."<ref>[http://blogs.jpost.com/content/new-york-times-columnist-tom-friedman-crossed-line New York Times Columnist Tom Friedman Crossed a Line] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103070852/http://blogs.jpost.com/content/new-york-times-columnist-tom-friedman-crossed-line |date=November 3, 2013 }} ''Jerusalem Post,'' December 19, 2011.</ref> Friedman responded to criticism by writing: "In retrospect I probably should have used a more precise term like 'engineered' by the Israel lobby – a term that does not suggest grand conspiracy theories that I don't subscribe to."<ref>[http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/20/3090840/friedman-sorry-for-bought-and-paid-for-jab-at-congress Friedman responds to criticism over ‘bought and paid for’ jab at Congress] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418202933/http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/12/20/3090840/friedman-sorry-for-bought-and-paid-for-jab-at-congress |date=April 18, 2012 }} JTA, December 20, 2011.</ref>

In July 2023, as the Netanyahu’s government proposed new laws leading to judicial reform intended to limit the powers of Israel’s [[Supreme Court of Israel|Supreme Court]], Friedman wrote an opinion piece supporting the Biden government’s changing diplomatic approach toward Israel.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/opinion/netanyahu-israel-judiciary.html |title=The U.S. Reassessment of Netanyahu’s Government Has Begun| last=Friedman |first=Thomas L.|website=[[The New York Times]] |date=2023-07-11 |access-date=2023-11-05 }}</ref>

Friedman hailed the Trump-brokered [[Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement|peace agreement]] between [[Israel]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]] as "exactly what Trump said it was in his tweet: a 'HUGE breakthrough.{{'"}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/512125-trump-seeks-to-build-campaign-momentum-with-middle-east-deal|title=Trump seeks to build campaign momentum with Middle East deal|first=Ian|last=Swanson|date=August 16, 2020|website=The Hill|access-date=September 9, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115060306/https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/512125-trump-seeks-to-build-campaign-momentum-with-middle-east-deal|url-status=live}}</ref> In July 2023, as the Netanyahu’s government proposed new laws leading to judicial reform intended to limit the powers of Israel’s [[Supreme Court of Israel|Supreme Court]], Friedman wrote an opinion piece supporting the Biden government’s changing diplomatic approach toward Israel.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/11/opinion/netanyahu-israel-judiciary.html |title=The U.S. Reassessment of Netanyahu's Government Has Begun| last=Friedman |first=Thomas L.|website=[[The New York Times]] |date=2023-07-11 |access-date=2023-11-05 }}</ref> Following the outbreak of the [[2023 Israel–Hamas war]], Friedman urged Israel against military over-reach and further settlement expansions, saying to do so otherwise would risk destabilizing the region and the US-Israel alliance.<ref>{{cite news |author=Thomas Friedman |date=2023-10-27 |title=Israel: From the Six-Day War to the Six-Front War |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/opinion/israel-gaza-palestine-war.html |~~publisher~~work=New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Thomas Friedman |date=2023-10-19 |title=Israel Is About to Make a Terrible Mistake |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/opinion/biden-speech-israel-gaza.html |~~publisher~~work=New York Times}}</ref>

===China===

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Friedman's work is popular in China. His book ''The World is Flat'' was a bestseller in the country, although criticism of China in the book was removed when it was published in the country.<ref name="economist">{{cite news|title=The role of Thomas Friedman|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2013/05/chinese-dream-0|newspaper=The Economist|date=May 6, 2013|access-date=July 13, 2017|archive-date=October 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028145059/https://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2013/05/chinese-dream-0|url-status=live}}</ref> A translated version of his article from ''The New York Times'', "China Needs Its Own Dream", has been credited with popularizing the phrase "[[Chinese Dream]]" in China, a term that was later adopted as a slogan by [[Xi Jinping]].<ref name="economist"/> Friedman, in the magazine ''[[Foreign Policy]]'', has attributed the phrase to Peggy Liu and her environmental NGO JUCCCE.<ref name=FP>{{cite news|last=Fish|first=Isaac Stone|title=Thomas Friedman: I only deserve partial credit for coining the 'Chinese dream'|url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/05/03/thomas_friedman_i_only_deserve_partial_credit_for_coining_the_chinese_dream|newspaper=Foreign Policy|date=May 3, 2013|access-date=May 30, 2013|archive-date=June 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607020405/http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/05/03/thomas_friedman_i_only_deserve_partial_credit_for_coining_the_chinese_dream|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2020, Friedman told CNBC that "Trump is not the American president America deserves, in my opinion. But he definitely is the American president China deserved. We needed to have a president who was going to call the game with China. And Trump has done it, with I would say more grit and toughness than any of his predecessors. I give him credit for that."<ref>{{cite news |title=Trump is the U.S. president that China deserves, says New York Times' Thomas Friedman |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/01/new-york-times-columnist-thomas-friedman-donald-trump-is-us-president-china-deserves.html |work=CNBC |date=September 1, 2020}}</ref> In November the same year, Friedman observed that Xi Jinping had brought about "an end to four decades of steady integration of China’s economy with the West".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/01/opinion/china-united-states-trade-economy.html |title=How China Lost America |author=Thomas Friedman |date=2022-11-01 |~~publisher~~work=New York Times }}</ref>

===Iran===

As the [[Iran nuclear deal framework|Iran nuclear deal agreement]] reached between Iran and a group of world powers (the [[P5+1]]). In Friedman's interview, he mentioned that "Our view of the Middle East is deeply colored by Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey and they all have their own interest. 15 of the 19 hijackers on 911 were from Saudi Arabia, none from Iran! Iranians had a spontaneous demonstration to support Americans on 911." He added, "What strikes you most about Iran (vs. Saudi Arabia) is that Iran has real politics... A country of 85 million people, a great civilization, many educated men and women, if they want to get a bomb they will get it. They have demonstrated they could do it under the most severe sanctions... Show me where Iranians have acted reckless [like Saddam Hussein]. These are survivors."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hulu.com/watch/823275|title=Charlie Rose|access-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054340/http://www.hulu.com/watch/823275|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On February 2, 2024, Friedman penned a allegorical op-ed entitled, "Understanding the Middle East Through the Animal Kingdom," in which he posited Iran as a metaphorical "parasitoid wasp" with proxies in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, as caterpillars. Friedman claimed "We [America] have no counterstrategy that safely and efficiently kills the wasp without setting fire to the whole jungle," suggesting that America militarily destroy the entire Middle East to annihilate Iran and its allies. He concluded that he could "contemplate" the Middle East by watching Animal Planet.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Thomas Friedman |date=2024-02-02 |title=Understanding the Middle East Through the Animal Kingdom |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/01/30/opinion/thepoint/friedman-middle-east-animals?.html |~~publisher~~work=New York Times}}</ref> The New Arab reported that it has been criticized for racism and [[orientalism]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 February 2024 |title=Thomas Friedman's 'Middle East Animal Kingdom' article in New York Times enrages Arabs, supporters of Palestine over 'racism' |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/thomas-friedman-nyt-middle-east-animal-kingdom-enrages-arabs |website=The New Arab}}</ref>

===Radical centrism===

Line 144 ⟶ 120:

==Criticism==

American journalist [[Glenn Greenwald]], writing for ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'' on July 25, 2012, commented: "His status among American elites is the single most potent fact for understanding the nation's imperial decline."<ref name="Salon">{{cite news | url=http://www.salon.com/2012/07/25/the_value_of_tom_friedman/ | title=The Value of Tom Friedman | last=Greenwald | first=Glenn | author-link=Glenn Greenwald | website=Salon.com | date=July 25, 2012 | access-date=July 25, 2012 | archive-date=December 23, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031621/https://www.salon.com/2012/07/25/the_value_of_tom_friedman/ | url-status=live }}</ref> [[John Esposito]] criticized him in 2014 for writing twice that Muslims do not speak up against terrorism, and yet "his own newspaper has had these denunciations [by Muslims]."<ref>{{cite web |title=John L. Esposito - The Future of Islam |url=https://history.as.uky.edu/video/john-l-esposito-future-islam |publisher=University of Kentucky |access-date=April 9, 2020 |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031622/https://history.as.uky.edu/video/john-l-esposito-future-islam |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Goodstein |first1=Laurie |title=Muslims in America Condemn Extremists and Fear Anew for Their Lives |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/us/muslims-in-america-condemn-extremists-and-fear-anew-for-their-lives.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=April 9, 2020 |date=December 4, 2015 |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031620/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/us/muslims-in-america-condemn-extremists-and-fear-anew-for-their-lives.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[John Esposito]] criticized him in 2014 for writing twice that Muslims do not speak up against terrorism, and yet "his own newspaper has had these denunciations [by Muslims]."<ref>{{cite web |title=John L. Esposito - The Future of Islam |url=https://history.as.uky.edu/video/john-l-esposito-future-islam |publisher=University of Kentucky |access-date=April 9, 2020 |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031622/https://history.as.uky.edu/video/john-l-esposito-future-islam |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Goodstein |first1=Laurie |title=Muslims in America Condemn Extremists and Fear Anew for Their Lives |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/us/muslims-in-america-condemn-extremists-and-fear-anew-for-their-lives.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=April 9, 2020 |date=December 4, 2015 |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031620/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/us/muslims-in-america-condemn-extremists-and-fear-anew-for-their-lives.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some critics have derided Friedman's idiosyncratic prose style, with its tendency to use [[mixed metaphor]]s and analogies. [[Walter Russell Mead]] described his prose as being "an occasionally flat Midwestern demotic punctuated by gee-whiz exclamations about just how doggone irresistible globalization is – lacks the steely elegance of a [[Walter Lippmann|Lippmann]], the unobtrusive serviceability of a [[James Reston Jr.|Scotty Reston]] or the restless fireworks of a [[Maureen Dowd]] and is best taken in small doses."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E4DF163CF931A15753C1A9649C8B63&fta=y | newspaper=The New York Times | title=BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Grappling With the Dangers Of the New World Order | date=October 22, 2002 | access-date=March 28, 2010 | archive-date=December 23, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031621/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/22/books/books-of-the-times-grappling-with-the-dangers-of-the-new-world-order.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Similarly, journalist [[Matt Taibbi]] has said of Friedman's writing that, "Friedman came up with lines so hilarious you couldn't make them up even if you were trying – and when you tried to actually picture the 'illustrative' figures of speech he offered to explain himself, what you often ended up with was pure physical comedy of the [[Buster Keaton]]/[[Three Stooges]] school, with whole nations and peoples slipping and falling on the misplaced banana peels of his literary endeavors."<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.alternet.org/environment/121617/someone_take_away_thomas_friedman's_computer_before_he_types_another_sentence/?page=entire|author=Matt Taibbi|title=Someone Take Away Thomas Friedman's Computer Before He Types Another Sentence|journal=AlterNet|date=January 21, 2009|access-date=December 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215232120/http://www.alternet.org/environment/121617/someone_take_away_thomas_friedman%27s_computer_before_he_types_another_sentence/?page=entire|archive-date=February 15, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

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Friedman's wife, Ann (née Bucksbaum) is a teacher and a native of [[Marshalltown, Iowa]].<ref>[https://plaza.las.iastate.edu/directory/ann-bucksbaum-friedman/ Iowa state University Plaza of Heroines: "Ann Bucksbaum Friedman"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031511/https://plaza.las.iastate.edu/directory/ann-bucksbaum-friedman/ |date=December 23, 2020}} Retrieved September 24, 2017</ref> A graduate of [[Stanford University]] and the [[London School of Economics]],<ref name="archive.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.las.iastate.edu/kiosk/2892.shtml|title=Plaza of Heroines - Ann Bucksbaum Friedman|date=October 18, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081018111132/http://www.las.iastate.edu/kiosk/2892.shtml|access-date=April 25, 2019|archive-date=October 18, 2008}}</ref> she is the daughter of real estate developer [[Matthew Bucksbaum]],<ref name=ann>{{cite news |last= O'Connell |first= Jonathan |date=January 25, 2017 |title= Philanthropist Ann Friedman picked to turn D.C.'s Franklin School into 'Planet Word.'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp/2017/01/25/philanthropist-ann-friedman-picked-to-turn-d-c-s-franklin-school-into-planet-word/ |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |location=Washington DC |access-date=January 25, 2018 }}</ref> whom Friedman describes as his "best friend".<ref name="Washingtonian">{{cite news |last1=Graff |first1=Garrett |title=Thomas Friedman is On Top of the World |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2006/07/01/thomas-friedman-is-on-top-of-the-world/ |agency=Washingtonian Magazine |date=July 1, 2006 |access-date=January 4, 2020 |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031510/https://www.washingtonian.com/2006/07/01/thomas-friedman-is-on-top-of-the-world/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/thomas-friedman-is-on-top-of-the-world/ Forbes: "Thomas Friedman is On Top of the World" by Garrett M. Graff] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104150905/http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/thomas-friedman-is-on-top-of-the-world/|date=November 4, 2015 }} July 1, 2006</ref> They were married in London on Thanksgiving Day 1978 and live in an 11,400-square-foot mansion in [[Bethesda, Maryland]].<ref name="vanity">{{cite news|date=November 2008|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2008/11/thomas-friedmans-world-is-flat-broke|title=Thomas Friedman's World Is Flat Broke|work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|access-date=April 15, 2020|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031526/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/11/thomas-friedmans-world-is-flat-broke|url-status=live}}</ref> They have two daughters, Orly (born 1985) and Natalie (born 1988).<ref name="archive.org"/>

Friedman supported [[Hillary Clinton]] for President of the United States in the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 election]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/13/opinion/the-gop-partys-over.html|title=Opinion - The (G.O.P.) Party's Over|first=Thomas L.|last=Friedman|date=July 13, 2016|access-date=April 25, 2019|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and supported [[Michael Bloomberg]] in the [[2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries|2020 primaries]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/opinion/michael-bloomberg.html|title=Why I Like Mike: The Democratic Party, looking to bring down Trump, should look at the recent Israeli elections|author=Thomas Friedman|date=November 12, 2019|newspaper=New York Times|access-date=November 21, 2019|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031630/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/opinion/michael-bloomberg.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mediaite.com/politics/nyt-columnist-endorses-bloomberg-disclosure-he-donates-to-my-wifes-museum/|title=NY Times Columnist Endorses Bloomberg (Disclosure: He Donates to My Wife's Museum|author=Charlie Nash|date=November 13, 2019|publisher=Mediaite|access-date=November 21, 2019|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031630/https://www.mediaite.com/politics/nyt-columnist-endorses-bloomberg-disclosure-he-donates-to-my-wifes-museum/|url-status=live}}</ref> He supported [[Joe Biden]] in the [[2020 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/09/25/thomas_friedman_im_terrified_covering_americas_potential_second_civil_war_i_shudder_at_four_more_years.html|title=Thomas Friedman: I'm Terrified Covering America's Potential Second Civil War, I Shudder At Four More Years|last=Friedman|date=September 25, 2020|access-date=September 28, 2020|website=RealClearPolitics}}</ref> Friedman is on the board of directors for [[Planet Word]], a Washington, D.C., based private museum dedicated to language.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/the-latest-word-on-planet-word-downtown-dcs-museum-for-language-is-set-to-open-in-may/2019/11/06/48a64328-f1f0-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html|title=The latest word on Planet Word: Downtown D.C.'s language museum is set to open in May|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

Friedman is on the board of directors for [[Planet Word]], a Washington, D.C. based private museum dedicated to language.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/the-latest-word-on-planet-word-downtown-dcs-museum-for-language-is-set-to-open-in-may/2019/11/06/48a64328-f1f0-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html|title=The latest word on Planet Word: Downtown D.C.'s language museum is set to open in May|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

==Awards==

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[[Category:1953 births]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]

[[Category:20th-century American journalists]]

[[Category:~~Members of the~~20th-century American ~~Philosophical~~male ~~Society~~writers]]▼

[[Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers]]

[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]

[[Category:21st-century American journalists]]

[[Category:21st-century American male writers]]

[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]]

[[Category:Alumni of St Antony's College, Oxford]]

[[Category:American columnists]]

[[Category:American male journalists]]

[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]

[[Category:American non-fiction environmental writers]]

[[Category:Brandeis University alumni]]

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[[Category:George Polk Award recipients]]

[[Category:Jewish American journalists]]

[[Category:Jewish American non-fiction writers]]

[[Category:Livingston Award winners for International Reporting]]

[[Category:Marshall Scholars]]

[[Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society]]

[[Category:National Book Award winners]]

[[Category:~~Writers~~The ~~from~~New ~~Bethesda,~~York ~~Maryland~~Times columnists]]

[[Category:People from St. Louis Park, Minnesota]]

[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Commentary winners]]

[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting winners]]

[[Category:Radical centrist writers]]

~~[[Category:The New York Times columnists]]~~

[[Category:University of Minnesota alumni]]

[[Category:Writers about globalization]]

[[Category:Writers from Bethesda, Maryland]]

[[Category:Writers from Minnesota]]

▲[[Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society]]