The theory that no two countries with McDonald's go to war is, sadly, not true. The idea Thomas Friedman proposed in "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" offered a sign of true capitalistic idealism--that one could eat his Big Mac and make peace, too.
It was Russia and its war against Georgia that most recently set the theory on its head. Russia, who obtained a franchise in 1990, and Georgia who got its own Golden Arches in 1999, most certainly went to war with one another, screwing world peace for the lot of us. Also, Israel (1998) and Lebanon (1993) both have McDonald's, and so do India and Pakistan. And when the U.S. invaded Panama, they invaded a fellow quarter-pounder culture. Damn.
And if the Big Mac is failing to secure peace 'round the world, it may also serve as a metric for a failing global economy, too. Topping the Big Mac Index-- which compares prices of the sandwiches around the world--is bankrupt Iceland. To buy two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun in Reykjavik will cost you $6.67, three times the global average of $2.67.
So, maybe it's not world peace, but world prosperity a low-priced Big Mac brings. If the global price rises above the $6.00 mark, put your kids in the cellar and load the shotgun.
Tomorrow: More from Part II of the Doorstep Diaries.
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