The Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention - Thoughts?

In Thomas L. Friedman's 1999 book The Lexus and the Olive Tree the following theory was presented: "No two countries that both had McDonald's had fought a war against each other since each got its McDonald's". While that statement was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, his point was that due to globalization, countries that have made strong economic ties with one another have too much to lose to ever go to war with one another. While the observation may be true, the conclusions to be drawn are unclear. The global expansion of McDonald's restaurants is a relatively recent phenomenon when put into the context of the history of warfare, and, with a few notable exceptions, has proceeded into relatively stable markets.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cou...





So? What do you think?

The Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention - Thoughts?
In my MBA program we talked about the "Big Mac Index", an inexact way of identifying the relative strengths of two countries currency by comparing the cost of a big mac in the two countries.





This is simlar but people are taking it too literally. Friedman was simply pointing out that commerce is a great deterrent to war. McDonald's is used because it is a visible example that can be quickly grasped.





"The World is Flat" contains similar thoughts in terms of how globalization affects nations and their interactions.
Reply:Honest answer? No offense? This was information that I could have lived without.
Reply:It's very interesting, but I am of the opinion that it's the symptom, not the cause. There is also not much data, in terms of history McDonald's has not been around for long.





They won't move in until a country is reasonably stable. once there in, they won't stay unless the nation is stable and the people continue buying. if it destabilizes, they pull out. If that nation goes to war, It still holds true. It's not a good indicator.
Reply:The more you both have to lose, the less likely you are to be violent with each other. As we move into the future of mankind, we are becoming so interdependant that war is becoming unthinkable to more people all the time. There are still, however far too many on the planet with nothing to lose, so peace is still far from being the same for everyone.