March 13, 2006 Thomas Friedman Launches "Al-Alam Musatah" at Embassy of Jordan in Washington, D.C. Washington, DC, March 13, 2006 - The Embassy of Jordan in Washington, DC hosted the renowned American Journalist, author and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Thomas L. Friedman, as part of the Embassy's Cultural Series of 2006. At a special book signing reception, Friedman launched the first translation of his latest book "The World is Flat" in Arabic. ‘Al Alam Musatah’, the Arabic title of the book, is now in book stores across the Arab World. Friedman shared the story behind writing “The World is Flat,” enlightening the Embassy’s guests with his outlook of the world we live in today. He reminded the audience of the wonders of the world we live in, which he believes we have overlooked or may take for granted. Friedman spoke of the connectedness of our world, where the digital revolution has lowered trade barriers and ‘flattened” the field of human operations in which people interact, communicate and engage. "Tom Friedman's insightful book gives us hope that for a small country such as Jordan where we are investing in education, infrastructure and free trade, we can compete and excel in a globalized economy", marked Ambassador Karim Kawar. The World is Flat has been described as “the timely and essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of America’s most respected journalists.” It sold more than 1.5 million copies and was on the New York Times Best Sellers’ list for 48 weeks. It was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Friedman is also the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem (FSG, 1989), which won both the National Book Award and the Overseas Press Club Award in 1989 and was on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly twelve months. Other award winning books include The Lexus and the Olive Tree (FSG, 1999), and Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11.