Globalizing the local

I love the concept of "Microcredit" made famous by Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. I was just thinking that we should be able to do this on a large scale. Basically unshackle the people from the clutches of high interest rate (either from the local lords or banks) and democratize the capital. Oflate, I read couple of articles that talked about 4-5 websites that do this, a significant one is www.kiva.org. (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/
content/06_31/b3995088.htm?chan=search)

I was listening to the interview of Tom Friedman by Tim Russert today. During the conversation, Friedman, explained that the current phase of globalization as "Globalizing the local"!

Actually, Kiva.org is one such instrument it globalizes the capital needs of the local.

There may be many people with many ideas but only a few has to courage to make it happen and these guys have done it.

What does work? Good question.

The recent escalation of violence in the middle-east makes me ponder over the meaning of life & reason for existence. Yes, Hizbollah started the conflict, but if you look at the 300 + lebanese & Israeli individual lives that were lost, what did they do? why should they die at this time? In what looked like a six year peace in lebanon and no reason pointing to the contrary, suddenly things changed and so many lives are being lost! What did they (the individuals) do?

In an Interview during his visit to India, Donal Rumsfield mentioned that India could do in Pakistan what US did in Afghanistan, if it had the means to do. Thus, the recent American foreign policy furthered by the defence policy is that one country should do "Whatever that works".

Israel had occupied and fought a deadly losing war in Lebanon for 12 years ending in 2000. Israel had been fighting militarily, the so called militancy in the palestine ever since Israel gained Independence. Till date, it is not successfull. Israel had been talking to Lebanon, Palestine and for that matter to the rest of the world ever since its Independence. However, it still is facing the violence everyday and using violence everyday. Thus clearly both military and talks as well, hasn't worked. So What does work ?

Or is this is what is meant by working? (by the world order)