Barry Eitel
18 February 2017•Update: 18 February 2017
By Barry Eitel
SAN FRANCISCO
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Friday warned against isolationism, an ethos that the billionaire tech entrepreneur believes is increasing in popularity throughout the world.
In his note, Zuckerberg argued for a global response to the issues of our day.
“Our greatest opportunities are now global -- like spreading prosperity and freedom, promoting peace and understanding, lifting people out of poverty, and accelerating science,” Zuckerberg wrote. “Our greatest challenges also need global responses -- like ending terrorism, fighting climate change, and preventing pandemics. Progress now requires humanity coming together not just as cities or nations, but also as a global community.”
Interestingly, Zuckerberg never mentioned President Donald Trump in the 5,700 word post. Many critics have charged that Trump has pushed for a form of American isolationism that has not been seen in generations.
In his inaugural address last month, Trump called for an “America First” approach to foreign policy, a term that echoes an anti-Semitic movement in the early 1940s aimed at making peace with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and keeping the United States out of World War II.
Zuckerberg’s missive was likely related to the new White House, but he opted to keep his reasons vague.
“Facebook stands for bringing us closer together and building a global community,” he wrote. “When we began, this idea was not controversial. Every year, the world got more connected and this was seen as a positive trend. Yet now, across the world there are people left behind by globalization, and movements for withdrawing from global connection. There are questions about whether we can make a global community that works for everyone, and whether the path ahead is to connect more or reverse course.”
The piece was imbued with an ideological scope that is not often seen from a leading CEO. Zuckerberg contended that Facebook aims to be a force against isolationism.
“In times like these, the most important thing we at Facebook can do is develop the social infrastructure to give people the power to build a global community that works for all of us,” he wrote.
