Great post – I think your research should be of interest to international relations buffs and grand strategists as well. You’ve already made the comparison to Friedman but your city centric view of the world is one that other IR buffs should grapple with as well.

I did a mashup and comparative analysis of your maps against those of Thomas Barnett’s – the author of the Pentagon’s New Map since you are both talking about (in part) the implications of globalization of the distribution of power and influence.