NY-Pittsburgh

Those who made it to the table (G-20) took the train, plane or automobile from NY to Pittsburgh.

Those who didn’t went on talk show (Iranian P.M. on Larry King, Gaddafi on Zakaria).

Again, 24/7 cable news delivers out of desperate need to fill up the air time, and this week, there are plenty of world leaders to help them do that.

Among those who did make the G-20 nations are India, Indonesia and Korea.

Indonesia tried back in 1955 to be heard. Now it does.

Imagine yourself after 54 years of trying (to reverse information/trade flow) to finally get a chance to be booed by protesters on the street.

With privilege comes responsibility.

Nations arrive at the round table not only with agenda, but a bag full of tricks as well.

The US just last week announced it would curb China tires import (to defend the 5,000 job loss).

Iran tested its nuclear missiles in the desert on Sunday, the day after it agreed to a hidden-now-disclosed site inspection.

Double entendre?

Back in the 80’s, Gung Ho (Japanese took over a failed US auto plant) and other movies catered to the American sentiment (of Japan bashing). I still remember the gold fish Michael Keaton took with him when moving out.

At the turn of the 21st century, we witnessed a clam on worker’s visa which was the cause for a  reverse brain drain of many Indian IT

engineers (whose wives were glad they no longer had to tag along in Silicon Valley looking for spices and Bollywood DVDs).

Now, in Pittsburgh, we learn that top nations were trying to address trade imbalance i.e. getting Chinese consumers to spend (would you want new socks with that?).

I see these trends coming:

– textile and steel companies will be reopened here in the US, Gung Ho style (joined efforts by China and the US): cheap material import + quality of designer-level workforce/timely delivery (e.g. Bay Bridge weekend repair)

– China bashing on the rise (see Crank 2, or Observe and Report to see how Chinese extras are portrayed in a worst possible light)

– Madison goes East (to “educate” a new generation of Asian consumers to need what they want, buy on credits or on a spur of the moment). In short, East goes West and vice versa.

I am glad to see BRIC at the table, but can’t bear the sound as it gets dropped on the table. However thunderous and ear-deafening, its huge impact came a bit too late to undo the damage done by mortgage-back securities. At least, we now have 20 blood donors to appease the (global financial) Monster. “Imagine all the people, living life in peace…uh uh uh, uh”.