TEMPORARY DISCOMFORT
Since the protest actions against globalisation got totally out of hand in Seattle in 1999, the sites of important international summits are invariably turned into true fortresses. Buildings are surrounded by extra security and approach roads are blocked off. From fear of disturbances shopkeepers board up their windows and protect their neon lighting and signs. Normal life grinds to a halt. Totally sealed off from the rest of the world, political leaders among themselves come to decisions on questions of global importance.
