But if the old pattern continues, and massive poverty stricken populations are left out of the political process, the country could explode in another orgy of violence.

Moreover, the Federal Reserve has viewed trade deficits as a helpful brake on inflation, while politicians now view them as a way to buy off consumers afflicted by wage stagnation.

Last summer, in response to the UN decision, 78 Nobel laureates signed a petition discouraging the adoption of an international ban on human cloning, because it would condemn hundreds of millions of individuals afflicted by debilitating diseases to a life deprived of hope.