We all have some relatives who are . . . well, difficult and embarrassing.  Suppose you had an uncle who, during holiday visits, was always first to the dinner table and then demanded that he get most of the food.  Suppose when others objected, he told them that he was a muscle-man and would simply push them aside if they resisted.  Suppose when people asked him to share, explaining that the children were hungry, he disregarded their pleas and looked only to fill his own stomach.  If you had an uncle like that, I expect it wouldn’t be long before he would no longer be invited to dinner. 

Well, we do have an uncle like that–Uncle Sam.  And it looks as if Uncle Sam is about to get his comeuppance.  World trade talks in Geneva collapsed recently, and the failure is being laid to the growing influence of China and India and the decreasing influence of the United States, on the world stage (NY Times, July 30).

The failure also signals the wavering credibility of the World Trade Organization, which makes and enforces international trade rules.  I was among the many protesters when the WTO came to Seattle in 2001.  The problem as I saw it then was that everyone needs to be at the table when such deals are cut–not just those wielding the most power.  Where were the representatives of the workers?  How was the environmental movement represented?  What about third-world countries with little economic power?

Unfortunately, the collapse of the talks will likely keep smaller and poorer countries from increasing their trade with more developed countries, and it could slow efforts to work out multilateral agreements on the important issue of global warming. 

The fact is that as soon as bullies can be avoided, they are no longer tolerated.  And the U.S. is fast losing its status as a superpower that can call the shots for the rest of the world.  I think Uncle Sam had better begin to learn some manners and develop some respect for others around the table, because those who misuse others will soon find themselves hungry and without friends.  “The times,” as Dylan sang, “they are a-changin.’”