Burying the Asian miracle

IT WAS supposed to be a celebration, but, like a wedding at which the bride has failed to turn up, it seemed more like a funeral. When the invitations were issued for a summit of East Asian leaders, the event promised to be a gathering of economic miracle-workers flaunting their trophies. By the time the meeting in Kuala Lumpur started on December 14th, many were helpless spectators to a mauling of their currencies, stockmarkets and economies in general by forces they barely comprehended. They came not to praise a miracle, but to bury it.