We have to put on a little circus. We figure that sometimes you have to add a bit of dramatic elements to get people's attention.

Rich countries have been given time until 2013 to eliminate agricultural export subsidies. That's eight long years and gives ample opportunities for various interest groups in Europe and the U.S. to lobby against the elimination of such subsidies.

In South Korea, rice farmers get large income support from the government, which also leads to higher prices of rice in the domestic market. Obviously, farmers don't want to dismantle such barriers.

I said that in my box of dreams, I hoped that someday they would be exonerated.

There are some parallels in the sense that the (USA) Patriot Act represents some retrenchment of our civil liberties and free speech. It is not as raw and blatant as the Sedition Act, but it represents an effort by government and the Congress to bolster security at the price of liberty - not just the Patriot Act, but the language and rhetoric and debate over who is more patriotic.

It was an ugly time.