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A New (and Improved) Trilateral Commission?

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The Great Wall of China

David Rockefeller launched the original Trilateral Commission nearly 40 years ago to bring together the world’s mercantile powers – the U.S., Europe and Japan – for the supposed betterment of all. Conspiracy theorists made it out to be a Wizard-of-Oz-like man-behind-the-curtain figure, its hands on every lever of economic power. But with Japan amid a prolonged elder-slump, the Euro collapsing, and the U.S. economy ravaged by housing, banking and other ills, it’s time for a new tripartite pact. So what if two of the now-ailing industrial giants of the 20th Century – that would be Washington and Tokyo – keep their membership cards? Europe is out, replaced by India.

Top officials of the three nations met in Washington last week, according to Josh Rogin at The Cable blog. State Department officials told him topics discussed during the gabfest included “Afghanistan, where Japan and India are large donors, the recent East Asia Summit, Central Asia, and Burma.”

Nothing about China during the four-hour, closed-door, session?

The State Department wants to be clear that [last] week’s meetings were not about China. In fact, they said that the rise of China and how to deal with it wasn’t discussed at the Dec. 19 trilateral meetings.

Guess they need something to discuss at their second get-together.