RIOT IN SEATTLE

For aging baby boomers nostalgic for the 1960s, Seattle was the place to be this week. From the chants of protest to the whiffs of tear gas and, most importantly, the whirring of cameras, the organized chaos that delayed the opening of the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting was a reminder of how political activists savvy in the ways of journalism can hijack the news agenda from the politicians and bureaucrats. On the surface, the …

…WTO protesters accomplished as much as they could have hoped for. They likely didn't expect either an outpouring of sympathetic news coverage or a massive change in public opinion. But they've taken a big first step toward shattering the establishment consensus on international cooperation for free trade to the exclusion of competing social concerns. If such a dramatic change in public opinion and policy still seems an unlikely outcome, just remember - it's happened before.