Sadly, the Bush administration seems set on a different approach, one that bypasses international institutions entirely for something that looks more like victor's justice.
"Some institutions offer something for every student, regardless of their financial background.
"The institutions have been used exactly for something which they were not designed," said Adolfo Salgueiro, a professor of international law in Venezuela and an opponent of Mr. Chávez.
Unlike St Peter's in Rome, which conceals and intimidates as much as it gives glory, Barcelona's basilica opens up in its entirety the moment you step inside – the perfect space for a culture suspicious of institutions, but which is restless for something greater than ourselves.
Blurring boundaries between for-profit and not-for-profit institutions has become something of a hallmark of today's art world, and shows like this one raise some thorny ethical questions – above all, the question of whether museums should loan to commercial institutions.
"If the president of this small 28-acre domain doesn't stand up for something, the institution will be lackluster and without purpose".
"Nobody wants to close this institution down, but you got to stand for something or surely to God you'll stand for nothing," he said.
The other is that for institutions to present something wonderful and esoteric, but to lose money doing it, doesn't really help.
"The Boy Scouts have fought long and hard for something that has marginalized their institution," she said.
Finland, a relatively classless culture with a Scandinavian belief in the benevolence of the state and a trust in its civic institutions, is something of a laboratory for gentle justice.
