Thank goodness this is largely an illusion. The world remains a pretty diverse place. People have different fantasies in different parts of the world. Fashions are different. Television commercials are different.
Senses of humor are different.
East Asia's financial woes have prompted claims of victory for American-style capitalism. You write a fair bit about Southeast Asia and its integration into the world economy. The crash hasn't really affected it at all. I believed that the idea of common Asian values was bullshit then, and I still believe that now. I never expected anything catastrophic, or even very dramatic to happen in Hong Kong.