Robert Skidelsky, in The New York Review of Books:

Money, according to Niall Ferguson, is not a thing but a relationship -- above all, a relationship between creditor and debtor.

From the Economist, earlier this year:

Financial progress is about learning to deal with strangers in more complex ways.

Niall Ferguson, in early 2006:

If history is any guide, our present golden age of globalization is unlikely to endure.

Niall Ferguson, in late 2008:

This crisis is about much more than just the stock market. It needs to be understood as a fundamental breakdown of the entire financial system.

Roger Altman:

The United States will remain the most powerful nation on earth for a while longer. Its military strength alone ensures this. But the crash of 2008 has inflicted profound damage on its financial system, its economy, and its standing in the world; the crisis is an important geopolitical setback.