Some people see International Monetary Fund supremo Michel Camdessus as being more like a bomb disposal expert than a financial leader - given the sometimes explosive nature of the developing world's debt problems.
Such an analogy is more appropriate than most would realise. Before becoming one of the world's most powerful financial figures, noted for his cool head in a crisis, the IMF chief was involved in a less heady but equally tricky occupation.
As a second lieutenant in the French Army, Mr Camdessus' primary role was detonating mines in Algeria during its independence struggle with France.
Incidentally, the seminal work on the Algerian war with France is apparently titled The Wretched of the Earth - on which Mr Camdessus has no shortage of knowledge, given his present role.
The hero of the Hong Kong dollar, Hong Kong Monetary Authority chief executive Joseph Yam Chi-kwong, would be advised never to pursue a life of crime.
After outlining his grand vision for world monetary peace and harmony to the press at the Grand Hyatt Hotel yesterday, he looked for a quick escape route via the hotel's side entrance directly into the Convention Centre.
