Watching all the news about the debt crises in the US and Europe, it struck me (with my very basic understanding of economics), that there was a simple answer to it all - simple, but unlikely to ever be adopted.
The problem seems to be one of unsecured debt - all these nations spending more than they take in, and no "collateral" that could be seized in case of default.
But isn't there a possible source of "collateral" in state museums? How much collateral for otherwise unsecured debts and bonds could be provided by the Mona Lisa (Louvre), the bust of Nefertiti (Egyptian Museum of Berlin), or the Mask of Agamemnon (National Archaeology Museum of Athens)?
It would seem to me that using such items as "collateral" would remove a lot of uncertainty from world markets, but I can't see national governments agreeing to such a thing.
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