Has anyone ielse noticed that this run on the dollar is a replay of the famous run on sterling some years back, started and controlled by some heavyweight fund managers , that brought down Margaret Thatcher and paved the way for the demise of the Conservative government in the UK? One of those fund managers - with an even larger portfolio than last time - has made his feelings for the current US government abundently clear , so this current run on the dollar is no surprise. The fact that these fund managers are not only more powerful than the central banks but also more politically motivated is the frightening aspect of the whole affair. Central banks act for the good not only of their own currency but for the stability of the market as a whole - the people causing market mayhem now can only be termed as market terrorists, causing chaos for their own version of political change.

Linda, London, UK

The USA has scammed the world for decades with its deal with the Saudis and OPEC by forcing other nations to buy oil for dollars and holding ever-increasing US debt while the USA just printed its paper money whenever it needed to buy oil. The free lunch is coming to an end. When the US dollar stops being the world reserve currency, the Americans will actually have to buy oil with real money like the rest of the world. No more free lunch, no more US military hegemony, because all that costs money that the Americans don't really have. The Americans rampage through the world deposing and assassinating leaders, fomenting regime change, illegally invading nations, all for free because other nations are financing them with dollar debt. It is good to see the American Empire may be coming to an end. However, this is why the USA wants to make war on Iran now, no matter that the IAEA has shown that there is no nuclear weapon program there.

ziggy, Sydney, Australia

I like M. Sarkozy's (Sarko) independence but the new reality is that the dollar has to slide to compensate for its huge trade deficit with the rest of the world. What's more important is the Euro rate against other other emerging economies and to that extent Europe must not go down the route of becoming an over inflated service economy like the UK. There is now a need for consumer credit controls and a diversion of investment towards productive capacity. This will help to reduce any potential trade deficit but has a political price - how brave is Sarko?

Steve Marchant, Torquay, Devon

He may, allegedly, have a Napoleon complex, but he has more balls than our leaders. Who could imagine Blair or Brown standing in front of Congress speaking such words. But, then, we are the 51st state.

Michael Anthony, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Does any one maybe consider the euro is OVER valued? Europe is not Germany and the Netherlands, it's also places like - Greece and Italy too. Basket cases at best. If I recall the US worker is still the most productive, still inventive and it's still big economy too. Having lived in France I can tell you that economy is all smoke and mirrors.

Tom Taylor-Duxbury, Ludlow, UK

Amazing how long it took Europe to recognise that the Americans are doing what the other Asian nations have been doing for the last decade. I think they were lulled into a false sense of pride due to the rise of the Euro. Europes only response in the future would be to raise trade barriers and restrict imports from America and Asia. However, these parts of the world develop most of the new emerging technologies, so Europe would loose out eventually and go into the much predicted senility that everyone had forecast! This will mean that Europe will still have its 10 years or so of being in the Sun ,even though the clock's ticking . This generation of Europeans had better make good provisions for their retirements though!

ricardo de souza, birmingham, uk

As an American .I am so glad France has finally a President who do not hate us Americans. I am aware that any past hate towards us was out of envy for America's greatness.

George Wilson, New York, USA

Yes, some time it does shock why price of many products are same or cheap in USA than in other developing countries. Also the income in developing country is very low for the same type of job that in done in USA.

Also it doesn't make sense USA consumes any thing that is produced from the world, and world pays to USA to consume.

Also there are various Phenomena that is happening around the world, world is trying to adjust to the falling value of dollar. Expect oil, no commodities or product have increased the dollar value. Even in USA, one can hardly find the price change in the hotel menus or product. But how long this is going to be?

Ranjit, Bangalore, India

I think that President Sarkozy has a point, however he has been rather dramatic in its delivery. The Federal Reserve is simply using tried and tested methods to stimulate growth in the US economy in much the same way that the Chinese maintain growth in their economy.

The dollar has effectively been downgraded by lowering domestic interest rates and through sentiment from the Fed Chairman. The effect is that US goods are cheaper and British and Eurozone goods become more expensive. The Chinese have been playing the same game by pegging the yuan at an artificially low rate against the dollar. Also the Chinese have the largest holding of dollar assets outside of the US. The dollar downgrade reduces the value of these assets.

The Chinese have been lobbied, most recently by Hank Paulson, to allow the Renmimbi to float and let the market dictate its exchange rate. The effective downgrade of the dollar is perhaps the Fed's response to China's lack of response.

Donovan Wright, Reading, United Kingdom

America is in great need of friends. Old and new. With increasing economic, political and security vulnerabilities it sure needs friends. Its good to see Mr.Bush trying to undo the damage done to the relations with the old friends of US, notably with France and UK. I hope new world compexities are understood well in the US and unilateral adventures like the one in Iraq are not repeated. America is now in a state of denial. It ran the race and now finds no one to cheer its victory. Better run back and run along with its friends.

CIC, Kansas City, KS

Pres. Sarkozy is right to bring this issue into the open, but the war to which he aparently is referring will find its roots in world currencies so undervalued that economic polarization cannot be avoided. The developing nations have a tendancy to make the developed nations the scapegoat for their predicament and feel that economic inequties are the result of exploitation.

I am empathetic with some of those developing nations who are cought in a conundrum; revaluing their currencies will have a significant impct on their own holdins of dollars, which in some cases are considerable.

One good thing which might result for Pres. Sarkozy, is that the typical French workers demands might be brought under control.

Here in China where I live, I am regularly shocked to find the price of many things to be comparable, in dollars, to the same products in the USA, even while the people who are my friends have incomes which are only a small fraction of people in the U

Ken Rothey, Wuhan, China

N.Y.C. Chinatown: 2 bucks for a duck, Bayard Street. Same price in Shanghai!
Paris: 2 bucks for a glass of water. Mr. Sarkozy doesn't have to come to Boston if he wants to get scrod. I'm sure all of his problems will be someone else's fault.

oliverplunkett, Hamden, U.S.A.

Must be nice to have a leader that doesn't mince his words, talks sense and chooses sensible times to make a point that needs to be made, in the best interests of the people he represents!

Robert Hexter, ex Notts UK, Vancouver BC