Trilateral Commission

If we had to assign the Trilateral Commission a theme song, it would be “That’s What Friends are For.” Not only because we think it’s fitting, but because we’d really get a kick out of seeing all the commission members singing it together. Maybe they could record it and put it on YouTube.

Okay, we’re getting off track here. Where were we? Ah, yes. Friendship. Friendship and international cooperation are the names of the game for the “Trilateral Commission,” an international non-governmental group made up of leaders from a bunch of different nations in Europe, East Asia, and North America. These 300+ dudes—and they are mostly dudes—get together several times a year to discuss and promote policy that encourages international cooperation and collaboration.

So what is this, like...some kind of globalization Illuminati force for international good? Well, we don’t know about the Illuminati part, but we do know this: the group is pretty informal, but members become members by invitation only. And while those members can’t currently be serving in government, many of them do serve in government at some point, either before or after they serve on the commission. So these aren’t just random people off the street, they’re influential. They’re movers. They’re shakers. And they’re using their influence to promote a more interconnected and globalized world. Some of their fave topics include free and open markets and pro-business policies. People who are into that kind of thing think the Trilateral Commission is great. People who aren’t...don’t. But whether we dig what they’re doing or not, they’ve been around since 1973—that’s longer than their new theme song—and it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere anytime soon.