Extortion Effort Fails; Everyone the Poorer

The Cleveland Museum of Art has announced that is it formally canceling its planned show of Sicilian antiquities.  The show was supposed to travel to Cleveland from the Getty, but at the last minute Sicilian cultural officials said that the show's star attractions must return home.  Then, they said they would relent-- for a hefty fee.  Cleveland wisely concluded this was an offer it could refuse.  So, Sicily's treasures will go home, but Sicily will loose the positive exposure such an exhibit would provide and thousands and thousands of Americans (including Sicilian-Americans) will be disappointed.  It seems all the "beyond ownership" rhetoric is indeed quite hollow.