While Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, president of Iran, and George Bush, the US president, have tussled bitterly over geopolitics at the United Nations in Manhattan this week, an alternate universe has set up shop across town.

In this universe, a US president sunnily welcomes politicians and business leaders from all over the world to work together on improving education, combatting global warming and alleviating poverty. Everyone agrees on the priorities and they all applaud politely as people pledge to do something about them.