Comparisons between President-elect Barack Obama and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, two Democrats taking power amid a global financial crisis, have become a commonplace.

But one apparent similarity conceals a stark difference. The 1944 redesign of the world’s financial architecture in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, took place towards the end of Mr Roosevelt’s 13-year presidency after months and years of meticulous planning. Mr Obama is under pressure to follow suit before even taking his oath of office.