I worked in State/AID around folks doing commodity exports. Never underestimate the amount of sheer inbound "order taking" from endlessly needy Congressional staffers living on trading favors. I later worked around "developers" whose only Fu was tricks for passing lie detector tests to screw up projects in lead lined bunkers. I suppose the dress up, TV pageantry and fancy looking machines make disorderly bumbling infinitely costly operations look orderly. Our trade presses are mostly very open about the dysfunctions, but few waving flags pay much attention.