Like the Japan tsunami, flooding in Thailand will have a global impact on the supply and price of rice, cameras, computers and cars.
Yet many are wondering who is overseeing crisis management in Bangkok: fugitive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, exiled in Dubai; or his 44-year old sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who won the July election despite little experience with politics or disasters.
The global stakes are high. Thailand, the world's leading rice exporter, has already lost a quarter of this year's crop. Companies including Ford, Honda, Toyota, Nikon, and Western Digital face disruptions to their global supply chain, as waters continue to inundate thousands of businesses.