"...distracting attention from the real causes."

It appears that Europe wants structural changes and America wants to re-inflate the present system.

Although the spotlight has temporarily rested on AIG (Jack in Lord Of The Flies?), perhaps a bit of this is going on:

 The scapegoat was a goat that was driven off into the wilderness as part of the ceremonies of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement....Since this goat, carrying the sins of the people placed on it, is sent away to perish, the word "scapegoat" has come to mean a person, often innocent, who is blamed and punished for the sins, crimes, or sufferings of others, generally as a way of distracting attention from the real causes. Wiki

I believe it has links to human sacrifice. Catharsis is not just drama, it's also a primitive medicine.