The Google predicament is a wonderful counter example. Google's private files (the gmail accounts of Google's anti-Chinese activist customers) were hacked by Chinese hackers, apparently with skill levels only available inside a government agency. When Google asked the Chinese government for assistance in stopping the hacking the Chinese government told Google to go to hell. All of which made Google a potentially worthless business in China.
We don't know the end of the story yet. Google has used the only tool it has, the threat to stop doing business in China.
Now think about the power of Google, a $170 billion company, larger than the GNP of two-thirds of the UN members. It has no power at all, except its ability to persuade the U.S. State Department to defend Google's private rights. No amount of money can buy the U.S. State Department, many wish they could.
Lets put it another way. A dozen despots with GDPs, worth a tiny fraction of Google's, have infinitely more power than Google.
* Kim Jong Il can get results from China by threatening to let 200,000 starving North Koreans walk to China. The same with Vietnam's PM Nguyen Tan Dung.
* The top leadership of South Vietnam or Japan can order the sinking of a Chinese sailing vessel and beg forgiveness but get quick access to Chinese officials.
* Almost any terrorist group, with permission from the local government in Turkey, Libya or Kenya could fire a rocket at the local Chinese embassy and get prompt attention from and access to Chinese officials.
But Google can't.
Put simply and clearly, power, state power, political power in general, far exceeds any importance money can provide.