And gold is also less liquid than foreign currency and so cannot easily be used for foreign-exchange intervention to defend a currency under attack.

ECONOMIST: Losing the Midas touch

An attack on a British mainstay would be tough for Britons to, er, swallow under any circumstances.

FORBES: Brits Might Pay 20% Snack Tax--Americans Would Sue

Swiss banking secrecy came under attack after the second world war when the allies asked for German assets to be handed over.

ECONOMIST: Filthy lucre is out, clean lucre is in

Getting a favorable hearing for your message may not be simple at a time when your brand is under attack, but there are certainly ways to make it hard.

FORBES: PR and Pepper Spray: What the 99% Can Teach Companies

Just as banks have problems with robbers desiring their cash, those in the diamond trade have to constantly prepare for the possibility that one day, after years and years of nothing happening, they will be under attack.

CNN: Diamond heists are forever