Where are all the protesters?

Queen Elizabeth and Australian Prime Minister John Howard (L) look on during the opening ceremony. CHOGM is being called the biggest gathering of world leaders since September 11

COOLUM, Australia (CNN) -- With more than 1,000 delegates from a disparate array of Commonwealth nations here, and almost as many media representatives in attendance, the 2002 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting should be a natural target for the worlds anti-globalization forces.

But so far one of the more remarkable aspects of a pretty unremarkable CHOGM has been the almost total lack of visible objection to its presence.

The northern tropical state of Queensland in Australia is renowned for its sunshine and laidback lifestyle. But even by these standards, the minuscule level of disquiet is astonishing.

As the media shuttle bus pulled into the Coolum compound Saturday, a lone protester could be seen braving the unseasonably wet weather.

He was chatting amiably with five police officers assigned to make sure he did not run amok.

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Police earlier stated they hoped to see out the four-day meeting without making a single arrest.

Key protest organizers have agreed to confine their activities to five designated areas, and a total of just 1,500 official protest licenses have been issued by police.

It is a far cry from the promises made last year by anti-globalization forces who threatened to bring the postponed 2001 Brisbane CHOGM to a standstill, in the style of Seattle.

But that was before September 11, and the world has clearly changed.

It is not as if a concerted protest action could not make some impact here.

While security is omnipresent, the wire fencing around the resort hardly appears impregnable.

What's more, it does not even extend around the entire perimeter of the resort where the meeting is being held.

But such a disruption seems entirely unlikely at the Coolum event where dissent from the pre-ordained agenda is simply not to be tolerated.