Given the troubles that Anglicans and Roman Catholics are having with their American branches, I imagine the Patriarchs would rather keep a tight lid on their Orthodox jurisdictions in America.
FL:
You might want to ping the Orthodox list with this one. I'll comment later.
He tells like he thinks it is...He was wrong on Iraq, wrong again on Constantinople. Unity sounds wonderful but not at the expense of primacy.
There is no reason the Orthodox faithful cannot do all kinds of Christian work such as the mission projects together, without asking the GOC to cut ties to the seat of Orthodoxy. Numbers do not necessarily lead to increased power or visibility.