Japan and the TPP: Opportunity Knocks
During his campaign, President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly slammed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as a “bad deal” that would harm U.S. workers and export jobs to […] More
Economics
Whither Trump Trade in Asia
The election of Donald Trump and the demise of the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement has unleashed a flood of anxiety-ridden commentary […] More
Can Italy Finally Reform?
Italians head to the polls on Sunday, December 4, to approve or reject a series of constitutional reforms, which will redirect policy competence from the […] More
The Italian Referendum Matters
On December 4, Italians will vote on a far-ranging constitutional referendum, which promises to completely change the way that Italy’s political institutions operate. Proponents of […] More
Italy’s Choice: Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t
On Sunday, Italians definitively voted “No” to a constitutional referendum supported by the country’s Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi. After the vote, in which nearly 60 […] More
China's Economy: Great Power, Great Responsibility
For roughly 30 years, China’s “economic miracle” has catapulted the once-impoverished country from relative backwater to global economic juggernaut. Driven by export-led growth and massive […] More
Beijing's Inefficient Economics Policies
Since the liberalizing economic reforms implemented by Deng Xiaoping in 1978, the Chinese economy has grown at an average annual rate of nearly 10 percent. […] More
Job Creation in the Age of Globalization: Trump and Xi's Shared Challenge
President-elect Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping have more in common than they currently realize. Both want to make their countries “great again,” and both […] More
Sisi, the IMF, and Egypt's Crumbling Economy
When the Arab Spring reached Egypt in January 2011, sparking unprecedented mass protests in Tahrir Square and across the country, calls for democratic reform and […] More
Egypt's IMF Deal Dodges Crisis—For Now
November has arrived, and with it, the long-anticipated devaluation of the Egyptian pound. Precipitated by weeks of growing panic in the currency market, the measure […] More
Egypt's Economy: Not Out of the Woods Yet
Two weeks ago, Egypt appeared to be on the brink. The Egyptian pound, which sold at 5.9 LE/$ at the time of Egypt’s January 2011 “Arab […] More
Corralling the Cartel: OPEC and Oil Prices
Since oil prices plummeted in the last quarter of 2014, oil-producing countries have struggled to adapt to the new low-price environment. From reforms to slashed […] More
Saudi Arabia and Iran Trade Politics for Oil
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) came to a surprise agreement at informal talks this September to reduce global oil production by between 200,000 […] More
The Importance of OPEC's September Agreement
OPEC members have finally reached an agreement to curb the global oil supply by cutting their overall production from 33.75 million barrels per day (mb/d) […] More
Dollars and Sense: Military Spending During an Economic Downturn
The relationship between military spending and GDP growth in peacetime seems an easy equation. When a country’s economy is healthy and growing, it can splurge […] More
Russia's Determination to Revise the Post-Cold War Order
The Russian economy has been in recession for nearly two years now, with GDP growth shrinking by 3.7 percent in 2015. However, as the recession […] More
Saudi Foreign Policy vs. Economic Priorities
How steady are the hands on the steering wheel of Saudi Arabia? That question prompts an immediate follow-on: Whose hands are we talking about? There […] More
Growing Instability in Africa’s Top Two Oil Producers
Africa’s long-time, largest oil producer is wavering. For six months in a row (March-August), Nigeria landed in the number two spot of the continent’s largest […] More