Will Germany Swallow Inflation to Save the EU?
This weekend’s G-8 summit at Camp David, the U.S. president’s retreat, marks a big step for Europe in several different ways. After a couple of weeks of waffling, German Chancellor Angela Merkel now appears ready to deal on a new…
Will Europe Lose the War Between the States?
The Greeks did something interesting Tuesday morning. In a highly controversial decision, Athens announced that it would pay those bondholders who refused to participate in last March’s debt swap. Just 3 percent of Greece’s private creditors hold $552 million in bonds…
Will the End of Austerity Break Up the Eurozone?
With the elections in France and Greece Sunday, both supercharged by debt, deficits, and economic desperation, Europe is about to take a dramatic new direction. The eurozone is turning away from stringent austerity policies and toward those that stimulate demand….
What a Socialist France Would Mean for America
Should the U.S. be (a) frightened, (b) neutral or (c) exuberant that a very moderate Socialist looks set to win the presidency in France when the second round of voting takes place May 6? If Francoise Hollande wins, Americans should…
The Socialist Who Can Rattle the Global Economy
At the end of a week of bad news across Europe, the French have handed the Continent another cliffhanger: In the first round of polling for the presidency on Sunday, incumbent Nicholas Sarkozy trailed his Socialist Party challenger, François Hollande….
How a European Recession Can Infect U.S. Markets
Europe is starting to look slightly schizophrenic, and we had all better pay attention. The stock slide last week — the worst of the year — was the direct result of wobbly conditions among the European economies, notably a growing…
Spain, on the Brink, Could Derail the U.S. Economy
Greece’s austerity plan, complete with debt swap, is now in place. Spain has announced its most rigorous budget since the post–Franco restoration of democracy in the 1970s. Italy has passed economic reforms worth more than $130 billion, 7 percent of…
Why Obama’s Iran Strategy is All Wrong
The good news: We now have a new set of talks on Iran’s nuclear program scheduled for mid April in Istanbul. The bad news: Washington and its allies have not prepared the ground for these talks. We are a negotiating…
China Reboot: From Textiles and Tea to High Tech
The tea leaves have not yet settled in China after the ousting of Bo Xilai, a leading figure in the Chinese Communist Party and (until last week) a shoe-in candidate for a seat on the Politburo’s powerful standing committee. But…
Rare Earth Minerals: China’s Got ‘em, We Want More
President Obama’s move last week to pursue a WTO case against China, whatever the merits of the U.S. argument, is at the least badly timed and is possibly a mistake altogether. We are all for an amicable, equitable relationship with…
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