PATRICK LAWRENCE: Our Post-Pandemic Future
Will human civilization simply resume course or will we recognize the need for numerous far-reaching reforms? Full restoration or fundamental change: As the Covid–19 infection and fatality curves at last begin to flatten, the entire world now asks which of…
PATRICK LAWRENCE: The US-China Decoupling
The long, dense economic relationship appears to have passed its peak, writes Patrick Lawrence. President Donald Trump’s trade war with China is swiftly taking a decisive turn for the worse. Step by step, each measure prompting retaliation, a spat so…
Are China’s Hidden Liabilities Behind Moody’s Ratings Downgrade?
Concerns about China’s “massive debt burden” and slowing economy are causing new concerns after Moody’s Investor Services sounded a full-blown alarm this week downgrading China’s credit rating on sovereign debt from Aa3 to A1. Why would Moody’s cut China’s rating…
Trump Just Blew His Chance to Renegotiate NAFTA
President Donald Trump’s determination to upend the accords that frame American trade policy are taking root. Even before Trump spiked the Trans–Pacific Partnership on Monday, the White House had signaled that the new president would renegotiate the North American Free…
Trump’s Job No. 1: Recoup the Jobs, Wages and Security Lost to Trade Deals
President-elect Trump’s choice of Robert Lighthizer as his special trade representative, announced Tuesday afternoon, completes the first string of the new administration’s trade team. So it’s time to draw a couple of clear conclusions. Conclusion No. 1: Trump is a…
In One Week, Obama’s Ambitious Trade Pacts Are Coming Apart
Big trade deals across both oceans were supposed to be two marble monuments the Obama administration bequeaths to posterity. But as the president completes his second term, it’s more likely that he’ll leave behind a half-built and poorly carved stone…
Why Clinton’s China Policy Puts More at Risk than Trump’s
The two confirmed presidential candidates we’ll have by the end of this week have little in common, except they’re both wealthy New Yorkers. Among the many differences between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, China policy ranks very high. How the…
How the Brexit Killed Britain’s ‘Pay as You Go’ Policy
There go George Osborne’s dreams. Whatever the other consequences of the June 23 Brexit vote may prove to be, Britain’s ever-embattled chancellor of the exchequer just lost his long war for deep spending cuts, reduced social services, and annual surpluses…
Here’s the Bad News for America If Britain Leaves the EU
In a little more than a month, Britons will decide whether to remain in or leave the European Union—a choice that could shift alliances, economies and trade agreements throughout the developed world. Americans have a big stake in whether the…
PATRICK LAWRENCE: The Failed American Experiment
Here comes the front edge of a new era, one in which America finally falls off its horse, its global standing properly diminished. “The American experiment” is a familiar phrase among us. When we reference it, we do so fully…