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February 2, 2012 | Understanding Change in Brazil's Foreign Policy

Albert Buyé Grau: This dissertation seeks to demonstrate that Brazil’s foreign policy changed during the period between 1990 and 2010 because of the country’s adoption of a consensual hegemonic strategy in South America. This was pursued in order to become a global power.

January 23, 2009 | Political Liberalism At the Heart of International Trade

Scott Edward Hartley: The relationship between economic and political liberalism is central to sealing the fate of the international economy. If global trade is to flourish, the free exchange of ideas must be promoted and presided over by international organizations in order to countermand myopic trade policies.

May 23, 2008 | Striking a Proper Match?

Michele Rioux & Susan Ariel Aaronson: Strategies to Link Trade Agreements and Real Labor Rights Improvements:

February 6, 2008 | Multilateral Aid Programs Are on the Line

Robert Zoellick: The president of the World Bank expresses his concern regarding the German focus on bilateral aid programs in an interview with Rüdiger Lentz, head of the Deutsche Welle studio in Washington and executive director USA of the Atlantic Initiative.

September 17, 2007 | Ukraine Opens a New Chapter in EU Relations

Oleksandr Chalyi: I call for an enhanced bilateral agreement between the EU and Ukraine with integration and association as its ultimate goal. Yuschenko’s New Realism must aim to meet the Copenhagen criteria within ten years, unilaterally if necessary.

July 31, 2007 | Germany's EU Presidency: Internal Leadership and External Neglect

Marco Overhaus: and Hanns Maull of the University of Trier: We argue that the German EU presidency failed to raise the EU’s profile as a foreign policy actor. Though successful in internal reform, Gemany’s tenure at Europe’s helm failed to provide real progress in Kosovo, Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Sudan and Iran.

November 2, 2011 | Russia's Long Road to the WTO

Russia’s 18-year quest to become a member of the WTO may finally be drawing to a close by the end of this year, as Georgia gave its consent under US and EU pressure. ++ The biggest barrier to admission into the WTO, however, lies within Russia in the face of Vladimir Putin. ++ In the past, Putin has consistently thwarted the negotiation process in its final stages. ++ While Russian exporters

September 28, 2011 | Russia Will Maintain Status Quo With Western Partners

The West should not expect any major changes in Russian foreign policy upon Putin’s return to the Kremlin. ++ Russia will continue to enforce its present agreements and maintain a pragmatic partnership with the US and Europe. ++ Putin’s rhetoric may resonate with Soviet nostalgia, but Russia will remain committed to expanding commercial ties with the West. ++ The upcoming power shuffle will not

March 11, 2010 | How to Better Prepare for the Next Financial Crisis

The financial crisis demonstrated that economic difficulties arise as a result of misguided financial as well as monetary policies. With the crisis a recent memory, the chances are good for tackling the root of the problem and reforming the old system, since both spheres are interconnected and hence need to be reformed in concert. For one, the formation of asset bubbles needs to be avoided and

December 22, 2009 | Nobody Said it Would be Easy

China’s undervalued currency and huge trade surplus threaten the world economy and risk engendering backlash from Europe and the US. ++ The situation is not as simple as many pundits would have us believe. ++ Undervaluation is the government’s main instrument to subsidize industrial growth, since its traditional options were taken off the table by the WTO. ++ China can either risk global

May 20, 2009 | US Must End Cold War Trade Hangover

The Obama Administration must get rid of a “cold war fossil” - the Jackson-Vanik amendment - which makes normal trade relations with Russia contingent on free emigration. ++ Russia has allowed such freedom for years, but the law remains
in force despite attempts by former Presidents Clinton and Bush to get rid of it. ++ Obama will struggle to remove it too. ++ Congress retains it as leverage for

April 27, 2009 | No Time for Protectionism Between US and China

The US and China need to seize the opportunity to be more open and cooperate to deal with the slump in trade between the two nations. ++ “Regrettably… trade measures by the US against China are on the rise.” ++ US pleas for the WTO to investigate imports of Chinese products will seriously test relations, but the need to foster positive ties has never been greater. ++ The two countries should

October 16, 2008 | Russia Needs a Friend

The West is “pushing away” Russia, not the other way around. ++ The US needs to see Russia’s point of view for a change. ++ At the end of the Cold War, there was “no move to meet Russia partway;” instead, the US “talked away” Russian attempts at integration with Western institutions. ++ Yeltsin looked like a puppet for trying to gain acceptance and Putin came to power as a result. ++ It’s time

September 5, 2008 | Asian Free Trade Agreements Balk at WTO and US

Meeting in Singapore, 10 southeast Asian nations along with India confirmed yet another FTA that clearly indicates the waning influence of the WTO and the US in the region. ++ Many such countries, especially India, prefer small-scale bilateral agreements and FTAs. ++ It was the Asian block that called on Europe and the US to change their farm subsidy policies at Doha, which contributed to

July 14, 2008 | Sarkozy Jeopardizes the Next Trade Talks

The prospects for a global agreement to slash subsidies and tariffs at the WTO meeting in Geneva next Monday are dim. ++ At stake is the Doha Round of trade liberalization talks. ++ The latest threat to the Doha Round comes from an all-too-familiar source: France. ++ Sarkozy said “I will never accept a reduction in agricultural production on the altar of global liberalism.” ++ Perhaps Sarkozy

June 30, 2008 | The Danger of a League of Democracies

Senator McCain’s call for a “League of Democracies” would be a danger rather than an aid to world peace. ++ With both Russia and China excluded, the league would be unable to combat the most pressing global matters: terrorism, climate change, and nuclear proliferation. ++ McCain’s plan could even create a Cold War-like tension between democratic and autocratic states. ++ The League of Democracies

June 12, 2008 | Moving Doha Forward is Critical for Global Free Trade

Surprisingly, it is some of the fastest developing countries such as China and India, that are slowing down the Doha development talks. ++ Protectionism in one country triggers a chain reaction that blocks free trade in several sectors across the globe. ++ The losers are those for whom Doha was conceptualized: farmers and small businesses in slowly developing countries. ++ Opening up the

April 14, 2008 | Liberalizing Services for Future Growth

Since they help increase productivity and develop economic potential, efficient services are fundamental to modern economies. ++ Because the service sector is expanding rapidly and contributing to sustainable growth, liberalization could boost the world economy by $1 trillion. ++ Australia and the US will thus not support the WTO’s Doha package unless it includes commitments to loosen constraints

March 28, 2008 | The OECD: A Response to Turkey's Challenges

The significant and growing contribution of emerging markets to the global economy demonstrates the strategic importance for the OECD to cooperate and engage with them, with an ultimate view to membership. ++ Countries like Turkey also have much to gain from the OECD’s knowledge of good policy practices. ++ The OECD’s platforms and instruments would provide for “increased

December 21, 2007 | Still No Progress in Sino-American Trade Talks

The Economist reports that the Sino-American trade talks have achieved very little, despite US Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s impressive links with China.
Thus, the economic meetings, dubbed “Strategic Dialogue,” although producing very little of either, failed to meet their initial goal, namely to progress towards stronger economic ties.
The biggest, and seemingly irreconcilable,

August 29, 2007 | The Increasing Importance Of Africa in US Trade Relations

Princeton Lyman, former US ambassador to Nigeria and South Africa, writes together with Council on Foreign Relations director Patricia Dorff that the United States must recognize Africa’s growing significance and improve the assistance it currently provides to the continent. The United States currently imports 15 percent of its oil from Africa, equal to its share from the Middle East, and

May 31, 2007 | Bruegel Says Worldwide Exchange Rates Adjustment Would Fight Current Account Deficits

The March 2007 Bruegel Policy Brief reveals that imbalances in global current account positions are not sustainable and need adjustment. A 15% depreciation of the dollar and an appreciation of Asian currencies is needed in order to:

• reduce the US current account deficit,
• faciliate China’s focus on domestic demand and reduce its accumulation of foreign exchange reserves, and
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April 16, 2007 | Kiroku Hanai on Consolidation of US-Japanese Economic Partnership

If Japan intends to preserve its status in world trade, it must negotiate an economic partnership agreement with its biggest trading partner, the US, warns journalist Kiroku Hanai. Japan already lags behind South Korea and China in completing bilateral trade agreements and has recently shied away from free trade because of its weak agricultural sector, preferring instead multilateral negotiations

April 12, 2007 | Eric Heymann Sees Wasted Energy in the Airbus-Boeing Trial

If an agreement can be reached in the WTO dispute between Airbus and Boeing, it will be achieved only after a long and costly process, writes Eric Heymann of Deutsche Bank Research. Since the original agreement of 1979, the issue of subsidies has become a focal point of heated discussion. Both sides accuse one another of receiving state subsidies, which hinder open competition. Heymann, writing

April 12, 2007 | Mei Ying Gechlik on China's Intellectual Property Rights Balancing Act

Protection of intellectual property rights has become increasingly important since China’s admission to the WTO, reports Mei Ying Gechlik of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Foreign companies should trust the Chinese judicial system to protect their patent rights. Mechanisms such as judicial review have proven successful in appealing decisions of the Patent Reexamination Board.

April 12, 2007 | Mirela Isic Argues For Transatlantic Free Trade

A Transatlantic Free Trade Area (TAFTA) could provide new momentum for the transatlantic relationship, reports Mirela Isic of the Center for Applied Policy Research in Munich. An alliance that handles one third of world trade and produces more than 40% of world GDP would be a good safeguard against variations in the world economy such as those caused by integrating India and China into the world