Category Archives: The Global Economy

The world spins on….

Posted on September 8, 2014 by

There is good news today on several fronts.  The Arab League, meeting in Cairo, has stated its intention to stop aid to extremists and cooperate in efforts to fight the Islamic State (ISIS). Also this week, the European Central Bank … Continue reading →

Posted in The Global Economy, The Middle East Revolts, U.S. Politics | 2 Comments

Obama and the world

Posted on August 29, 2014 by

If President Obama wished to give substance to his belief that the U.S. is no longer the world’s sole superpower, or a superpower of any kind, he has certainly done so this week.  By admitting that has no strategy for … Continue reading →

Posted in The Global Economy, The Middle East Revolts, U.S. Politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Borders and Bodies

Posted on July 18, 2014 by

The world has recently seen what seems like a sudden eruption of violence and disorder, from civil war in Ukraine and Iraq and Syria to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.  There is also Boko Haram attacking young men and women in … Continue reading →

Posted in The Global Economy, The Middle East Revolts | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

One and a-half cheers for jobs

Posted on July 10, 2014 by

It’s always nice to get good news, and the Labor Department telling us that the U.S. economy added 288,000 jobs in June was definitely good news. Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough.  It would be great if most of those additional … Continue reading →

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And the winner is … !

Posted on May 26, 2014 by

In the United States, we think of elections as ending major conflicts and producing outcomes that everyone has to then accept and move forward. Or rather, we used to think that way. Now, with the rise of the Tea Party … Continue reading →

Posted in The Global Economy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Democracies fading? Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine…

Posted on May 21, 2014 by

People in America love Thai food. But beyond that, we don’t know much about Thailand as a country. It is a complicated place, caught between the conservative military and loyalists to the King, who have helped develop Bangkok into an … Continue reading →

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A Great Country

Posted on May 15, 2014 by

I grew up in a great country. True, we only had one bathroom for a family of four; getting two cars for the family seemed like a dream come true, and travel for vacations was never much more than a … Continue reading →

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Back in the USSR

Posted on May 12, 2014 by

I am back in Moscow, in the USSR (er, Russia). But more than at any time recently, it feels like the USSR. Not economically; stunning new apartment towers are gleaming in the late May sunlight, women are smartly dressed in … Continue reading →

Posted in The Global Economy | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Best Country in the World?

Posted on April 23, 2014 by

There are many ways to rank countries, including by income per head, infant mortality, educational achievement, stability of families and marriages, openness of social mobility, quality of government, and so on. Americans are accustomed to viewing the United States as … Continue reading →

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The State has not Gone Away

Posted on April 16, 2014 by

Today I am headed to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania for a conference on the “Future of the State.” It is an interesting title. Ten years ago, we thought the state was on the way out. Between … Continue reading →

Posted in The Global Economy, U.S. Politics | 3 Comments