Are the Democrats hypocrites on Colombia and on Free Trade? With Obama in tow, last year they killed the Colombia FTA legislation promoted by President George W. Bush (I know you don’t like him), who really got it right on hemispheric free trade and on U.S. ally Colombia. The Dems whined about abuses by the government […]
Brazil’s persistent economic weakness over the years has been its external balance sheet — heavy indebtedness to foreigners, weak foreign trade sector, and low external liquidity (e.g. low fx reserves). This was in addition to a heavy government debt burden (government borrowing abroad in fact drove the fragile balance of payments), a poor business climate (a huge tax […]
What would President Monroe say? An Economist article discusses the growing presence of Great Powers, especially China, in Latin America, flouting nearly two centuries of U.S. dominance in the region, since the articulation of the Monroe Doctrine in the early 1820s. In the near term, this worry is overdone. Longer-term, if the U.S. continues to […]
Over the course of its history, the U.S. Army has been called many things, but “democractic” is certainly not one of them. That however, maybe be changing. The NY Times reported over the weekend about a radical new approach the Army is taking to the writting of its manuals, which serve as the the basis […]
The economic news out of Asia just keeps getting better. With GDP figures for the second quarter rolling in, it is now predicted that emerging Asia will grow by more than five percent this year, compared to a contraction of 3.5 percent in the Group of Seven rich countries. So much for Asia waiting for […]
While India is rapidly developing and modernizing, the police force is abusive and failing. Last week, Human Rights Watch released a report that “documents the failings of state police forces that operate outside the law, lack sufficient ethical and professional standards, are overstretched and outmatched by criminal elements and unable to cope with increasing demands […]
The Economist has been publishing a series of articles and videographics on how the world’s largest economies – including the United States, China, Germany and an analysis of Japan next week – must change to ensure future global growth. “A rebalanced global economy requires America to consume less and save more. That means the world’s […]
Australian mining giant Rio Tinto knows that when it does business with a sovereign government, it is dealing with an entity that writes, executes and adjudicates laws on its territory. Read about the China-Rio Tinto issue in a previous post. Every multinational knows, especially those in industries such as mining and energy that operate in funky locales, that the sovereign can […]
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on a gutsy mission in Africa. Eliza Griswold, a fellow at the New American Foundation, writes, “It is idealistic to think that Clinton’s visit might turn America’s eye more sharply on Africa. But it is also possible. Six months ago, it was utter lunacy to think that someone […]
The NYTimes published an article today detailing a set of energy deals concluded between Russia and Turkey in Ankara, with Prime Ministers Putin and Erdogan present. The deal was with Russian energy giant Gazprom, allowing state-owned Gazprom access to Turkish territorial waters, a benefit Russian czars and party chairmen since Peter the Great (pictured above […]
“Brazil’s economic rise has led it to pursue greater influence in international forums at the same time that it fosters cooperation among countries in the developing world with ‘south-south’ initiatives,” argues Stephanie Hanson of the Council on Foreign Relations. In a recent backgrounder, she details Brazil’s rise and its relations with the United States. Brazil […]
…Africa’s second largest economy and a potential rising regional power. Nigeria, with about $215 billion in GDP last year, follows South Africa and leads Egypt in Africa in terms of the size of its economy, but lags both countries in wealth per head, with roughly $1350 of GDP per capita. Nigeria relies very heavily on […]
The Russian paradox is that the country’s power rises as the price of energy resources increases, but its long-term economic prospects and geopolitical influence seem to rely on lower oil and gas prices. High prices destroy the incentive for necessary economic reforms. “Russia’s economy remains dominated by oil and gas, and its overall government policies […]
After a few weeks away, I thought this story would be a good re-entry to the world of Rising Powers. In America, a flailing economy and falling approval ratings for the President lead to an intricate campaign to reassure citizens of financial growth, long term stability and national robustness. President Obama holds a meeting with […]
In July, the Pew Global Attitudes Project published a global survey finding a vast improvement in views of the United States since the election of President Obama. The poll shows that “in most countries where opinions of the US have improved, many say that Obama’s election led them to have a more favorable view of […]