Foreign Policy Blogs

Trade & Economics

Economic Warfare: China Threatens U.S. Debt as WMD

Economic Warfare: China Threatens U.S. Debt as WMD

In a clear threat of economic warfare, China indicated that it may sell-off its holdings of U.S. Treasury notes in retaliation for our recent arms sale to Taiwan.

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China's Deep Stakes in South Asia Ports Trade

China's Deep Stakes in South Asia Ports Trade

Sri Lanka — For years, ships from other countries, laden with oil, machinery, clothes and cargo, sped past this small town near India as part of the world’s brisk trade with China. Now, China is investing millions to turn this fishing hamlet into a booming new port, furthering an ambitious trading strategy in South Asia […]

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Haiti Update: Sarkozy Visit Offers Economic Aid

Haiti Update: Sarkozy Visit Offers Economic Aid

Nicolas Sarkozy made the first visit ever by a French president to Haiti, once his nation’s richest colony — offering aid to a country laid to waste after a catastrophic earthquake.

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Japan Economy Awakening From 'Lost Decade'

Japan Economy Awakening From 'Lost Decade'

If the accuracy of the Japanese finance ministry’s revision of their GDP estimates are to be believed, then it appears the Nippon economy is, finally, awakening from its ‘Lost Decade’ of economic slumber following the collapse of its once heralded economy. According the their finance ministry, Japan’s GDP expanded +4.6% in 4Q 2009.

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Goldman Sachs Goes Rogue in Eurozone

Goldman Sachs Goes Rogue in Eurozone

Goldman Sachs, after being generously bailed out, is now leading the Wall Street pack in the Eurozone, in fragile economies , such as Greece, by engaging in the same types of complex financial transactions that precipitated the global financial crisis. This is further proof that more vigorous regulatory reform and transparency is required of large financial institutions.

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EU Agrees to Prevent Default of Greek Debt

EU Agrees to Prevent Default of Greek Debt

The EU Council leaders were meeting this week to determine how best to prevent a default of Greek sovereign debt by common support. The council issued a statement of support with no details as talks continue.

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China Replaces Germany as Top Global Exporter

China Replaces Germany as Top Global Exporter

China overtakes Germany as the worlds leading exporting nation, setting a new milestone. Germany had previously supplanted the United States in 2003.

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Traders Short $8Bn Euros, Threaten New Crisis

Traders Short $8Bn Euros, Threaten New Crisis

Financial markets continue to be roiled this week over fears that a European debt crisis could derail the global recovery. Investors are spooked by the debt problem in Greece – a possible precursor of what may happen in the U.S. Investors fear Greece may default on its sovereign debt, or require a bailout from already strapped European governments. Those concerns are spreading to other financially troubled governments in Europe.

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G-7 Meeting of Finance Ministers Wrap-Up

G-7 Meeting of Finance Ministers Wrap-Up

The leading Central Bankers and Finance Ministers of the world’s seven major industrial nations, known as the G-7, wrapped up their first meeting of the year by pledging today to work to calm global markets and maintain government stimulus in order to help sustain a global economic recovery. Speaking for the group, Canadian Finance Minister […]

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Reading List: The Myth of 'Rational Markets'

Reading List: The Myth of 'Rational Markets'

Chronicles the rise and fall of the efficient market theory and the century-long making of the modern financial industry, Justin Fox’s The Myth of the Rational Market is as much an intellectual whodunit as a cultural history of the purveyors, the perils and possibilities of financial risk.

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White House to Replace Geithner..??

White House to Replace Geithner..??

Dump Geithner!

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The Beijing Consensus & US Political Instability

The Beijing Consensus & US Political Instability

In Davos this year, mant global movers & shakers are expressing angst about the inability of Washington to effectively govern the nation. The images of ‘Tea Party’ activists, and the gratuitous levels of political hostility aimed at President Obama provide ample support for their concerns of political instability in America, and what it means to U.S. power around the globe.

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Budget Targets Offshore Corporate Tax Cheats

Budget Targets Offshore Corporate Tax Cheats

The Obama administration on Monday unveiled its plans for a fresh assault on international tax cheats that officials say will help reduce the Federal budget deficit from a record $1.5 Trillion this year. President Obama also announced the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget will make critical investments in job creation and continued economic recovery, while bringing a new level of responsibility to how tax dollars are spent.

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High Court Allows Foreign Campaign Finance

High Court Allows Foreign Campaign Finance

By a politically divided 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday rolled back restrictions on corporate, including foreign interests, spending in U.S. Federal campaigns. The decision could unleash a torrent of corporate-funded attack ads in upcoming elections, and equates the rights of corporations with the rights of individual citizens.

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Davos 2010: The Art of the Veiled Threat

Davos 2010: The Art of the Veiled Threat

Wrap-up of Davos World Economic Forum 2010, from FT’s Money Supply blog.

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