In The News

Democrats Push Obama for Smaller Tax Cut in Stimulus Package

Peter Nicholas January 10, 2009
President Barack Obama faces pressure from his own party to adjust a government economic stimulus plan of $775 billion, reducing tax cuts and spending more on road, bridge and infrastructure construction. The US politicians anticipate that some combination of spending and tax cuts could increase US confidence and improve the overall economy. But tax cuts and spending will also add to the US debt...

After US Breakthrough, Europe Looks in Mirror

Steven Erlanger November 21, 2008
Minorities all over Europe look to Barack Obama’s election as US president, with hope of one day achieving similar success, but most are skeptical of such change taking place in their respective countries. Nations such as France, Germany, the UK and Italy struggle to handle growing minority populations and their integration into society. There is small, if any, minority representation in Europe’s...

Obama Presidency Signals Changes in US-Cuba Policy

Frances Robles November 12, 2008
Currently, Cuban-Americans can travel to Cuba once every three years. They’re also subject to restrictions on how much money they can send to relatives on the island. With the election of Barack Obama, US foreign policy towards Cuba will likely change, though it’s not yet clear to what extent. Obama supports the embargo, but plans to lift travel restrictions to Cuba as well remittance...

Americans Hold Our Futures in Their Hands

Khalaf Ahmed Al Habtoor November 3, 2008
US voters in some states already wait in long lines to cast votes in a historic election, and the rest of the world can only wait and watch. The next US president will confront immense challenges and responsibility. “The person they decide upon this time literally has the power to make or break the futures of not only Americans but billions of their fellow global citizens,” writes Khalaf Ahmed Al...

Globalizing the Crisis Response

C. Fred Bergsten October 13, 2008
Regulation of finance has long been a responsibility for nations, but with the current global crisis, governments quickly learned they cannot escape a global credit freeze. Banks struggle to survive, some nations are already in recession and developing countries can anticipate reduced exports and problems ahead. The global nature of the crisis calls out for a global response, argue C. Fred...

Global Crisis: How Far to Go? Part III

Scott B. MacDonald October 13, 2008
As profits surge, financial players eschew government intervention, but crave rescue as problems emerge. Public confidence in banks around the globe could make a cautious comeback, after the UK-led massive semi-nationalization of banks with "equity injection." This YaleGlobal series explores the global financial crisis, detailing how US troubles over mortgage-backed securities and the...

Development Doesn't Require Big Government

William Easterly October 9, 2008
Pain from the US financial crisis is spreading globally, with leadership in developing countries often blaming free-market failures. The free market is under attack worldwide: Honduras’s president deems its laws "demonic" and the Brazilian head of state suggests its speculation causes the "anguish of entire peoples." Economist and author William Easterly traces this strong...