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Marginal or Mainstream?

September 3, 2004
Michael Moore’s controversial Fahrenheit 9/11 has suffered setbacks in the Arab world, banning largely due to its anti-Saudi content. To date, only Lebanon, Jordan, and, most recently, Egypt have released the full version of the film. In Cairo and Alexandria, the documentary has had a limited...

World Trade Uncertainty Index: IMFBlog

September 17, 2019
Uncertainty deters investment and slows economic growth, and the International Monetary Fund has introduced an index that attempts to measure trade uncertainty for 143 advanced and developing nations. The index relies on a search for words related to uncertainty and trade in the Economist...

Los Angeles Times: Prime Minister’s Disappearance in Lebanon

November 11, 2017
Even the most fragmented, polarized nations tend to unite when external powers interfere in bullying ways. Such is the case of Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Lebanon’s population is 6 million, Saudi Arabia’s is 32 million and the crisis for the smaller country is an extension of the war for regional...

Wall Street Journal: Turkish Lira Crisis Hammers Emerging Markets

August 14, 2018
Some emerging economies relied too much on low-cost borrowing available after major economies increased liquidity after the 2008 debt crisis. Value of the Turkish lira is falling, and the country struggles to boost liquidity by reducing its banks’ reserve requirements while resisting an increase in...

The Washington Post: What the Royal Purge Means for Saudi Arabia and Oil

November 6, 2017
Global investors study a series of events in Saudi Arabia and how those may disrupt global oil prices. The crown prince announced a modernization drive, Vision 2030, with plans to create a new city. He also launched an anti-corruption drive, quickly followed by arrests of princes and ministers who...

Is Globalization Really Fueling Populism?

May 9, 2016
An angry populism – a belief that ordinary citizens, not elites, should control government while avoiding centrism and compromise – is on the rise in Europe and the United States. Daniel Gros questions the suggestion that the so-called losers of globalization are fueling such populism, suggesting...

US-China Duopoly Is a Pipedream

August 6, 2009
New terms like ‘Chimerica’ and G2 coined in recent years, describing ties between China and the US have acquired new currency as the world sought a way out of the global financial crisis. With China taking the spotlight during the G20 meeting in London and senior Chinese and American officials...

The Trade Factor

January 5, 2010
The precipitous drop in trade last year as a result of the global financial crisis was evidence of the heightened interconnectedness of the world’s major economies. But such interconnectedness was also one reason why trade protectionism – the bogey everyone feared would send the globe into another...
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