Exclusive Opinion, Commentary and Op-ed from today's Top Economists and Public Intellectuals

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America’s Hope Against Hope

Joseph E. Stiglitz Dec. 6, 2012

After a hard-fought campaign, it seems that not much has changed in American politics. The main cause for celebration is that America has avoided policies that would have pushed it closer to recession and increased inequality further.
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The False Promise of a Eurozone Budget

Daniel Gros Dec. 6, 2012

The US monetary union is frequently said to work much better than Europe's because a large federal budget smooths the impact of shocks to individual states; so the eurozone, it is claimed, should have its own budget to provide similarly automatic insurance to its members. But this argument misreads the US experience.
Focal Points

Fiscal Cliff Notes

On January 1, 2013, the US is set to fall over the “fiscal cliff,” with automatic tax increases and spending cuts taking effect unless Congress and President Barack Obama can agree on an alternative package of budget reforms. Will the world’s largest economy slide into recession as a result? What should US fiscal reforms look like?
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Bye-Bye, Middle East?

Zaki Laïdi Dec. 7, 2012

For some time now, a certain strategic vision has been gaining traction: the US is becoming energy-independent, paving the way for its political retreat from the Middle East and justifying its strategic “pivot” toward Asia. This view seems intuitively correct, but is it?
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Tolerance or War

David H. Shinn Dec. 7, 2012

Throughout history, mistreatment of minorities – whether ethnic, religious, linguistic, regional, ideological, sexual, or other – has fueled violence and devastated societies. And recent history – from the dismantling of Roma encampments in France to attacks against Christians in Pakistan – shows that bigotry remains pervasive.
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Britain’s European Destiny

Tony Blair Dec. 4, 2012

Europe has disturbed and divided British politics for years. Now mainstream politicians from the governing party are openly making the case for Britain leaving the European Union, or radically changing its relationship with it – which may amount to the same thing – with the sympathy of some of our nation’s leaders and far wider …
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Euro Lessons for East Asia

Jong-Wha Lee Dec. 5, 2012

Asian countries have learned from the eurozone crisis that effective management of cross-border capital flows requires well-constructed national, regional, and global responses. To respond effectively, East Asian countries must continue to improve the regional financial safety net and surveillance mechanism, and boost cooperatio…
Featured Author

Raghuram Rajan

Project Syndicate congratulates Raghuram Rajan on being named one of Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers for 2012. Rajan, a professor of finance at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, is the chief economic adviser to India's government. He has been a Project Syndicate contributor since 2003.
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Kenneth Rogoff Dec. 4

Innovation Crisis or Financial Crisis?

CAMBRIDGE – As one year of sluggish growth spills into the next, there is growing debate about what to expect over the coming…
Zhang Monan Dec. 4

The New Shape of China’s Economy

BEIJING – China’s leadership transition attracted global attention in 2012, and deservedly so, given the country’s global sig…
Harold James Dec. 4

The Debtor Prisoner’s Dilemma

PRINCETON – Any economic slowdown increases debt burdens, whether for households or for states. Today, both are looking for w…
Mohamed A. El-Erian Dec. 3

Europe’s Economic War of Attrition

NEWPORT BEACH – I was nine years old when Egypt entered what became known as its “war of attrition” with Israel. During this …
Luigi Zingales Nov. 30

Pulling the OMT Trigger

CHICAGO – Europe has been experiencing a period of calm after the storm since European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s …
Martin Feldstein Nov. 30

Avoiding a New American Recession

CAMBRIDGE – The United States may be headed for a recession in 2013. Even if the country avoids going over the “fiscal cliff,…
J. Bradford DeLong Nov. 29

America’s Political Recession

BERKELEY – The odds are now about 36% that the United States will be in a recession next year. The reason is entirely politic…
Yu Yongding Nov. 29

China’s Coming Growth Tests

BEIJING – The most recent official data show convincingly that the Chinese economy has bottomed out, and it is now widely exp…
Benedicta Marzinotto Nov. 29

Europe’s Dysfunctional Growth Compact

BRUSSELS – Recently, a €10 billion ($13 billion) shortfall in this year’s European Union budget came to light. As a result, t…
Stephen S. Roach Nov. 28

China’s Dream Team

NEW HAVEN – China’s recent leadership transition was widely depicted as a triumph for conservative hard-liners and a setback …

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Sami Mahroum Dec. 5

The Arab Spring’s Crowd Psychology

ABU DHABI – In 1896, the social psychologist Gustave Le B…
Omar Ashour Dec. 3

Egypt’s Democratic Dictator?

CAIRO – Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first-ever elected civilian president, recently granted himself …
Ian Buruma Dec. 3

The Observer State of Palestine

NEW YORK – Palestine is no longer an “entity,” but a stat…
Shlomo Ben-Ami Dec. 3

Israel’s Missing Peace Offensive

TEL AVIV – Even before the latest cease-fire took hold, i…
Joschka Fischer Dec. 2

The New Middle East’s New Problems

BERLIN – When hostilities flared in Gaza last month, it s…
Naomi Wolf Nov. 30

A Death in Galway

NEW YORK – The case of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist from India who had moved, wit…
Ana Palacio Nov. 29

A European “Maybe” for Palestine

MADRID – On Monday night, the Palestinian Authority submi…
Zhu Feng Nov. 27

The World According to Xi

BEIJING – On November 15 Xi Jinping became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and…
Daoud Kuttab Nov. 27

The Case for Palestine

RAMALLAH – Nowhere are the grievances that perpetuate violence and war more evident than they a…
Alasdair Breckenridge Nov. 27

Life-Saving Killer Drugs

LONDON – The harmful effects of medicines capture headlines worldwide. After all, horror storie…