Politics & Diplomacy

AC Selects: Addressing Jordan and Egypt’s economic challenges and China’s unprecedented third term presidency

Last week, Jordan’s Minister of Finance, Mohamad Al-Ississ and Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Hala H. Elsaid sat down with the EmpowerME initiative to discuss challenges and potential areas of growth for their economic and financial sectors. The GeoEconomics Center and Global China hub hosted two panels of experts to examine the 20th […]

The Freedom and Prosperity Indexes: How nations create prosperity that lasts

By Dan Negrea, Matthew Kroenig

The inaugural Freedom and Prosperity Indexes show that democracies do indeed deliver. It’s time to reset the terms of the debate by letting the data do the talking. And the indexes have a lot to tell us. They reveal the most effective ways for governments to invest in their most important resource: their people.

Experts react: Xi solidifies his power at China’s Communist Party Congress. What should the world take away?

By Atlantic Council experts

We asked our China watchers to explain how the world should read Xi Jinping's approach to the economy, Taiwan, and more.

Italy recently elected a far-right leader. Here’s how the Arab world reacted to the news.

By Karim Mezran, Nour Dabboussi

Giorgia Meloni’s government should carefully consider how it handles its nationalistic discourse to avoid any Islamophobic controversies that could ultimately spark a blowback of condemnations from its allies in the Arab world.

Modernizing the Bretton Woods Institutions for the twenty-first century

By Ajay Chhibber

The challenges that led to World War II have resurfaced and created the dire need for reform of the Bretton Woods Institutions. A new system to address these challenges requires the three core "Rs"—a revised global remit, an enhanced resource base, and a mandate to monitor agreed-upon global rules.

Changing Bretton Woods Institutions: How non-state and quasi-state actors can help drive the global development agenda

By Nisha Narayanan

This new report examines the increasingly influential role of non-state and quasi-public actors in global development and sustainable finance, specifically through the rising level of sustainable investments in emerging and development markets.

How China would like to reshape international economic institutions

By Victor Shih

Despite its size, China has an inadequate voice in traditional Bretton Woods Institutions. This paper examines aspects of the dissatisfaction China has with existing global governance institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It also discusses the proposed changes to these institutions according to discussions with Chinese experts.

The evolution of the IMF: A case for IMF 1.5 before Bretton Woods 2.0

By Hung Tran

Bretton Woods Institutions will face enormous challenges going forward. While ambitious reforms are needed, its unlikely they will be seriously considered due to high geopolitical tension and mistrust among major countries. Nevertheless, the need for reform is pressing. Therefore, it is important to look at more feasible reform, narrower in scope and technocratic in nature, to improve the these institutions.

Stifling the press is stifling progress. Here’s how policymakers can intervene.

By Joseph Lemoine and James Storen

Today's decline in press freedom is nothing short of dangerous because of its concerning impact on other freedoms—and prosperity—in countries around the world.

Reading between the lines of Xi’s party congress speech

By Atlantic Council

How should the world interpret his rhetoric about Taiwan? What was conspicuously absent from the speech? Our experts weigh in.