Following aggressive lobbying by the Trump administration, more than 145 countries agreed to give big US multinationals a free pass under the global corporate minimum tax rules that were agreed in 2021. But if democracy is to prevail over oligarchy,…
Early in January, preliminary estimates of China’s trade surplus (from the General Administration of Customs of China) placed it at $1.7 trillion in 2025, as compared with $993 million in 2024. The sharp 20 per cent rise in the trade…
At the heart of US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is the belief that the world can be carved up among major powers, with the United States free to act with impunity in its “backyard.” In reality, this approach is…
Despite strong opposition in Congress, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has launched an ambitious industrial policy aimed at boosting renewable-energy capacity and expanding domestic defense capabilities. But sky-high interest rates and fiscal constraints risk putting these objectives out…
US President Donald Trump has made it clear. His strategy of weaponising tariffs would be deployed not only to ensure a reduction in America’s trade deficit but also to achieve political and diplomatic objectives. Examples abound, not least the excessive…
The world is facing an inequality crisis fueled by stagnant wages, eroding social protections, and the extreme concentration of wealth. Reversing these trends requires reassessing the policies that produced them and equipping governments with the information they need to pursue…
Argentina’s ability, under right-wing governments, to draw record levels of dollar support from the “international community” never fails to surprise. This pattern has only become more pronounced in recent years. But what is more surprising is that, despite evidence that…
The Indian rupee losing its value against the US dollar should normally not draw undue attention as it has been a long-term trend. But three factors have contributed to concerns about the recent and ongoing descent of the rupee vis-a-vis…
There is nothing definitive about policy under US President Donald Trump. With the deadline for accepting his trade demands having passed, a revised set of tariffs has been announced, lower than the originally threatened hikes of up to 49 per…
Developments that have occurred in quick succession have crushed the successful efforts made in recent years to increase global cooperation aimed at raising tax revenues to take on a host of global challenges. Late in June, the non-US six (Canada,…
