American currency. Photo Credit: Alena Vikhareva/Getty Images. Since World War II, the U.S. has been the most influential actor in the global financial system. It has shaped the world’s economic institutions and norms to suit its own preferences, securing disproportionate power and influence over the global economy. This exclusive position has granted the U.S. an … Continue reading Washington’s Overuse of Economic Warfare Threatens American Financial Hegemony
Author: Simon Machalek
Everyone Loses From the Current Rise in Protectionism
A port in Lianyungang in China’s eastern Jiangsu Province. Photo Credit: Getty Images. One of the most significant features of the Trump presidency is the global rise of economic nationalism. Once deeply embedded beliefs in the virtues of international trade and free trade agreements are now shattered, as more and more countries resort to protectionism, … Continue reading Everyone Loses From the Current Rise in Protectionism
Despite its Economic Impact, The Maximum Pressure Campaign Is Not Successful
An Iranian woman holds her national flag as she walks past the former US Embassy in Tehran. Behrouz Mehri /Getty Images. Four years since Washington and Tehran signed the JCPOA agreement, diplomatic efforts have given way to renewed hostilities and brinksmanship between the two sides. The maximum pressure campaign, the Trump administration’s replacement to the JCPOA, … Continue reading Despite its Economic Impact, The Maximum Pressure Campaign Is Not Successful
Sanctions On Russia Are Working And Must Be Preserved
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a speech in Moscow, Russia, March 23, 2018 Photo Credit: AP By: Simon Machalek, Columnist Although both the EU and the US remain committed to upholding sanctions on Russia, there are voices—especially among Eurosceptics—who suggest that sanctions on Russia are not working and that they should be lifted.[i] Proponents … Continue reading Sanctions On Russia Are Working And Must Be Preserved
Developments in the Visegrad Group Threaten European Union’s Future
The German and Visegrad Group leaders in Bratislava, February 7, 2019. From left to right: Viktor Orbán (HU), Angela Merkel (DE), Peter Pellegrini (SK), Andrej Babis (CZ), Mateusz Morawiecki (PL). Photo Credit: Andrej Babis’s official Facebook account. By: Simon Machalek, Columnist … Continue reading Developments in the Visegrad Group Threaten European Union’s Future
The Transatlantic Partnership Is Damaged To An Unprecedented Degree
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and US President Donald Trump at the plenary session of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, 7 July 2017. Photo Credit: John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images By: Simon Machalek, Columnist The transatlantic relationship, from which both the United States and the European Union (EU) have benefitted tremendously over the last … Continue reading The Transatlantic Partnership Is Damaged To An Unprecedented Degree
REPORT: The Politics of Economic Diversification in Oil-Dependent Autocracies
Dr. Marie Alienor van den Bosch. Photo Credit: Mercatus Center By: Simon Machalek, Reporter On November 26th, Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) hosted a talk by Dr. Marie Alienor van den Bosch, the Center’s Qatar Post-Doctoral Fellow. She also received her PhD in Politics from Princeton University and her MA from CCAS. The … Continue reading REPORT: The Politics of Economic Diversification in Oil-Dependent Autocracies
REPORT: Human Rights and the Question of Genocide in the Guatemalan Civil War
Father Ricardo Falla, S.J. Photo Credit: Georgetown CLAS By: Simon Machalek The world has experienced genocide far too many times. Horrifying events such as the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, and the Bosnian genocide were full of vicious violence directed against groups of people who shared the same ethnicity, nationality, race, or religion. After the horrors … Continue reading REPORT: Human Rights and the Question of Genocide in the Guatemalan Civil War
Report on “Putin’s Fourth Term: What Lies Ahead” CERES Conference
The annual conference on Russia, Putin’s Fourth Term: What Lies Ahead, featuring an ambassadors’ roundtable with five former U.S. Ambassadors to Russia. By: Simon Machalek, Reporter Where is Russia heading? What is behind Russia’s aggressive foreign policy? How do Russian constituents view their president Vladimir Putin? To examine these essential questions, scholars and diplomats from around … Continue reading Report on “Putin’s Fourth Term: What Lies Ahead” CERES Conference