Lebanon: it didn’t have to be this way
Vox’s Alex Ward, when reporting on the Beirut explosion early last month, noted in passing that Lebanon’s post-civil war economic policy “was to attract investors and tourists, and bolster its...
Author: Patrick Carr
Patrick Carr is a freelance writer and researcher who specializes in economics, current events, international relations, and environment issues. He has worked as a staff member on a number of independent publications, and his work has appeared on DailyKos and Counterpunch.
How Iranian sanctions weaponize the coronavirus
Iran, one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic, began to slowly reopen its economy yesterday by easing travel restrictions and reopening businesses. This decision, made against the...
Indian Famines, Swedish Infrastructure, and Combatting the Next Recession
In 1972, the Indian state of Maharashtra was stricken with a drought that decimated crop yields and put 25 million Indians at risk of starvation. After years of plentiful rainfall and experimentation...
America and Kurdistan’s “enduring bond”
Last week, during a surprise trip to Iraq, Vice President Pence praised what he called the “enduring bond that exists between the Kurdish people and the people of the United States.” It is not...
Recession or not, there’s trouble ahead
America’s “will they, won’t they?” relationship with the next recession is reaching a fever pitch; a recent survey by the National Association for Business Economics finds that nearly 75% of...
Here’s What Happened to the “American Century”
In a recent Foreign Affairs cover story, Fareed Zakaria attempts to answer the question: “what happened to the American Century?” This sober and prescient piece of writing begins with:...
What Trump Means for the “Liberal International Order”
In the last edition of Foreign Affairs, Daniel Drezner takes a long-view approach to analyzing the “current angst” over President Trump’s foreign policy approach. He writes: “Although...
Trump, the Fed, and the American Worker
The Federal Reserve isn’t often as politicized as it is today. The last two years have seen the near-nomination of two know-nothings, Stephen Moore and Herman Cain, to the Federal Open Market...
How Elliot Abrams Brought Democracy to El Salvador
Russian military personnel have now boldly moved into Venezuela, a decision which, had it been taken in the 1980’s, would have elicited an unprecedented level of hysteria and resistance. Today, the...
Rules of the Road: How China’s Belt and Road Initiative Compares to the IMF
In the latest edition of Foreign Affairs, Oriana Skylar Mastro writes that China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is being financed via loans given to developing countries “without the usual...