Regional Directory

Dec. 9, 2016 Athens and Brussels once again find themselves at an impasse.

Dec. 9, 2016 The sheer number of products for which the United States depends on imports from China is striking, as shown in the chart below. In 2015, 21.8 percent of U.S. imports came from China. The U.S. pushed for China to join the World Trade Organization in 2001, the year U.S. imports of Chinese goods took off in earnest. Through trade with China, U.S. consumers gained access to cheaper goods because it cost less to make them in China than in the U.S. China became a convenient one-stop shop for building and selling products of all sorts, and an especially strong electronics supply chain emerged in Asia, centered around China.

China also is exposed to the U.S. markets. With the exception of 2013, the U.S. has been the top destination for Chinese exports for over 15 years (in 2013 the U.S. was a close second to Hong Kong). In that period, the size of the Chinese economy, measured in terms of GDP, has increased by a factor of 10, from $1.3 trillion in 2001 to $10.9 trillion in 2015. Last year, 18 percent of China’s exports went to the U.S., a percentage three times bigger than the percentage of exports received by China’s second-largest importer by country, Japan.

Dec. 8, 2016 Division between Kurdish groups makes them unreliable partners for the U.S.

Dec. 8, 2016 China must have access to U.S. consumer markets, and Donald Trump knows it.

Dec. 7, 2016 Beyond the battles in the streets is a battle over ideas.

Dec. 7, 2016 It has become rare for top military officers to stand up to their civilian leaders.

Dec. 6, 2016 A shakeup of the political establishment is just getting started.

Dec. 5, 2016 Putting China on the defensive.

Dec. 5, 2016 It has always existed, but never has been particularly effective.

Dec. 2, 2016 In many ways, South America remains an outsider looking in.

Dec. 1, 2016 OPEC countries have an agreement on production, but will they abide by it?

Dec. 1, 2016 The kingdom could face challenges due to economic strains and plunging oil prices.