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    Fed chair says US economy faces ‘significant uncertainty’ and fears wider income inequality

    Jerome Powell: recession could exacerbate income inequality Long-term consequences likely to be severe without stimulus Jerome Powell at a press briefing in March. He told the banking committee on Tuesday: ‘Until the public is confident that the disease is contained, a full recovery is unlikely.’ Photograph: Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images The Federal Reserve chair, […] More

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    COVID-19 Puts the Brakes on the “World’s Fastest City”

    Dubai — memorably called the world’s fastest city by author and analyst Jim Krane — was already traveling in the slow lane when COVID-19 arrived. The Gulf city-state is one of seven that make up the United Arab Emirates. It had survived the crash of 2009 and thrived anew on tourism, transportation, financial and property markets. However, […] More

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    Where Is Mohammed bin Salman Taking the Saudi Kingdom?

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is grappling with COVID-19, an unresolved war in Yemen and collapsed oil prices. At the same time, recurrent purges of opponents of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) are harming the country’s foreign investment climate. Within this context, the ambitious Vision 2030 initiative to transform Saudi economy and society is […] More

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    Can the US Help Central Asia Reclaim the Silk Road?

    Everyone likes a snappy pop-cultural title with which to approach international politics and strategy because it makes relatable what is often viewed as an opaque process of the elites. Rudyard Kipling’s “Great Game” was a chessboard and originally referred to the various schemes and posturing of the British and Russian empires throughout Central Asia, with […] More

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    The Challenges Facing the Eurozone

    The current public health crisis has become a major challenge for European economies. It particularly affects countries in the southern part of the eurozone, as they are still suffering from the effects of the euro debt crisis of 2009-12. In the absence of a convincing fiscal policy response from the European Union or the eurozone, […] More

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    Europe’s Moment of Truth Is Obviously About Debt

    Since 2016, the year the British voted to leave the European Union and the US elected trade-war baron Donald Trump, Europe has had its share of political and economic storms. The EU’s lack of unity and coherence and its fragility as a geopolitical institution have never been more obvious. The euro was already under threat […] More