Skip to main content
Access provided by

Harold James

Harold James

Writing for PS since 2001
219 commentaries
2 videos & podcasts

Harold James is Professor of History and International Affairs at Princeton University. A specialist on German economic history and on globalization, he is a co-author of The Euro and The Battle of Ideas, and the author of The Creation and Destruction of Value: The Globalization Cycle, Krupp: A History of the Legendary German Firm, Making the European Monetary Union, The War of Words, and, most recently, Seven Crashes: The Economic Crises That Shaped Globalization (Yale University Press, 2023).

Sort by: Show:
  1. What’s Driving the Global Gold Rush?
    james217_ Christopher FurlongGetty Images_gold Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

    What’s Driving the Global Gold Rush?

    May 1, 2024 Harold James considers the political factors pushing the price of the “barbarous relic” to all-time highs.

  2. Europe’s High Noon
    james216_Dave Tschorn Dave Tschorn

    Europe’s High Noon

    Mar 26, 2024 Harold James worries that Western political leaders lack the will to take the risky decisions that security demands.

  3. The Financial March to War
    james215_Irina Gutyryak Getty Images_currencies Irina Gutyryak Getty Images

    The Financial March to War

    Feb 27, 2024 Harold James explains how currency wars and speculation could feature in today’s great-power conflicts.

  4. The Politics of Despair
    james214_Sean RayfordGetty Images_trump Sean Rayford/Getty Images

    The Politics of Despair

    Jan 30, 2024 Harold James explores the yawning gap between positive economic developments and dour public sentiment.

  5. A Year of Political Chicken
    james213_ (Photos by Brendan Smialowski and JIM WATSON AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI,JIM WATSONAFP via Getty Images)_biden trump (Photos by Brendan Smialowski and JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI,JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

    A Year of Political Chicken

    Jan 2, 2024 Harold James considers the US presidential race and its global implications through the lens of game theory.

Follow Harold James

Never miss a commentary by Harold James

  1. velasco147_Tomas CuestaGetty Images_argentinapesos Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images
    0

    Argentina’s Inflation Paradoxes

    Andrés Velasco asks whether President Javier Milei's administration can sustain its initial economic-policy successes.
  2. buruma213_Stephanie KeithGetty Images_palestine college Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
    0

    The Privileged Gaza Protesters

    Ian Buruma argues that fear of losing rank could be driving students to demonstrate their intersectional bona fides.
  3. krueger54_ Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_CHIPS Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
    1

    What Mission-Driven Government Means

    Mariana Mazzucato & Rainer Kattel correct common misconceptions about a particular form of state participation in the economy.
  4. haldar33_Sean GallupGetty Images for Burda Media_kahneman Sean Gallup/Getty Images for Burda Media
    0

    The Psychologist Who Convinced Economists that to Err Is Human

    Antara Haldar reflects on the pioneering work and legacy of one of the world’s most influential social scientists.
  5. bremmer29_Nathan HowardGetty Images_ukraine aid Nathan Howard/Getty Images
    Free to read
    0

    Will the Renewed US Support for Ukraine Be Enough?

    Ian Bremmer

    Sixteen months of congressional inaction in the United States has left Ukrainian forces exhausted and short on ammo. Although America has now finally enacted another package of financial and military aid, the best that the Ukrainians can hope for is another stalemate, rather than another major offensive against Russian lines.

     explains how an additional $61 billion in aid and arms will, and will not, change the course of the war.
  6. hamada64_Franck Robichon - PoolGetty Images_abe Franck Robichon/Pool/Getty Images
    0

    The Lasting Legacy of Abenomics

    Koichi Hamada highlights two important aspects of the late Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō’s policy agenda.
  7. bollmohr2_ Dan KitwoodGetty Images_fetilizier Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
    Free to read
    0

    Fertilizers Will Not Fix Africa’s Food Crisis

    Silke Bollmohr & Harun Warui refute the idea that industrial inputs will increase yields and alleviate hunger on the continent.
  8. qian36_ Jens Kalaenepicture alliance via Getty Images_tiktok Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images
    0

    What TikTok Got Wrong About America

    Nancy Qian thinks the company sealed its fate by aggressively interfering in the US political process.
  9. nye257_MARK SCHIEFELBEINPOOLAFP via Getty Images_blinkenxi Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
    3

    US-China Cooperation Remains Possible

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

    Although the US has abandoned its policy of engagement with China, the strategy of great-power competition that has replaced it does not preclude cooperation in some areas. A good analogy is a soccer match, where two teams battle fiercely but abide by certain rules and boundaries, kicking only the ball, rather than each other.

     identifies seven areas where the two countries can still work together toward mutually beneficial outcomes.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.