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Harold James

Harold James

Writing for PS since 2001
232 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 FirmMaking the European Monetary Union, The War of Words, and, most recently, Seven Crashes: The Economic Crises That Shaped Globalization (Yale University Press, 2023).

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  1. Donald Trump Is a Globalist
    james229_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_elonmuskmaga Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Donald Trump Is a Globalist

    Mar 28, 2025 Harold James shows that the MAGA movement is actually an unalloyed version of the idea that its leader claims to reject.

  2. Make Europe Great Again
    james228_ Sean GallupGetty Images_merzscholz Sean Gallup/Getty Images

    Make Europe Great Again

    Feb 27, 2025 Harold James urges the next German government to help revive the postwar European social market economy.

  3. Alternatives to Trump’s Russia Appeasement
    james227_Central PressGettyImages_neville_chamberlain_munich_pact Central Press/Getty Images

    Alternatives to Trump’s Russia Appeasement

    Feb 14, 2025 Harold James explains how France and Britain can guarantee Ukraine’s security now that America has effectively surrendered.

  4. How Trump’s Anti-Globalism Could Backfire
    james_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_trump Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    How Trump’s Anti-Globalism Could Backfire

    Jan 27, 2025 Harold James thinks the new administration's approach could jeopardize the foreign capital flows that America depends on.

  5. Shock Therapy for Multilateralism
    james225_AnadoluGettyImages_un_security_countil_meeting Anadolu/Getty Images

    Shock Therapy for Multilateralism

    Jan 2, 2025 Harold James considers what another Donald Trump presidency will, and will not, mean for global cooperation.

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  1. adebajo14_Bill PuglianoGettyImages_trump_wrestlemania Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

    South Africa’s Wrestling Match With Trump

    Adekeye Adebajo considers whether the current G20 president can still advance its agenda in the face of US obstruction.
  2. haldar44_ Ann Ronan PicturesPrint CollectorGetty Images_aristotle Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images

    How Aristotle Can Save Us

    Antara Haldar touts a conception of society in which politics and education cultivate the virtue of its members.
  3. laidi35_Pacific PressGettyImages_kaja_kallas_un Pacific Press/Getty Images

    Trump vs. Europe

    Zaki Laïdi warns that the European Union has no place in Donald Trump’s illiberal worldview.
  4. haass178_Alex KentGetty Images)_zelenskytrump Alex Kent/Getty Images

    Diplomacy Is the Newest Front in the Russia-Ukraine War

    Richard Haass explains why an enforceable ceasefire must precede, perhaps by many years, final-status negotiations.
  5. subacchi47_Ravi ChipGettyImages_us_treasury_dept Ravi Chip/Getty Images

    Will the World Keep Buying US Treasuries?

    Paola Subacchi & Paul van den Noord foresee a gradual reduction in countries’ holdings of dollar-denominated debt, not a rapid sell-off.
  6. yi20_CFOTOGettyImages_group_wedding_china CFOTO/Getty Images

    Why China’s Marriage Crisis Matters

    Yi Fuxian examines the factors underlying a key cause of the country’s demographic crisis.
  7. gebert4_AFP via Getty Images_gazaprotest AFP via Getty Images

    Israel Must Not Ignore the Anti-Hamas Protests in Gaza

    Konstanty Gebert

    Recent demonstrations in Gaza have pushed not only for an end to the war, but also for an end to Hamas's rule, thus echoing Israel's own stated objectives. Yet the Israeli government, consumed by its own internal politics, has barely acknowledged this unprecedentedly positive development.

    underscores the unprecedented nature of recent demonstrations in the war-ravaged enclave.
  8. james229_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_elonmuskmaga Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Donald Trump Is a Globalist

    Harold James shows that the MAGA movement is actually an unalloyed version of the idea that its leader claims to reject.
  9. op_vaheesan1_Bettmann ContributorGetty Images_FDRdam Bettmann Contributor/Getty Images

    Getting Abundance Right

    Sandeep Vaheesan urges the creation of public utilities to accelerate decarbonization and improve living standards.

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