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    There Goes America

    Featured in this Big Picture

    PS editors, Richard K. Sherwin, J. Bradford DeLong, Ian Buruma, Orville Schell, Peter Singer

    Within his first month back in the White House, Donald Trump has upended US foreign policy and launched an all-out assault on the country’s constitutional order. With US institutions bowing or buckling as the administration takes executive power to unprecedented extremes, the establishment of an authoritarian regime cannot be ruled out.

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    In AI We Trust?

    William H. Janeway

    The rapid advance of AI might create the illusion that we have created a form of algorithmic intelligence capable of understanding us as deeply as we understand one another. But these systems will always lack the essential qualities of human intelligence.

     explains why even cutting-edge innovations are not immune to the world’s inherent unpredictability.
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    The Economic Consequences of Trump’s Ukrainian Peace

    Gene Frieda

    Rather than engage in lengthy discussions to pry concessions from Russia, US President Donald Trump seems committed to giving the Kremlin whatever it wants to end the Ukraine war. But rewarding the aggressor and punishing the victim would amount to setting the stage for the next war.

     warns that by punishing the victim, the US is setting up Europe for another war.
  4. schwarzer9_Telmo PintoSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_macronstarmer Telmo Pinto/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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    Europe Alone

    Daniela Schwarzer

    US Vice President J.D. Vance's speech at this year's Munich Security Conference made it clear that the long postwar era of Atlanticism is over, and that Europeans now must take their sovereignty into their own hands. With ample resources to do so, all that is required is the collective political will.

     explains what the European Union must do now that America has walked away from the transatlantic relationship.
  5. op_malmendier1_ INA FASSBENDERAFP via Getty Images_germanyrailway Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images
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    Germany at a Crossroads

    Ulrike Malmendier, et al.

    Despite its ongoing economic stagnation and aging population, Germany’s outlook is far from hopeless. But to restore its growth momentum, it must embrace the realities of the twenty-first century, invest in high-potential emerging sectors, and adapt to an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.

     urge policymakers to pursue bold structural reforms, rather than clinging to an outdated growth model.
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    Will We Squander the AI Opportunity?

    Daron Acemoglu worries that the technology is on track to disempower, rather than complement, most of humanity.
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    How Trump Can Achieve Sustained Growth

    Michael R. Strain foresees the US president building on a strong economy, so long as he steers clear of populist policies.
  8. woods61_Alex WongGettyImages_imf_walking Alex Wong/Getty Images
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    What If the US Leaves the IMF and the World Bank?

    Ngaire Woods thinks the Trump administration’s approach jeopardizes America’s geopolitical and economic interests.
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Latest

  1. The Economic Consequences of Trump’s Ukrainian Peace
    frieda19_AnadoluGettyImages_russia_us_peace_talks Anadolu/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Trump’s Ukrainian Peace

    Feb 21, 2025 Gene Frieda warns that by punishing the victim, the US is setting up Europe for another war.

  2. There Goes America
    oneill128in McNameeGetty Images_trump Win McNamee/Getty Images

    There Goes America

    Feb 21, 2025 PS Commentators consider the likely consequences of Donald Trump’s assault on US institutions.

  3. In AI We Trust?
    op_janeway18_DrAfter123Getty Images_AI DrAfter123/Getty Images

    In AI We Trust?

    Feb 21, 2025 William H. Janeway explains why even cutting-edge innovations are not immune to the world’s inherent unpredictability.

  4. How Trump Can Achieve Sustained Growth
    strain36_Michael M. SantiagoGettyImages_ny_stock_exchange Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    How Trump Can Achieve Sustained Growth

    Feb 20, 2025 Michael R. Strain foresees the US president building on a strong economy, so long as he steers clear of populist policies.

  5. Europe Alone
    schwarzer9_Telmo PintoSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_macronstarmer Telmo Pinto/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

    Europe Alone

    Feb 20, 2025 Daniela Schwarzer explains what the European Union must do now that America has walked away from the transatlantic relationship.

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OnPoint is our suite of subscriber-exclusive content. Get long-read commentaries, thematic deep dives, interviews with world leaders, and much more. Learn more.  

  1. op_janeway18_DrAfter123Getty Images_AI DrAfter123/Getty Images
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    In AI We Trust?

    William H. Janeway

    The rapid advance of AI might create the illusion that we have created a form of algorithmic intelligence capable of understanding us as deeply as we understand one another. But these systems will always lack the essential qualities of human intelligence.

     explains why even cutting-edge innovations are not immune to the world’s inherent unpredictability.
  2. op_malmendier1_ INA FASSBENDERAFP via Getty Images_germanyrailway Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images
    1

    Germany at a Crossroads

    Ulrike Malmendier, et al. urge policymakers to pursue bold structural reforms, rather than clinging to an outdated growth model.
  3. GettyImages-2196139559
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    Daniel Gros on DeepSeek, Germany's malaise, EU competitiveness, and more

    Daniel Gros hopes that a Chinese startup's apparent AI breakthrough will provide a much-needed boost to European competitiveness, advises the EU on how to deal with Donald Trump, urges Europe to improve conditions for bottom-up innovation, and more.
  4. op_shafik2_ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDSAFP via Getty Images_trumpvance Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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    World Order in a Time of Monsters

    Minouche Shafik highlights the critical importance of reinvigorating social contracts at the national level.
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    The Tragedy of Zhou Enlai

    Minxin Pei reflects on the complicated life and legacy of the renowned diplomat who was Mao Zedong’s dutiful lieutenant.
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    Yi Fuxian on China's decision-making, economic prospects, demographic crisis, and more

    Yi Fuxian warns that China's government and mainstream analysts are still underestimating the severity of the country's demographic crisis, identifies some of the gravest policy mistakes Donald Trump's administration is at risk of making vis-a-vis China, explains why China’s middle class will never be strong enough to bring about a democratic transition, and more.

The world’s diplomatic, political, and economic divisions continue to harden – both between countries and within them. Whereas 2022 and 2023 featured a war of attrition in Ukraine, we have since entered a broader world of attrition, with zero-sum conflicts multiplying across the board.

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Sustainability Now brings together leading voices in all of the domains involved in combating climate change, each addressing specific facets of the challenge.

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  1. perincek1_RODGER BOSCHAFP via Getty Images_africarareearthmine Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images
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    Ensuring Europe’s Supply of Critical Minerals

    Rüya Perincek & Andreas Goldthau call for coordinated funding, resource diplomacy, and secondary material partnerships to boost recycling.
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    The Climate Policy Pendulum

    Gernot Wagner notes that green technologies retain their many advantages, regardless of national political developments.
  3. barral1_CARL DE SOUZAAFP via Getty Images_brazilsolarpower Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty Images
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    What Climate Justice Means for Latin America and the Caribbean

    Thiago Barral & Woochong Um urge policymakers to work with key stakeholders to accelerate the uptake of renewables.

Opinion that Moves

  1. Michael R. Strain How Trump Can Achieve Sustained Growth
  2. Ngaire Woods What If the US Leaves the IMF and the World Bank?
  3. Philippe Legrain How Europe Can Rearm
  4. Shang-Jin Wei How to Counter Trump's Tariffs Productively?

  1. Daniela Schwarzer Europe Alone
  2. Orville Schell Trump’s Cultural Revolution
  3. Joschka Fischer Trump’s Surprise Attack on Europe
  4. Ana Palacio India Has Arrived

  1. Gordon Brown A Reformed WHO Should Make Its Case to America
  2. Peter Singer “America First” in Action
  3. Daniel M. Franks, et al. Africa Needs Mineral Security, Too
  4. Jayasree K. Iyer Climate Displacement Is Also a Health Crisis

  1. Adenike Oladosu Education Belongs on the Climate Agenda
  2. Mia Amor Mottley Climate Action Demands Global Fraternity
  3. Richard Haass, et al. Tackling Climate Change in the Age of Trump
  4. Carlos Nobre, et al. The Amazon’s Future Will Be Decided in 2025

  1. Daron Acemoglu Will We Squander the AI Opportunity?
  2. Kate Kallot The Global South Needs to Own Its AI Revolution
  3. Mariana Mazzucato, et al. Governing AI for the Public Interest
  4. Anne Bouverot Bending the Arc of AI Development Toward Shared Progress

  1. Slavoj Žižek Fundamentalist Perverts
  2. Ian Buruma Ukraine’s Existential Culture War
  3. Helen Prejean An Injustice That Biden Can Still Set Right
  4. Peter Singer Australia’s Great Social-Media Experiment

Africa’s economic rise is a world-changing development, but the sources of its emerging strength – and lingering weaknesses – are little understood. W…

  1. Daniel M. Franks, et al. Africa Needs Mineral Security, Too
  2. Rim Berahab, et al. How to Make Carbon Pricing Work for Africa
  3. Pascal Lamy, et al. The Key to Narrowing the Development Gap

Today’s media landscape is littered with landmines: open hostility from illiberal and autocratic regimes, mounting censorship in countries such as Hungary, Turkey,…

  1. J. Bradford DeLong Trump’s Smoke and Mirrors
  2. Karen Rønde Danish Media’s United Stand Against Big Tech
  3. Robin Berjon Social Media as It Should Be

As the COVID-19 crisis escalates, PS commentators assess its implications for the economy, propose policy responses, and consider what might – and sho…

  1. Jan-Werner Mueller Confronting the Pandemic’s Toxic Political Legacy
  2. Brahma Chellaney Will Trump Crack the Mystery of COVID’s Origin?
  3. Antara Haldar COVID’s Lessons Have All Been Forgotten