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Harold James

Harold James

Writing for PS since 2001
227 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. Is America the Next Soviet Union?
    james224_Francis LochonGettyImages_ussr_dolls Francis Lochon/Getty Images

    Is America the Next Soviet Union?

    Nov 28, 2024 Harold James sees parallels between the United States’ political dysfunction and that of its twentieth-century adversary.

  2. Fascism in Our Time
    james223_Win McNameeGetty Images_fascism Win McNamee/Getty Images

    Fascism in Our Time

    Oct 28, 2024 Harold James emphasizes the similarity of US business leaders’ behavior to that of their counterparts in 1930s Germany.

  3. Trump’s Tariffs Are an Opportunity for Harris
    james222_Win McNameeGetty Images)_debate Win McNamee/Getty Images)

    Trump’s Tariffs Are an Opportunity for Harris

    Oct 7, 2024 Harold James urges the Democratic presidential candidate to reject the new consensus against free trade.

  4. The Future of Conservatism
    ps3q2024 predictions GettyImages-1958540720-fade_AW Getty Images

    The Future of Conservatism

    Sep 9, 2024 Elizabeth Corey, et al. consider whether the populist “new right” in America, Europe, and elsewhere is here to stay.

  5. Who Will Create a New European Culture of Debate?
    james221_JOHN MACDOUGALLAFP via Getty Images_macron JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images

    Who Will Create a New European Culture of Debate?

    Aug 27, 2024 Harold James thinks the Franco-German twosome, historically Europe’s engine of integration, has become a spent force.

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  1. ruto6_LUIS TATOAFP via Getty Images_africafloods Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images

    A New Deal for Developing Countries

    William Ruto explains what climate-vulnerable Africa will need to strengthen their resilience and sustain economic growth.
  2. mazzucato78_James Glossop - WPA PoolGetty Images_starmerinvestment James Glossop/WPA/Pool/Getty Images

    Good Growth Requires Getting Public-Private Partnerships Right

    Mariana Mazzucato worries that a recently unveiled industrial strategy is not structured properly.
  3. delong266_Michael SwensenGetty Image_musk Michael Swensen/Getty Images

    American Idiots

    J. Bradford DeLong considers the implications of Donald Trump and his entourage orchestrating an unnecessary government shutdown.
  4. fischer223_Alexander KoernerGetty Images_bundeswehr Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

    Putin’s Setbacks Are Cold Comfort for Europe

    Joschka Fischer considers the implications of Russia's loss in Syria and Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House.
  5. brown115_WAKIL KOHSARAFP via Getty Images_afghanistanwomen Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images

    Gender Apartheid Is a Crime Against Humanity

    Gordon Brown urges global policymakers to address the Afghan regime’s egregious violations of women and girls' rights.
  6. Matt Gush/Getty Images

    The US Economy’s Trust Deficit

    Michael Spence considers the causes and consequences of Americans’ declining faith in media and government.
  7. halland9_FREDRIK VARFJELLNTBAFP via Getty Images_norwaynaturalgas Fredrik Varfjell/NTB/AFP via Getty Images

    Norway Is a Ukraine War Profiteer

    Håvard Halland & Knut Anton Mork

    The Norwegian finance ministry recently revealed just how much the country has benefited from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, estimating its windfall natural-gas revenues for 2022-23 to be around $111 billion. Yet rather than transferring these gains to those on the front line, the government is hoarding them.

    argue that the country should give its windfall gains from gas exports to those on the front lines.
  8. gahnberg1_NurPhotoGettyImages_china_mobile_changing_piles

    Navigating the Risks of Digital Public Infrastructure

    Carl Gahnberg calls for guardrails and policy guidelines to prevent governments from abusing the policy paradigm.
  9. gill10_Nhac NguyenGettyImages_vietnam_street_vendor Nhac Nguyen/Getty Images

    Services Are the New Road to Development

    Indermit Gill & Aaditya Mattoo explain why developing countries need a new paradigm to replace the old manufacturing-led model.

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