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As the World Bank and IMF seek to put the world economy on a more stable footing and promote sustainable growth, there is one issue they cannot ignore: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China’s massive global infrastructure program has increased debt levels to a worrying extent in many developing countries, threatening to hinder their economic recovery. The Bretton Woods institutions need to confront this issue head-on, rather than sweeping it under the rug. BRI meets significant development needs, by funding and building physical and digital infrastructure projects around the world...

Since the start of the Trump administration, the United States has refused to appoint any new members to the body, effectively allowing countries to avoid compliance with WTO rulings. The primary driver of this drastic action has been American frustration at perceived judicial overreach. U.S. policymakers, starting with the George W. Bush administration, have repeatedly voiced their displeasure with Appellate Body decisions, contending that certain decisions have reached beyond the text of existing WTO agreements. In particular, U.S. complaints have focused on WTO rulings that criticize the U...

Print Anti-Thai government protester throws a liquid during a clash with riot police after protesters showed up at a rally for Myanmar's democracy outside the embassy, in Bangkok, Thailand on February 1, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Blog Post Blog posts represent the views of CFR fellows and staff and not those of CFR, which takes no institutional positions. I review Freedom House’s latest report on the fortunes of democracy, delve into the three major international forces exacerbating the global decline in freedom, and consider what might be done to reverse the a...

What to watch as Biden admin ‘re-engages’ with UN Joseph Stepansky © People walk front of the United Nations building in New York on February 3, 2021 [File: Daniel Slim/... People walk front of the United Nations building in New York on February 3, 2021 [File: Daniel Slim/AFP] The United States Senate is set to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominee for ambassador to the United Nations this week, a major step in the administration’s drive to take a multilateral approach to foreign policy and mend Washington’s relationship with the international body. While the coun...

The rationale behind Biden’s democracy summit is not idealistic but deeply realistic. It reflects a conviction that a world order based on a core of resilient democracies is likely to be a safer, more open, and more prosperous one.