Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Ben Bernanke presented these prepared remarks to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on February 26, 2013. The committee provides a webcast of the whole hearing.

President Obama gave these remarks on the impact of the sequester on February 26, 2013, at Newport News Shipbuilding.

Micah Zenko argues, "The tolerance for threat inflation in the absence of plausible threats should be questioned and challenged by anyone interested in, or holding a stake in, the future of U.S. foreign policy."

Experts discuss the state of the global economy and predictions for the future.

Globalization refers to the increasing ease with which goods, services, capital and people can move across the world, which has been accelerated by advances in technology and government policies to reduce barriers. In terms of reducing poverty in as many countries as possible, there is no question that globalizationcontinues to be beneficial, even after the 2008 financial crisis. Poverty continues to fall worldwide at a rapid rate, and countries most integrated into the world economy have seen the biggest reductions in poverty. But it is also true that even before the crisis, the gains from globalization were not spread evenly. Though millions have been lifted out of poverty and everyone benefits from cheaper consumer goods and the opening of new export markets, there are still winners and losers.

Read full answer

Jagdish Bhagwati contends that proposals for immigration reform centered on guestworker programs will be unsuccessful in stemming the inflow of undocumented workers.

U.S. and EU policymakers see multiple signs for a free-trade deal that could stimulate halting economies on both sides of the Atlantic and spur global talks, says expert Jeffrey Schott.

President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Abe made these remarks after their meeting on February 22, 2013.

President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Abe released this statement after their meeting on February 22, 2013, regarding trade relations.

Both are accurate. China certainly "has risen" to become a global economic power: in only three decades, it has transformed itself into the world's second largest economy, largest exporter, and largest provider of loans to the developing world. At the same time, China is rising: its economic and political system, as well as its foreign policy, is still developing. To state categorically that China "has risen" is to accept that the China of today will be substantially the same as the China of five to ten years from now, and few people in or outside China would accept such a conclusion.

Read full answer

Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes held this conference call with National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Danny Russel and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics Mike Froman, to preview Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's visit to Washington, on February 22, 2013.

Secretary John Kerry gave these remarks at the University of Virgina on February 20, 2013. His speech focused on the importance of foreign aid and a strong U.S. economy in addressing foreign policy challenges.

Representatives from U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State, Treasury, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative collaborated to create this strategy, addressing threats to the intellectual property and innovation of the U.S. economy.

Robert Kahn, CFR's Steven A. Tananbaum senior fellow for international economics, leads a conversation on the current state of the U.S. economy and the challenges that lie ahead.

Former co-chairs of the President's bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson proposed a new deficit reduction plan on February 19, 2013, through their organization Moment of Truth. Their plan projects reductions by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, with cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and discretionary spending, and ending or curbing deductions and tax breaks.

Michael Spence argues that effective management of the assets side of national balance sheets is critical for promoting market efficiency, innovation, and resiliency.

Contrary to those who see a future of "globalization on steroids," Joshua Kurlantzick says the reality of today's economic slowdown is that it will leave as its legacy the worst degloblization in modern history.

Graham T. Allison and Robert D. Blackwill explore Lee Kuan Yew's thoughts on China's economic future.

G20 finance ministers and central bank governors issued this communiqué at the summit in Moscow on February 15 and 16, 2013. Major agreements from the discussions include refraining from devaluing their currencies devaluation and enforcing corporate tax laws.

Peter Orszag argues that simplifying access to financial aid can help more Americans earn college degrees, reduce inequality, and boost economic growth.