Watch Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) talk about the future of trade agreements with the Middle East and how greater economic engagement can lead to strategic, political, and security benefits.

Experts weigh in on the role that the govenment should play in the private sector given the recent experiences of the automotive industry.

This session was part of the Corporate Program's CEO Speaker series.

"As U.S. president Barack Obama makes his way through Asia he will find a dynamic region in ferment," writes Evan Feigenbaum. And, as the region continues to grow, the United States needs to assert itself through trade agreements or risk becoming marginalized in a region that will constitute about half the global economy.

The U.S. Treasury secretary and the finance ministers from Indonesia and Singapore outline the steps needed to ensure robust trade between the United States and Asia and spur growth among APEC member states.

Standard Chartered CEO Peter Sands says Western and Asian economies are both at risk of asset bubbles and that higher savings and social safety nets in Asia are not a near-term fix to global financial problems.

Listen to Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, paint a picture of China's economic future.

This session was part of a CFR symposium, China 2025, which was cosponsored with the Project 2049 Institute.

Listen to Vali R. Nasr, former CFR adjunct senior fellow, discuss his new book, Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It Will Mean for Our World, with students as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's Academic Initiative.

Embarking on her first international trip later this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Japan, South Korea, China, and Indonesia to reinforce President Obama's commitment to active engagement and discuss the global financial crisis. Join CFR experts Edward Alden, Caroline Atkinson, and Elizabeth C. Economy to discuss U.S. foreign policy toward Asia, the global economy, and the challenges and opportunities that fill the new administration's inbox.

CFR Senior Fellow Laurie Garrett says the recent Davos economic forum failed to provide any blue print for reconciling the financial crisis and development aid needs. She predicts donor nations will "face tough sells, trying to convince their voters that it is vital to spend money feeding starving masses abroad."

Trade problems are an underlying cause of the financial crisis. To truly revive the world economy, a new trade consensus is necessary.

Listen to John P. Lipsky, first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), remark on the recent effects of the economy on IMF member countries and the IMF's reaction to the financial crisis.

Watch John P. Lipsky, first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), remark on the recent effects of the economy on IMF member countries and the IMF's reaction to the financial crisis.

Listen to experts analyze the effect of the financial crisis on developing countries' economies and the roles that the IMF and World Bank play during this time.

Vietnam's stock market has plunged and its economic growth has dwindled since 2006, when it was seen as a model for emerging country growth. The country's experience highlights the problems confronting emerging markets in the 2008 financial crisis.

CFR's Latin America Studies Program outlines the implications of the global financial crisis for Latin America.

David Rothkopf, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of "Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making," writes that in this time of transformation of the international system, emerging-market powers will define the new "new world order." The need for broad global engagement around not only the financial crisis but many other world challenges will almost certainly lead the Obama administration to more actively engage the BRICs-a term coined in 2001 to refer to the biggest of the emerging powers Brazil, Russia, India and China-and that in order to manage the challenges of the world economy, potential rivals will become vital partners.

Special Correspondent Mac Margolis examines why, as Brazil becomes Latin America's economic pacesetter, its neighboring countries are viewing it as target No. 1. With a $1.4 trillion economy and a global political agenda, Brazil stands out in a region hobbled by poverty and poor governance. Its industry eclipses that of its neighbors, assuring Brazil a fat regional trade surplus. And as Brazil's fortunes soar, it casts a harsh spotlight on the shortcomings of its neighbors. The result: increased animosity from across its borders.

As Brazil becomes a more powerful player, its neighbors are becoming increasingly aggressive.

CFR Senior Fellow Adam Segal writes that India may be better positioned for a quick recovery from the global financial crisis than many other developing countries.