Richard N. Haass argues that many of the same issues that we faced in 2012 will continue to be problematic in 2013.

Charles A. Kupchan argues that the Atlantic alliance is remarkably resilient, but it must now face the urgent challenge of economic and political weakness that has descended upon the West.

Walter Russell Mead says that while we don't know if the global economy is in the recovery phase or still getting sicker, we have already learned some important lessons.

Walter Russell Mead says that fears and panic over the current economic crisis in Europe expose the failures of the "religion" of liberal modernity.

Walter Russell Mead examines the problems underlying the European financial crisis.

Walter Russell Mead looks at the efforts to control the Greek financial crisis.

Benn Steil argues that the world has no attractive alternatives to the current dollar-based international monetary system, but that the dollar's days of coasting on the accomplishments of the Volcker Fed are over. The Fed must demonstrate to the world anew that the dollar is a reliable long-term store of value.

Walter Russell Mead examines the implications of the financial crisis for both the world's greater and lesser powers. He writes, "financial crises on balance reinforce rather than undermine the world position of the leading capitalist countries."

Generally, for advanced countries with deep and liquid capital markets like the United States, the best policy is to allow these markets to determine exchange rates.

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The debt crisis that has hammered southern Europe since 2010 will have long-lived economic effects, despite the moderation in Spanish and Italian government borrowing costs since the European Central Bank's "Outright Monetary Transactions" initiative last September.

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The Brazilian government faces a number of challenges and opportunities concerning its economic forecast in the coming years. After peaking at 7.5 percent growth in 2010, Brazil's recent economic slowdown has caused worry that the dream of a new high-growth economy had slipped out of reach.

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Jeffrey M. Lacker discusses "too big to fail" protection for financial institutions and credible alternatives to this policy.

The prospective challenge of containing inflation, buttressing a collapsed housing market, and normalizing the Federal Reserve's bloated balance sheet has created an "exit strategy" dilemma for Chairman Ben Bernanke. CFR Director of International Economics Benn Steil urges the Federal Reserve to swap mortgage-backed securities with the U.S. Treasury in exchange for Treasury securities, which the Fed can then sell as part of a normal process of monetary tightening.

Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz discusses how the lack of financial regulation creates market instability which results in inequality, and addresses ways to strengthen both the U.S. and international economy, to prevent further collapse.

Italian prime minister Mario Monti discusses his tenure in office and his country's participation in the eurozone.

The C. Peter McColough Series on International Economics is presented by the Corporate Program and the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.

Willem H. Buiter, chief economist for Citigroup, discusses the financial crises affecting the Euro zone.

This meeting was part of the C. Peter McColough series on International Economics.

Daniel K. Tarullo, member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, reviews the vulnerabilities in the financial system that contributed to the crisis and compelled regulatory response, outlines key reforms adopted to date, and identifies the important regulatory tasks that remain.

The C. Peter McColough Series on International Economics is presented by the Corporate Program and the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies.

Laurence D. Fink, chairman and chief executive officer of BlackRock, discusses the challenges facing the global financial system.

This meeting is part of the CEO Speaker series.

European leaders met in Brussels to craft a comprehensive solution to the eurozone sovereign debt crisis. Sebastian Mallaby, director of CFR's Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies, and Benn Steil, CFR director of international economics, discussed the outcome of the summit, the role of the continent's banks, the Greek debt crisis, and the eurozone's financial rescue fund.

CFR director of studies James M. Lindsay and senior fellow Sebastian Mallaby discuss the bipartisan proposal from the "Gang of Six" senators to reduce deficits by nearly $4 trillion over the coming decade, and the challenges facing Europe and the United States over the debt crisis.