In the Financial Times, David Blair writes about the proceedings of OPEC's latest meeting - where Saudi attempts to ease Western oil supply woes were defeated unexpectedly by an Iranian-led coalition.

The G8 summit affirmed the group's importance as a U.S. partner as it seeks a common front on the "Arab Spring" uprisings, and in forging collective action on human rights and security matters, says CFR's Stewart Patrick.

A succinct description of how the recent period of growth in developing countries is leading to a convergence with the advanced countries, or developed world.

Welcome to the new food economics of 2011: Prices are climbing, but the impact is not at all being felt equally. Those who are barely hanging on to the lower rungs of the global economic ladder risk losing their grip entirely.

Economist A. Michael Spence says emerging market growth is going to produce a boom in investment, which in turn may lead to higher interest rates globally, and a tendency to intervene in international capital flows. Spence spoke to Robert Rubin, Former Treasury Secretary and Co-Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, at CFR's 2011 Corporate Conference.

G20 Finance Ministers and Central bank governors issued this communiqué on April 15, 2011 at their meeting in Washington, DC.

China's policy of holding down the value of its currency and monetary easing in the United States have led to large capital inflows into emerging economies. Although consensus in emerging markets has formed around capital controls, Francis E. Warnock challenges their underlying assumptions.

Sebastian Mallaby says that a government shutdown could undermine the dollar's reserve currency status and thus reduce the United States' ability to project power.

Amity Shlaes discusses the relationship between rainfall and regime type.

Former U.S. President Richard Nixon once famously told the young Donald Rumsfeld that "people don't give one damn about Latin America now." But in fact, Obama's trip south is important for long-term U.S. interests, and long overdue.

Adam Segal says we must look toward China and India as models for competition in "disruptive innovation."

Oil price shocks spurred by Mideast events are unlikely to derail the U.S. economic recovery, says CFR Distinguished Visiting Fellow Michael Spence. But bigger shifts in the global economy will hit U.S. unemployment, income inequality, and capital costs, he says.

Sebastian Mallaby says that merits exist to the argument for "charter cities."

The U.S. dollar has a unique status as a reserve currency. Novel policy tools are needed to avoid excess reserve accumulation in surplus nations.

Economist Paul Romer describes the concept of charter cities as "special reform zones that allow governments to quickly adopt innovative new systems of rules," in order to "create opportunities for millions of people to…lead safer, healthier, and more prosperous lives."

Economist Paul Romer describes the concept of charter cities as "special reform zones that allow governments to quickly adopt innovative new systems of rules," in order to "create opportunities for millions of people to...lead safer, healthier, and more prosperous lives."

David Abraham and Ira Wolf say that changing consumer habits in Japan are making its economy more attractive to multinationals.