Russia's pending membership in the World Trade Organization could alter its global economic standing and boost trading partners. But experts say Moscow must restructure its economy to benefit from joining the club.
Jagdish Bhagwati and Rajeev Kohli make the case for proposed reforms to India's retail sector that would allow the entry of retail giants like Wal-Mart, Tesco, and Carrefour.
The U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) Action Plan was released in December 2011. The plan pertains to the two countries' bilateral trade and investment relationship.
U.S. and EU leaders issued this joint statement on November 28, 2011 following a White House meeting between President Obama and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.
A multilateral free trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, dominated President Obama's agenda at the APEC summit in Hawaii. This is part of a U.S. effort to increase economic cooperation with Asia to boost exports and create jobs, says expert Simon Tay.
Authors: Edward Alden, Clyde V. Prestowitz, Thea Lee, and C. Fred Bergsten
Four experts weigh in on the role of free trade in driving U.S. economic growth and competitiveness amid high U.S. unemployment and a faltering global economic recovery.
The Asia Society Task Force reviews the phenomenon of East Asian regionalism and offers policy-relevant suggestions for the Obama administration to renew and deepen engagement between the United States and Asia.
Rob Quartel, chairman and CEO of NTELX, discusses the need for investment in U.S. infrastructure with CFR's James M. Lindsay. "We really have to focus on alternative means for paying for infrastructure," argues Quartel.
The U.S. ratification of the stalled Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama indicates that "there is a possibility, despite the very great partisan divisions in Congress, of bipartisan cooperation on economic issues," says CFR's Edward Alden. However, Alden emphasizes that "it is important not to overstate the potential job creation benefits" of the agreements.
As Presidents Lee and Obama reaffirm the relationship and celebrate congressional approval of a long-pending free trade deal, they must also focus on difficult challenges ahead with North Korea and China's rise, say experts.
The longstanding U.S.-South Korea alliance, created as a bulwark against a communist North Korea, has expanded to include tighter trade ties and cooperation on global issues from climate change to international development.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's visit to Washington is likely to see passage of the Free Trade Agreement and coordination on strategies for pushing North Korea toward denuclearization, says CFR's Scott Snyder.
A U.S. Senate bill targeting China's controversial currency policy risks provoking retaliatory measures from Beijing, say analysts, and would make little headway in advancing U.S. economic interests.
As President Barack Obama hosts Lee in an official state visit at the White House, Snyder and CFR senior fellow and trade expert Edward Alden discuss the U.S.-Korea relationship and the KORUS-FTA.
Evan A. Feigenbaum argues that expanded trade and investment between India and the United States can both diversify and solidify a partnership to which both governments are deeply committed.
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
Special operations play a critical role in how the United States confronts irregular threats, but to have long-term strategic impact, the author argues, numerous shortfalls must be addressed.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
Two experts argue that despite myriad development strategies, only one can succeed in alleviating poverty in India: the overall growth of the country's economy. More