Amid the global economic downturn, the World Trade Organization has been reduced to a talking shop as the prospects for a new global trade deal grow dimmer, says CFR's Marc Levinson.

The United States Institute of Peace examines the impact of the recent redenomination of the won on the North Korean people and regime.

Representative Paul Ryan discusses the future of trade agreements with the Middle East and how greater economic engagement can lead to strategic, political, and security benefits.

John W. Miller reports for the Wall Street Journal on the seventh World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Geneva. Miller explains why protectionism and the state of the global economy have made several nations "afraid" of a new international trade deal.

Listen to 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.

"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.

As President Obama embarks on a trip to Asia, CFR Senior Fellow Evan Feigenbaum says the president must express U.S. commitment to free trade and drive the agenda for greater trade liberalization in the region.

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.

Strict export restrictions are making U.S. businesses less competitive and the country less secure. Policymakers must craft new regulations to help, rather than harm, U.S. interests.

Listen to Marc Levinson, senior fellow for international business at CFR, discuss the Obama administration's trade policy, American competitiveness, and the value of the U.S. dollar, as part of CFR's State and Local Officials Conference Call series.

Learn more about CFR's State and Local Officials Initiative.

In his closing keynote address, Assistant Secretary Of State For East Asian And Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell discusses the History of US-China relations, and considers how strategic interests and relations may progress in the future.

CFR's Benn Steil says the dollar's continuing decline could result in higher prices for major imports like energy and, in a worst-case scenario, might lead to higher inflation and interest rates.

Session III of a Council on Foreign Relations Conference on China 2025. Subject:  China's Security Future

A panel discussion on China's global rise, as part of the Council on Foreign Relations China 2025 Conference.

In Benn Steil's October column in Dow Jones' Financial News, he shows that the U.S. only calls for floating exchange rates when it believes the dollar will float down rather than up, and argues that this self-interested inconsistency is encouraging China and America's other major creditors to move away from non-discriminatory multilateral trade as they seek to lessen their dependence on the dollar.

China's continued impressive growth is by no means assured, writes CFR's Steven Dunaway. Without basic changes to its economic model, including rule of law reforms, it could face considerable struggles, he says.