By Sebastian Elbaum and Jonathan Panter
RealEcon
RealEcon is made possible by the generous support of the Amy Falls and Hartley Rogers Foundation.
The initiative’s initial focus is on three areas of international economic policy: trade and investment, development, and economic security. Through research projects, convenings, publications, and outreach to policymakers, experts, and the public, RealEcon aims to promote a durable new consensus on American economic leadership.
Trade-Offs
A regular series on the choices faced by international economic policymakers.
By Benn Steil
By Stephen Heifetz
By Jake Colvin
By Stephen Heifetz
Domestic Foundations
By Roger W. Ferguson Jr. and Maximilian Hippold
By Allison J. Smith and Madeline Burns
By Roger W. Ferguson Jr. and Maximilian Hippold
By Rebecca Patterson and Ishaan Thakker
Trade, Tariffs & Trumponomics
On our new trade hub, CFR experts provide timely analysis on the goals, trade-offs, and costs of U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic policies.
Perspectives
By Will Freeman
By Stephen Sestanovich
By Joshua Kurlantzick
By Zongyuan Zoe Liu
Featured Analysis From the CGS
The Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies works to promote a better understanding of how economic and geopolitical forces interact to shape the world.
By Benn Steil, Benn Steil and Yuma Schuster
By Benn Steil
By Inu Manak, Helena Kopans-Johnson and Tony Wu
By Jennifer Hillman, Inu Manak and Helena Kopans-Johnson
By Jennifer Hillman and Mario R. Osorio Hernandez
By Helena Kopans-Johnson and Victoria Fenton
Launched in April 2024
As an initiative of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), RealEcon: Reimagining American Economic Leadership works to assess the role of the United States in the international economy, analyze what is at stake for the American people, and identify the trade-offs in different policy approaches.
Subscribe to the RealEcon Newsletter to get the latest insights:
Archive
279 results
![<p>A demonstrator holds a sign reading in Portuguese “No to Trump’s taxation”, during a protest against the tariffs on Brazilian products imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil July 29, 2025. </p>]()
By James Wallar![<p>A person shops for groceries in New York City, U.S., July 15, 2025.</p>]()
By Allison J. Smith and Matthew P. Goodman![<p>A farmworker works in a strawberry field on June 12, 2025, in Oxnard, California. Anti-immigration crackdowns ordered by US President Donald Trump has seen federal authorities target factories and work sites since June 6.</p>]()
By Rebecca Patterson![<p> A U.S. flag flutters near shipping containers as a ship is unloaded at the Port of Los Angeles, in San Pedro, California, U.S., May 1, 2025.</p>]()
By Roger W. Ferguson Jr. and Maximilian Hippold![<p>Nippon Steel logo is displayed at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo, Japan April 1, 2024. </p>]()
By Stephen Heifetz- Featuring Matthew P. Goodman
![<p>U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands as they attend a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025</p>]()
By Kenneth I. Juster- By Ishaan Thakker
![<p>Trump’s original ninety-day delay of his “Liberation Day” levies, which would be the largest U.S. tariff increase in nearly a century, expires on July 8.</p>]()
By Inu Manak, Rebecca Patterson, Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Shannon K. O'Neil, Brad W. Setser, Edward Alden, Benn Steil, Jonathan E. Hillman and Will Freeman![<p>U.S. President Donald Trump holds a signed Trade Agreement with Britain during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, at the G7 summit, in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 16, 2025.</p>]()
By Inu Manak![<p>U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer holds a copy of “Foreign Trade Barriers” as he testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policy, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 8, 2025.</p>]()
By Edward Alden![<p>A building complex that houses Compass Datacenters is partially visible from a nearby neighborhood in Broadlands, Virginia, U.S., March 13, 2025.</p>]()
By Jonathan E. Hillman![<p>A screen displays the Dow Jones Industrial Average after the closing bell at the NYSE in New York City, U.S., July 1, 2025.</p>]()
By Rebecca Patterson- Featuring Rebecca Patterson
![Taiwan Cumulative Losses]()
By Brad W. Setser![<p>Matt Weber, lobsterman on Monhegan Island, pulls and sets traps ten miles off the coast of Maine, U.S., May 20, 2023</p>]()
By Marc L. Busch![<p>A worker polishes steel bicycle rims at a factory that produces and exports bicycle parts, in Hangzhou, China.</p>]()
By Shannon K. O'Neil and Julia Huesa
