U.S. lawmakers have increasingly used the debt ceiling to re-litigate congressional spending, risking default and sparking debate over whether to abolish the ceiling.

The dollar’s role as the primary reserve currency for the global economy allows the United States to borrow money more easily and impose painful financial sanctions. Other countries are beginning to …

Relations between the two countries, long bound by common interests in oil and security, have strained over what some analysts see as a more assertive Saudi foreign policy.