NEW YORK — As developing nations grapple with compounding macroeconomic imbalances, severe debt distress, and narrowing pathways to sustainable growth, the architecture of international financial rescue is facing an unprecedented stress test. Against this turbulent global backdrop, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has initiated its official Review of Program Design…
NEW DELHI — For decades, India’s economic narrative has been framed by a paradox: a surging, trillion-dollar economy boasting some of the world’s highest growth rates, running parallel to a stubbornly low female labor force participation rate (LFPR). While policymakers frequently point to cultural constraints and deeply entrenched social norms…
By Sami Mahroum Published: September 11, 2026 ABU DHABI — Governments worldwide are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to process mountains of bureaucratic data, optimize resource allocation, and streamline public services. Yet, a fundamental paradox is emerging at the intersection of automation and statecraft: as machines grow exponentially more capable,…
COPENHAGEN/LONDON — In an era defined by unprecedented technological advancement, medical breakthroughs, and aggregate wealth accumulation, political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are increasingly peddling a paradox: the persistent narrative that the West is in terminal decline. Even as their societies continue to grow wealthier in absolute terms,…
By Global Affairs Desk Published: September 10, 2026 Main Facts As the world marks a quarter-century since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, historians, political scientists, and strategists are increasingly arriving at a sobering consensus: while the terrorist attacks themselves altered the physical and emotional landscape of the United…
LONDON — China’s formidable trade surplus, which has now surged past the staggering threshold of $1 trillion per year, has ignited fierce debates across Western capitals. It has prompted urgent warnings from protectionist lawmakers, spurred new tariffs in Washington and Brussels, and driven a profound rethinking of globalization. These immediate…
By Javier Solana and Angel Saz-Carranza Published: September 9, 2026 Section: Politics & World Affairs MADRID — A quarter-century ago, the world changed course in an instant. The dawn of the new millennium had roughly coincided with the arrival of new leadership in the United States and Russia—then the world’s…
