Merkel’s Double Challenge
Recent developments in Europe have caused a rush of adrenaline to political leaders’ heads across the continent. The dramatic expansion of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) program of asset purchases, …
What Kind of QE?
Many Europe observers already seem to have written off yet another year. To be sure, headlines have not been kind to the old continent, and in particular the euro zone, …
A World in Flux: German American Relations in a Changing American Order
This year’s AGI Annual Symposium is framed around the idea of “A World in Flux”: the relative decline of the West’s economic power; the need to adapt our work forces …
An Update on the ECB
The European Central Bank (ECB) is getting much closer to what many analysts believe is the inevitable launch of a much broader-based program of asset purchases, also involving sovereign bonds. …
The Policy Trap: Is the Euro Crisis Back?
Now in the second half of 2014, the European economy has hit a rough patch, triggering renewed anxiety among policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic. Economists and politicians are …
The French Challenge
The French government recently announced that the age of austerity is finally over—at least for France. That it will now disregard most of its commitments on reducing fiscal deficits represents …
Central Banks’ Diverging Paths Equals a Weaker Euro
The latest monetary decisions made by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) and the European Central Bank (ECB) are keeping analysts very busy. The two key questions central bank watchers are grappling …
Turning Plans Into Action
About a year ago, markets were experiencing serious taper tantrums. At the time, ECB President Mario Draghi proudly defended the fact that unwinding outright asset purchases, and therefore reducing its …
The European Version of Quantitative Easing
Now set to directly purchase asset-backed-securities, ECB President Mario Draghi is leading the Euro Zone in the opposite path of the U.S. Federal Reserve. AICGS Business & Economics Program Director Alexander Privitera analyzes the impact of the announcement for the Euro Zone.
Crossing the New Rubicon?
Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, knows a thing or two about the importance of timing. As markets anxiously wait for new clues from the central banker …
Späte Reue, Stefan Baron
Writing a book about one’s own boss is a difficult task under any circumstance. The exercise is particularly tricky if the person in question is a highly controversial banker; if …
Germany’s Future Iraq Involvement
Since U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to bomb Sunni extremists in Iraq, German public opinion has debated whether to get involved and if so, why. In its initial reaction to …