International Selection

The obvious solution is to stop paying for Russian gas altogether – or to pay into an escrow account until Russia withdraws its forces to its pre-February 24 borders. A column by Simon Johnson.

If the most important countries except China agreed to tax Russian oil at 90%, Russia would try to sell all its oil to China. Then, it would be in China’s interest as well to impose the tax. A column by Ricardo Hausmann.

China will neither risk its own prosperity by openly challenging the US in defense of Russia, nor prop up Russia’s economy massively. A column by Nina L. Khrushcheva.

The Biden administration should urgently seek to redress this trade-policy imbalance by pursuing reciprocal tariff reductions with China. A column by Chang-Tai Hsieh.

If the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensifies, Germany’s ambiguous stance will become untenable. Berlin must confront the risks inherent in its dependence on Russian energy. A column by Helmut K. Anheier.

Ukrainians strongly prefer a war to a rotten peace, and they are by no means resigned to defeat. A column by Sławomir Sierakowski.

The UK government’s leveling-up agenda will not transform the fortunes of people in «left-behind» areas in the short term, but actions taken today can improve living standards in the future. A column by Diane Coyle.

The EU should create a European Strategic Gas Reserve containing enough supply for about three months of consumption. That would strengthen its geopolitical standing. A column by Daniel Gros.

Culture wars feed on old, empty nostrums. To stop the useless fighting, we need to discard anything that does not spark creativity. A column by Harold James.

Every economy has a limited reservoir of policy credibility and resources, which are best used to mitigate genuine economic distress. We may have to learn that lesson again. A column by Raghuram G. Rajan.

If the American central bank’s first try at a digital dollar fails, owing to a lack of public interest and political pushback, it might have to wait decades before trying again. A column by Kenneth Rogoff.

Beijing’s reticence on Ukraine suggests that Xi is carefully hedging his bets. China is  an onlooker, watching both anxiously and hopefully on the sidelines as the Ukraine crisis unfolds. A column by Minxin Pei.