Comment

Economists who say that advanced-economy debt is «safe» sound like those who touted the «Great Moderation» – the permanent reduction in cyclical volatility – a generation ago. A column by Kenneth Rogoff.

The trade war may well be an early skirmish in a much tougher battle, during which economics will ultimately trump Trump. A column by Stephen Roach.

Swedish politics has given Russia plenty of ammunition in its efforts to influence public opinion, and Russia’s electoral meddling has become an excuse for Swedish leaders to avoid reforms. A column by Paulina Neuding.

Italy’s banks, debt, immigration backlash, and economic malaise will test the resilience of the single currency – and of European integration generally. A column by Michael J. Boskin.

To finally create an African single market, the continent should look to Amazon, the e-commerce giant, for inspiration. A column by Carl Manlan.

Banks ought to form mutually supportive groups. This would avoid the over-emphasis on risk-sharing and the underestimation of behavioral risks inherent in state-provided solutions. A column by Hans-Werner Sinn.

If the U.S. wants to shoot itself in the foot, then the best response may be to let it. But it looks like the politics will trump (as it were) the economics. So the danger of escalation is real. A column by Barry Eichengreen.

It is hard to overstate the social impact the World Cup will have within Russia. People who will witness this international event will learn to appreciate diversity and avoid discrimination. A column by Konstantin Sonin.

The new course of policy might soon lead Italy into the precipice of insolvency, capital controls, and even the exit of the Euro area. A column by Fabrizio Zilibotti.

As the diplomatic tumult in the cases of North Korea and Iran shows, the madman strategy has made a comeback. It is now being adopted even in debates about reforming the Eurozone. A column by Harold James.

The next EU-summit will not show very substantial results. The European Union is too deeply divided for that to happen. A column by Charles Wyplosz.

If we reflect on Marx' intellectual legacy, we should do so not in celebration, but to inoculate our open societies against the totalitarian temptation that lurks in his false theories. A column by Carl Bildt.