Ph. William Barton/Shutterstock Linda Yueh, University of Oxford “Iron-clad” and “non-negotiable” is how UK prime minister Keir Starmer recently described the country’s fiscal rules. The government has been coming under pressure to relax the rules and cut itself some financial slack. But according to the PM, these self-imposed restrictions are vital for maintaining
James Scott, King’s College London The “liberation day” tariffs announced by US president Donald Trump have one thing in common – they are being applied to goods only. Trade in services between the US and its partners is not affected. This is the perfect example of Trump’s peculiar focus on trade in goods
Ph. US alcohol has been removed from sale in the Canadian province of British Columbia. lenic/Shutterstock Alan Bradshaw, Royal Holloway University of London and Dannie Kjeldgaard, University of Southern Denmark As politicians around the world scramble to respond to US “liberation day” tariffs, consumers have also begun flexing their muscles. “Boycott USA” messages
A cargo ship and containers are seen at the Port of Keelung in Taiwan on April 3, 2025. I-HWA CHENG/AFP via Getty Images Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University What would the United States stand to lose economically if its current access to the Taiwanese market were upended or totally restricted? This seemingly theoretical
Eric Strikwerda, Athabasca University https://audio.adauris.ai/v2/widget/RvjICRaqgSFBJozV1NoK/3stndkeUGqpGh6qanbaH?distribution=true During Donald Trump’s first term as president, the United States lurched from the absurdity of his lies to the use of his office for personal financial gain, his schoolyard insults and his utter contempt for critics. His term ended with his irresponsible and dangerous incitement of the assault
Adam Simpson, University of South Australia In early 2021, after a decade of political and economic reforms, Myanmar looked like it was finally beginning to shake off the hangover of decades of military rule. Foreign investment was growing, and standards of living were gradually improving. In February that year, however, the military again
Mathew Iantorno, University of Toronto The first months of Donald Trump’s presidency have been defined by a single word: tariffs. He has framed tariffs as a panacea to the woes of the American economy, promising they will restore the country’s manufacturing sector and reduce the national deficit. As the United States’ largest trading
The Heritage Foundation flag flies over its building on July 30, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Fred L. Pincus, University of Maryland, Baltimore County President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 20, 2025, that calls for closing the U.S. Department of Education. The president needs congressional approval to shutter
Natasha Lindstaedt, University of Essex After Donald Trump’s “very good and productive” phone call with Vladimir Putin earlier this week, all eyes were on his subsequent call with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Would it, as it did when they last met in the flesh on February 28 at the White House, descend into
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was one of 10 Democrats who voted to break the filibuster on the GOP funding bill. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Charlie Hunt, Boise State University Facing a threat of imminent government shutdown, nine Democrats joined GOP Senate colleagues to defeat a filibuster, moving the six-month government funding bill