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International Economic Relations

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Increased international trade, and the lowering of barriers to such trade, frequently results in improved international relations, but it can also lead to trade wars and tariff disputes. RAND research explores bilateral and multilateral economic relations; describes how they affect global alliances, globalization, and the economic health of nations; and recommends methods to develop, encourage, and maintain these relations among diverse nations and cultures.

Report

Potential Benefits of Economic Integration in the Levant

Sep 16, 2019

A comprehensive free trade agreement among six of the core Levant nations—Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey—could increase their average gross domestic product by 3 to 7 percent. It could also reduce regional unemployment rates by 8 to 18 percent.
Report

China's Engagement with the Developing World

Oct 16, 2018

Engaging with developing countries offers China economic growth and global influence. What are the consequences of Beijing's strategy toward the developing world for the United States?

Explore International Economic Relations

Commentary

Russia's Risky Game Plan for Syria

It will take time to assess the extent to which Russia has “won“ in Syria. Absent a peaceful end to the conflict and an infusion of large-scale Western aid, downside risks for Russia could take some of the bloom off of its rose in Syria.

Oct 29, 2019
Commentary

Zimbabwe’s Neighbors Express Solidarity Against a False Enemy

The notion that sanctions are primarily responsible for the economic collapse in Zimbabwe is a useful fiction promoted by that country's authoritarian elite. In reality, the ruling party, in power for 39 years, has no one to blame but itself.

Oct 25, 2019
Commentary

U.S. Economic War on China Weakens Nuclear North Korea, Too

An effective way to bend North Korea toward denuclearization may be exerting consistent and targeted pressure on China. Diminishing Beijing's relevance isn't a cure-all. But it could pierce Kim's illusion of invincibility and place him in a bind to make some concessions.

Oct 18, 2019
Commentary

The Emerging U.S.–China Strategic Competition and the Role of Trans-Atlantic Cooperation

When competing with China, what role should U.S. alliances, especially the transatlantic relationships the United States has with its European partners, play? This question is potentially decisive for whether or not any strategy adopted by the U.S. to compete with China will succeed or fail.

Oct 8, 2019
Report

Proposal for a Revised Regional Order in Post-Soviet Europe and Eurasia

Disputes over the regional order in post-Soviet Europe and Eurasia are at the core of the breakdown in relations between Russia and the West and have created major challenges for the states caught in between. A new approach to the order could boost security and prosperity in the region.

Oct 8, 2019
Commentary

The China Dream: Never Closer, yet Never More Elusive

To achieve its goals of national rejuvenation, China needs to become a true world power. But a softening economy and political gridlock make it seem less and less likely that Beijing will realize all of its objectives.

Oct 1, 2019
Commentary

How Not to Confront China

There are several key reasons why current U.S. policy toward China may not help advance America's competitiveness or enlist much support abroad. Most notably, the administration has yet to explain what it ultimately hopes to accomplish.

Sep 23, 2019
Commentary

Beyond Hawks and Doves: A Better Way to Debate U.S.–China Policy

The best long-term outcome for U.S.–China relations may be one in which inexorably intensifying competition coexists with occasionally fruitful cooperation. It is not the most inspiring result, to be sure, but it is preferable to unconstrained antagonism.

Sep 20, 2019
Blog

E-Cigarettes, 'Stand Your Ground,' Cyber Coercion: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the planned federal ban on flavored e-cigarettes, “stand your ground” laws, understanding cyber coercion, and more.

Sep 20, 2019
Tool

Tool

The Levant Economic Integration Calculator

This online tool allows policymakers and the public to examine how a comprehensive free trade agreement among the countries of the Levant could create significant new economic opportunities, substantially reducing regional unemployment.

Sep 16, 2019
Commentary

Time to Return to the Basics of Statecraft

After two decades of setbacks abroad, it's time to ask whether the decline in American influence is irreversible. Ultimately, neither China nor Russia is responsible for these difficulties. Washington's failures have been self-inflicted, the result of flawed policy rather than any decisive shift in the global balance of power.

Sep 4, 2019
Commentary

Maintaining the U.S. Edge in the Freely Associated States

In the geo-strategically vital region of the Freely Associated States (FAS), China is increasingly competing with the United States for influence. The United States and its allies and partners will need to engage not only with economic aid, but also with other issues including health, economic development, natural disasters, climate change and illegal fishing to sustain a strong partnership with the FAS.

Sep 3, 2019
Commentary

Trump's Tariffs Against China Aren't Working. And There's No Quick Resolution in Sight

Washington's go-it-alone approach to its trade disputes with China is imposing a high and growing cost on the U.S. economy. It could even threaten global prosperity. What's more, there's no quick resolution in sight.

Aug 20, 2019
Report

America's Pacific Island Allies

Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau are subject to growing Chinese influence. U.S. funding to and engagement with these Pacific Island nations are key to America's defense and foreign policy goals.

Aug 6, 2019
Commentary

Yes, Sam Huntington Has Insights to Guide U.S. Competition with China

Many U.S. observers believe that the United States is declining relative to China. The United States' long-term competitiveness will be served neither by assuming that China is fated to collapse on account of its internal contradictions nor by presuming that it is destined to preside over a world order with Chinese characteristics. Sustainable strategy requires a measured disposition.

Jul 25, 2019
Commentary

A Challenging Moment for Boris Johnson

As Britain's next prime minister, Boris Johnson will bring advantages, and disadvantages, in seeking to lead the United Kingdom through a period as challenging as the Suez Crisis or (perhaps) the darkest days of World War II.

Jul 23, 2019
Commentary

This Is Not a Great-Power Competition

The emerging conventional wisdom among foreign policy analysts in Washington is that a new era of great-power competition is upon us. But does that phrase really capture today's reality?

May 29, 2019
Journal Article

Journal Article

External Threat, Internal Rivalry, and Alliance Formation

Coalitions of rivals, while formidable against common threats, may find it difficult or impossible to avoid struggles among themselves even if they share an enemy.

May 15, 2019
Report

Tool Created to Help Multinational Companies Assess Risk of Bribery When Doing Business in Foreign Countries

Corruption can hinder global business investment — particularly in emerging markets — but multinational companies often have difficulty assessing the business bribery risk in other countries. A new tool, called the TRACE Matrix, can help.

May 13, 2019

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RAND Topic:
International Economic Relations

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International