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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

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?
Commentary

Russia Chooses Paupers as Partners, with Questionable Benefit

Feb 14, 2019

By leveraging the efficiencies of globalization and cultivating ties with prosperous partners, Russia could increase its economic potential and improve living standards for its people. And by engaging more positively with the world, it could gain influence in the forums that matter, such as the G20 and multilateral institutions.

Explore International Economic Relations

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
Report

Potential Benefits of Economic Integration in the Levant

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.

Sep 16, 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
Testimony

Russia and China in the Middle East: A New Era of Strategic Competition

Increased Russian and Chinese engagement in the Middle East in recent years underscores that America is in a new period of strategic competition. To prevail, the United States needs to have a vibrant and productive economy, to protect the international order, and to invest in its network of allies and partners.

May 9, 2019
Commentary

Finding the Real Will of the People

It's not surprising that the British Parliament is struggling to find a solution to the Brexit impasse. That's because the 2016 vote revealed nothing about the sort of Brexit people actually wanted. When researchers asked Brits to choose between four options in 2017, there was no obvious winner.

Apr 30, 2019
Tool

DPRK Sanctions: Countering DPRK Proliferation Activities

This tool provides an understanding of sanctions regimes currently in force against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Apr 29, 2019
Commentary

A Warming Trend in China-Russia Relations

The China-Russia relationship is indeed growing across military, economic, and political dimensions. But it is still more anchored in shared grievances than in common visions. Both countries contest U.S. interests, but in different ways. Washington should treat them as separate strategic challenges.

Apr 18, 2019
Commentary

Book Review: 'Unrivaled' by Michael Beckley

In Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World's Sole Superpower Michael Beckley argues not only that U.S. preeminence is safer than most contemporary commentary would have one believe, but also that it is more resilient.

Apr 18, 2019
Commentary

When Are Economic Sanctions Worthwhile?

For American policymakers, economic sanctions are too often the soft choice between doing nothing and taking effective but risky or expensive action. Yet, before they inflict years, perhaps decades of impoverishment and worse on entire populations, they should ask if their efforts are likely to succeed and are worth punishing an entire people to do so.

Apr 15, 2019
Commentary

The Syrian Civil War Is Coming to an End

Coalition forces have driven ISIS from its final patch of territory in Syria. But the bigger challenge will be ending the ongoing civil war and rebuilding Syria to bring home millions of refugees and internally displaced people. This means creating a state that can provide safety, security, and opportunity that forestalls further rebellion and devastation.

Apr 8, 2019
Commentary

Life After Brexit Need Not Be a Disaster for the UK

Leaving the European Union without a deal will be costly for Britain. But there are actions that could be taken now to help improve the economic prospects of a fully independent UK.

Mar 18, 2019

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RAND Topic:
International Economic Relations

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