Keeping the G20 Real

The G20 wants to change the world. More specifically, the G20 gives national politicians a chance to put forward ambitious global agendas. This is good for their careers. But it can also be good for the world. The balance and weight of the G20 allows it to have some influence on other, older global organisations that may be less able to take a comprehensive view of what needs to be done in today’s risky world. What exactly is needed?

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Europe's Crisis is Political

As Europe’s debt crisis drags on, it is clear that underlying the economic and financial mess is a deeper political problem. The financial problem is clear: private and public sectors in various parts of Europe borrowed more than was sustainable. In this sense, the problem was similar to that of the US; indeed, it was partly created by what was going on in the US. But Europe’s economic problems are compounded by its politics, in ways beyond what a single country would face, even one like the US, with its current dysfunctional polarisation.

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