Alexander Privitera a Geoeconomics Non-Resident Senior Fellow at AGI. He is a columnist at BRINK news and professor at Marconi University. He was previously Senior Policy Advisor at the European Banking Federation and was the head of European affairs at Commerzbank AG. He focuses primarily on Germany’s European policies and their impact on relations between the United States and Europe. Previously, Mr. Privitera was the Washington-based correspondent for the leading German news channel, N24. As a journalist, over the past two decades he has been posted to Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, and Rome. Mr. Privitera was born in Rome, Italy, and holds a degree in Political Science (International Relations and Economics) from La Sapienza University in Rome.
The Agenda
AICGS Senior Fellow Alexander Privitera looks at the IMF/World Bank spring meetings, which will continue to keep the spotlight on Europe. Despite some recent improvements, the message for Europeans is unchanged: more homework needs to be done and the time to complete it dwindling.
America’s Decline
Bookshops and newsstands throughout the U.S. are filled with tomes debating what many believe to be the current decline in America’s power and influence on the global stage. In light of this recent trend, AICGS Senior Fellow Alexander Privitera examines the more recent literature on this topic and tries to assess what the debates concerning the idea of decline tell us about today’s America.
The Politics of Central Banking
According to AICGS Senior Fellow Alexander Privitera, both the Federal Reserve (FED) and the European Central Bank (ECB) are increasingly becoming political bodies, forced by growing public scrutiny to build their own constituencies.
Germany’s Softening Stance
Despite a week dominated by negative headlines about the Chinese economy and rising gas prices, interest rates for sovereign bonds from Spain and Italy remain quite low. Is the worst of the crisis really over or are investors just lulled by the massive intervention from the ECB?
The Half Full Glass
Senior Fellow Alexander Privitera argues that the skeptics might underestimate that in this crisis, progress is not only measured in pure economic terms, but also by political progress.
Another Delay
Senior Fellow Alexander Privitera examines yet another delay in the decision to boost the financial firewall in Europe following the latest meeting of European finance ministers.
The Master Tactician
Facing increasing headwinds within her coalition, Merkel has decided to ask for a constitutional majority of two thirds of lawmakers to endorse the European fiscal pact, arguably her main personal achievement since the beginning of the crisis. It was a bold tactical move that could have far reaching consequences.
The ‘Good’ Week
In spite of some cautionary words from Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke on the economic recovery, this past week was a relatively good one for the financial markets. However, according to AICGS Senior Fellow Alexander Privitera, the mood could soon be changing.
Buying Time, Building Firewalls
European leaders have finally agreed to a deal that will send the next tranche of financial aid to embattled Greece in exchange for further austerity measures in Athens. According to Senior Fellow Alexander Privitera, while the deal will help Greece stay afloat in the short term, it increasingly signals that politicians in Europe may simply be buying time for an eventual Greek default.
The Moral Dilemma
While promoting the work of his government to U.S. President Barack Obama, Italian Prime minister Mario Monti was suddenly asked by his host how he dealt with German Chancellor Angela …
Italian Lessons for Bernanke
Looking at Europe, FED Chairman Ben Bernanke has drawn some hard lessons that the U.S should be aware of. In fact, with the most acute phase of the Euro crisis somewhat abating, Bernanke feels compelled to issue a stern warning to U.S. politicians not to make the same mistakes made by some European countries, which have made them vulnerable to fiscal crisis. What happened to Europe could very well happen to the US, and more suddenly and sooner than many today think is possible.
European Visions in Davos
Alexander Privitera examines Chancellor Merkel’s speech at the World Economic Forum, in which she strongly defended the euro and laid out a plan for further European integration. According to Mr. Privitera, her words will not be enough to solve the euro crisis in the near future. However, the speech should help assure financial markets of Germany’s continued commitment to the euro and the project of European integration.
