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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.

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.

The Firewall

In a recent speech, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde once again reminded Germany of the consequences of not acting on the current crisis. According to Alexander Privitera, while German officials were quick to shrug off the latest comments, Berlin may be more flexible in its options to help the euro than many believe.

Ten Years of WTO Doha Negotiations: New Impetus Required

In this report, Oliver Wieck proposes a new impetus to overcome the ongoing deadlock in the WTO Doha negotiations. German industry has a huge interest in a strong multilateral trading system with bilateral free trade agreements offering additional market opening. The recent initiative between the EU and the USA to intensify the economic ties could not only boost genuine transatlantic market opening but should also set a clear signal to the new economic powers like China, Brasil and India to join the “Club of Free Traders”.

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Splendid Isolation

In his analysis entitled Splendid Isolation, Alexander Privitera explains how Germany is becoming increasingly isolated from the rest of Europe in the fight to fix the euro. With recent bond auctions in Italy and Spain providing some optimism for the euro zone, Germany may be quick to herald the success of German-style austerity in Europe. However, according to Mr. Privitera, the plan to save the euro is actually becoming less German.

Downgrades and Default

In his essay Downgrades and Default, Alexander Privitera explains that while last week’s European downgrades may not have roiled markets, they have some European leaders fuming. Though some European politicians have begun pointing fingers across the Atlantic for the recent rating cuts, according to Mr. Privitera, the problem lies within Europe itself. Until an effective plan for dealing with Greece is put forth, the euro zone crisis will continue.

The Ratings Race

In this At Issue, Executive Director Jack Janes analyzes the aftermath of last week’s string of European downgrades by Standard and Poor’s. Like their American counterparts in last August’s U.S. downgrade, European leaders seemed quick to point fingers at those they felt were responsible for the rating cuts. However, the message from Standard and Poor’s made one thing very clear: the efforts to fix the Euro crisis are still inadequate. According to Dr. Janes, the lack of political will in Europe to realize the true core of the problem is limiting the ability to reach a consensus on how to solve it.

2012: Between Doom and Hope

Alexander Privitera looks ahead to what we might expect for the continuation of the euro zone crisis in 2012. According to Mr. Privitera, while we may not witness a great start to the New Year, there is reason to believe things could change for the better.

Draghi to the Rescue

Alexander Privitera examines the new head of the ECB, Mario Draghi, since he took the helm of the Frankfurt based central bank. According the Mr. Privitera, Draghi has indeed acted boldly, but continues to stand firm in his decision to not allow the ECB to become the lender of last resort. Mr. Draghi is growing increasingly impatient with Europe’s leaders and expects them to finally act on their promises.

A New Dawn, or Just a New Phase of the Crisis?

Another EU summit, another plan to solve the debt crisis that fails to calm market fears. In his essay A New Dawn, or Just a New Phase of the Crisis?, Alexander Privitera, Washington-based Special Correspondent for the German news channel N24, examines the current state of the sovereign debt crisis following last week’s EU summit. According to Mr. Privitera, Angela Merkel’s continued unwillingness to openly discuss some of the proposed top options for solving the crisis is only fueling market concerns over the euro.

Turkey and Germany – Stable Economies, Stable Ties?

In Turkey and Germany – Stable Economies, Stable Ties?, Humboldt University graduate student and former AICGS intern Ursula Moffitt explains the political and economic path Turkey has taken to become a “model” country in the region. According to Ms. Moffitt, because of the relative stability and success in Turkey in recent years, Germany should look to strengthen the “privileged partnership” it shares with Turkey in the wake of the current euro zone crisis.