As if to affirm that "History repeats itself," the third oil shock in seventeen years has been threatening. But history never repeats itself exactly, and important differences exist between this incipient oil shock and the previous two, including differences in the likely magnitude of the shock,...

Over the past several decades, more and more countries have entered into preferential trading arrangements, provoking concern that the benefits of free trade are being sacrificed to growing discrimination. Just how widespread is this discrimination in international trade, and is it "legitimate"...

Some countries with high inflation have adopted another nation’s more stable currency: Panama uses the U.S. dollar, gaining price stability and easier trade with its primary partner. But this arrangement grants an interest-free loan to the government whose currency is used. And the nation...

After 1982 the international investment position of the United States dramatically shifted from one of sizable net creditor to much more sizable net debtor. As the U.S. deficit on current international transactions soared to record levels during the mid-1980s, some observers perceived a grave...

Many countries have shifted toward freer markets in recent years. This shift is far from complete or free from backsliding, however. Moreover, a number of prominent economists contend that government restrictions should be maintained, or at least kept in reserve, for certain categories of...

In July 1944 at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, delegates from 44 nations agreed upon an international monetary system to be established following World War II. At the heart of the system was the International Monetary Fund, which was to foster economic prosperity by promoting international...

Among the many consequences of the recent Persian Gulf War was a heightened interest in the international trade in armaments, with some analysts forecasting a substantial increase. This article surveys the arms trade, focusing chiefly on the economic features. The survey finds that national...

No other international trade negotiations have been so comprehensive as the Uruguay Round, in which participants agreed to liberalize trade in agricultural products, to reduce tariffs on industrial products by an average of more than one-third, and to establish a World Trade Organization. This...