Reform of the international monetary system is under discussion after three decades of apathy. Tectonic shifts in the balance of international power have made reform more urgent. However, in the short term, there is little chance of a grand redesign of the international monetary system....

In the years since the SDR was created, the international monetary system has experienced a number of profound changes. The present paper sketches the effects of these changes on perceptions of the role that the SDR can and should play in that system