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R. James Breiding

R. James Breiding

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R. James Breiding is the author of Swiss Made: The Untold Story Behind Switzerland’s Success (Profile Books, 2013) and Too Small to Fail: Why Some Small Nations Outperform Larger Ones and How They Are Reshaping the World (Harper Business, 2019).

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  1. Insatiably Seeking Status
    breiding2_PETER PARKSAFP via Getty Images_louisebourgeousspider Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images

    Insatiably Seeking Status

    Jul 10, 2023 R. James Breiding explains why the primary value of famous artworks lies in their buyers' appetite for positional goods.

  2. Give America a Debt Brake
    breiding1_ Fatih AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_national debt clock Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    Give America a Debt Brake

    May 29, 2023 R. James Breiding thinks the United States could learn a valuable lesson from a policy Switzerland put in place in 2003.

  1. lacamera1_Wang DongzhenXinhua via Getty Images_COP28 Wang Dongzhen/Xinhua via Getty Images

    Only Public-Private Cooperation Can Accelerate Decarbonization

    Francesco La Camera & Bruce Douglas explain how to translate political commitments into actual wind turbines and solar panels.
  2. haass167_ANATOLII STEPANOVAFP via Getty Images_ukrainesoldiers Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

    Defining Success in Ukraine

    Richard Haass

    Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser, has expressed the view that 2025 could be the time for Ukraine to once again mount a counter-offensive against Russian troops. Given the strategic math, that would be a serious mistake.

    calls for a shift to a defensive posture and efforts to bring about a long-term ceasefire.
  3. aslund75_Pierre CromGetty Images_ukraineconflict Pierre Crom/Getty Images

    A Unified Western Strategy for Ukraine

    Anders Åslund proposes a maximalist approach to military aid to replace the current piecemeal injections of old weapons.
  4. khrushcheva180_ContributorGetty Images_shoiguputin Contributor/Getty Images

    Russia’s Battle of the Ministries

    Nina L. Khrushcheva sees a high-ranking official's recent arrest as a sign of declining confidence in Vladimir Putin's leadership.
  5. ghosh77_MANDEL NGANAFP via Getty Images_ajaybanga Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

    The “Billions to Trillions” Charade

    Jayati Ghosh

    Multilateral development banks and international financial institutions argue that mobilizing private investment is crucial to meeting developing economies’ needs for climate and development finance. But boosting government revenues is far more likely to generate the trillions of dollars needed to close these financing gaps.

    explains why using development banks' resources to incentivize private-sector finance is unlikely to succeed.
  6. aljasser1_SEYLLOUAFP via Getty Images_dakarairport Seyllou/AFP via Getty Images

    Leveraging Islamic Finance for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure

    Muhammad Al Jasser shows how a hybrid financing model could help fund desperately needed projects in the developing world.
  7. GettyImages-1357300450

    Adekeye Adebajo on the Non-Aligned Movement, United Nations peacekeeping, African institution-building, and more

    Adekeye Adebajo argues that Israel’s war in Gaza is accelerating the trend toward global apartheid, highlights the strengths and weaknesses of United Nations peacekeeping missions, criticizes the militarization of US engagement with Africa, and more.
  8. alemanno1_MARCEL VAN HOORNANPAFP via Getty Images_debate MARCEL VAN HOORN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

    Europe’s Non-European Elections

    Alberto Alemanno highlights structural flaws that impede the European Union’s ability to address its current and future challenges.
  9. almubarak1_In Pictures Ltd.Corbis via Getty Images_africawomancooking In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images

    A Turning Point for Clean Cooking

    Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak & Joseph Nganga urge global leaders to provide the financing to end a practice with dire effects for health and the climate.

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