Energy & Economics

Egyptian officials and businessmen are visiting Israel this week to discuss the creation of Egyptian-Israeli qualified industrial zones (QIZs), which would give them free trade access to U.S. markets. They seek to emulate Jordan's QIZs, the most successful example to date of U.S.-Arab free trade. Indeed, these zones have given

The late 2003 IAEA deal at its best addresses only a small part of the Iranian nuclear proliferation threat; at its worst, the deal could become a significant obstacle to responding to the Iranian nuclear threat. The test will come over time -- which is convenient for the Bush administration

Testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services, Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology Two important considerations in judging U.S. reaction to World Bank lending to Iran are: how important is World Bank lending be to Iran, and how would lending to Iran fit with World

This PolicyWatch is the third in a three-part series written to coincide with the Madrid Donors Conference on Iraq, which begins on October 24, 2003. Read Part I and Part II (both by Michael Knights). Although economics is not the driving force behind Iraqi resistance to the U.S.-led coalition, restoring

This PolicyWatch is the first in a three-part series written to coincide with the Madrid Donors Conference on Iraq, which begins on October 24, 2003. Read Part II (also by Knights) and Part III (by Patrick Clawson). A recent series of violent riots has underlined the close relationship between employment

The attacks against the United Nations headquarters yesterday and against Iraq's oil pipeline to Turkey last weekend illustrate how political and economic security are closely entwined. Ba'athist diehards know that the continuing hardships stemming from economic collapse is what will raise the political temperature among ordinary Iraqis. The lack of

If Iraq is to rebuild its infrastructure and restore its economy at the pace forecast by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), it will need to bridge a major near-term financing gap by increasing capital inflows from outside the country and simultaneously improving its ability to absorb aid and investment. Oil

A recent State Department security warning urged all Americans abroad to make sure their cars have a full tank of gas. The message itself was odd: Is there really a Foggy Bottom office responsible for the level of petrol in every expatriate's gas tank? But the emphasis on prevention was

To bolster the case for war, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell presented the United Nations Security Council new evidence that Saddam Hussein continues to violate the disarmament clauses of Security Council resolution 1441. This strategy dovetails with President George Bush's repeated mantra that Saddam Hussein poses an unmistakable threat