The Big Picture brings together a range of PS commentaries to give readers a comprehensive understanding of topics in the news – and the deeper issues driving the news. The Big Question features concise contributor analysis and predictions on timely topics.
The strategic rivalry between the United States and China is intensifying rapidly, and judging by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent speech on the matter, further escalation is to be expected. This has contributed to dire predictions about China’s economic prospects, but both sides stand to lose.
People around the world have been feverishly engaging with OpenAI’s ChatGPT for months, yet we have barely scratched the surface of what generative artificial intelligence can do. Its capabilities are widely expected to transform our economies and societies, though there is far less agreement that the changes will be for the better.
Fifteen years after the collapse of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers triggered a devastating global financial crisis, the banking system is in trouble again. Central bankers and financial regulators each seem to bear some of the blame for the recent tumult, but there is significant disagreement over how much – and what, if anything, can be done to avoid a deeper crisis.
The US government’s pledge to do “whatever is needed” to protect the banking system after Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse last week did little to reassure markets, which have continued to slide. At a time when the US Federal Reserve is considering further interest-rate hikes to tame inflation, we asked PS commentators how bad things are likely to get, for the US and the world.
While the European Union has gradually tightened the screws on tech giants, America’s regulatory bark has so far been bigger than its bite. With Big Tech’s competition-crushing market power continuing to grow, we asked PS commentators why the US continues to lag, and what it would take to make real progress.
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More than a year after Russia launched what was widely expected to be a quick rout of Ukraine’s forces, both sides are preparing for yet another round of offensives. As the United States and Europe reaffirm their support for Ukraine, the question of what it will take to end the war is more urgent – and complicated – than ever.
Recent deadly earthquakes in southern Turkey – which have also devastated northwest Syria – have put President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) under intensifying pressure. With some 46,000 people killed, and the fallout continuing to grow, we asked PS commentators whether the tragedy will lead to a significant political shakeup after 20 years of AKP rule.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s push to strengthen Japan’s military capabilities marks a profound shift for a country with pacifism enshrined in its constitution, but Japanese strength is increasingly viewed as vital to counter Chinese expansionism. Basic questions about the country’s new strategic posture remain unanswered, however – including its ability to implement its ambitious plans.
The release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT less than three months ago has fueled feverish debate about the risks, challenges, and opportunities raised by artificial intelligence. With companies pouring billions of dollars into the technology, we asked PS commentators whether and how the world as we know it is about to be transformed.
Though the US Federal Reserve’s first interest-rate hike of 2023 is smaller than those that preceded it, policymakers have signaled that more increases are on the way, despite slowing price growth. But there is good reason to doubt the utility – and fear the consequences – of continued rate hikes, on both sides of the Atlantic.
From demographics to trade to GDP growth, China is currently struggling precisely where India seems to be thriving. At a time when the global economy’s center of gravity is shifting to Asia, we asked PS commentators whether India’s rising star will soon outshine China’s.
The world is buckling under the weight of its debts. With interest rates – and thus debt-servicing costs – set to continue to rise, and global growth unlikely to pick up any time soon, the risk of crisis is mounting in developed and developing economies alike.
As Donald Trump prepares for his 2024 presidential run, Republican Party extremists have been making their presence known in Congress, not least by repeatedly blocking their own party’s choice for Speaker of the US House of Representatives. As a year of pre-election political jockeying begins, we asked PS commentators to assess whether Trump can maintain his hold on the Republican base.
