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Nancy Birdsall

Nancy Birdsall

9 commentaries

Nancy Birdsall is President Emeritus and a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development.

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  1. A World of Dangerous Debt Limbo
    Landers2_getty images Getty Images

    A World of Dangerous Debt Limbo

    Sep 12, 2022 Clemence Landers & Nancy Birdsall explain what needs to be done to prevent developing-country debt problems from spiraling out of control.

  2. Unleashing the Climate Market
    birdsall8_Parveen KumarHindustan Times via Getty Images_india flood Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

    Unleashing the Climate Market

    Mar 9, 2021 Nancy Birdsall & Brian Webster call on US policymakers to follow the European Union and the UK in setting green reporting standards.

  3. The Curse of Falling Expectations
    birdsall7_ Guillermo LegariaGetty Images_poverty Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images

    The Curse of Falling Expectations

    Sep 25, 2020 Nancy Birdsall warns that a reversal of developing countries' economic fortunes will threaten their political stability.

  4. Citizens of the World, Reunite!
    birdsall6_Drew AngererGetty Images_USprotest Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    Citizens of the World, Reunite!

    May 25, 2020 Nancy Birdsall shows how international cooperation can still triumph over populist nationalism in the fight against COVID-19.

  5. A Big Bond for Africa
    african infrastructure Mimi Mollica/Getty Images

    A Big Bond for Africa

    Apr 17, 2017 Nancy Birdsall & Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala propose a bold new approach to official development assistance on the continent.

  1. tyson121_Anna MoneymakerGettyImages_musk_ramaswamy Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Why DOGE and Musk Will Fail

    Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca identify a fundamental flaw in the design of Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”
  2. barfi28_AnadoluGettyImages_hafez_alassad_statue_downed Anadolu/Getty Images

    Syria’s House of Cards

    Barak Barfi

    External factors surely contributed to the Syrian regime’s vulnerability in the face of a new rebel advance. But the primary cause of President Bashar al-Assad’s downfall is that he presided over a disintegrating social contract, enabling his enemies to forge new coalitions organized around meeting the everyday needs of Syria’s people.

    explains why Bashar al-Assad’s government collapsed so quickly, placing most of the blame on Assad himself.
  3. gregorova1_Carol YepesGetty Images_messagesencryption Carol Yepes/Getty Images

    Will Your Encrypted Messages Remain Private in Europe?

    Markéta Gregorová worries about a proposed regulation that would undermine a fundamental right in the digital domain.
  4. benami220_AnadoluGettyImages_damascus_celebration Anadolu/Getty Images

    The Fall of the House of Assad

    Shlomo Ben-Ami

    The Middle East’s geopolitical landscape has been transformed by the swift collapse of Syria’s al-Assad dynasty. While the Iranian-led “axis of resistance” now appears hollowed out, an Islamist regime in Damascus may prove deeply unsettling not only to Israel, but also to the region’s Arab states.

    agrees with Iran’s former vice president that the Syrian regime’s collapse will transform the Middle East.
  5. gortiz3_Eyepix GroupGettyImages_sheinbaum_pressconf Eyepix Group/Getty Images

    How Trump’s Return Could Benefit Mexico

    Guillermo Ortiz thinks the country and its new president could benefit from going back to the negotiating table with the US.
  6. singer237_Carl CourtGettyImages_pro_euthanasia_protest_london Carl Court/Getty Images

    Choice in Dying Comes to the UK

    Peter Singer welcomes the approval of a bill that promises to empower terminally ill patients in England and Wales.
  7. bp trump neoliberalism Photo by Saul Martinez for The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Did Neoliberalism Kill American Democracy?

    As US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to make good on his threats to upend American institutions, the pressure is on his opponents to figure out how to defend, and eventually strengthen, US democracy. But first they must understand how the United States reached this point.

  8. patten170_YUICHI YAMAZAKIAFP via Getty Images_japan Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP via Getty Images

    The Sources of Japanese Resilience

    Chris Patten emphasizes the country’s ability to avoid the divisive politics currently plaguing other liberal democracies.
  9. bremmer27_AAREF WATADAFP via Getty Images_syria Aaref Watad/AFP via Getty Images

    The Global Power Vacuum Comes to Syria

    Ian Bremmer explains how external dynamics led to renewed fighting in the country's 13-year-long civil war.

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