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Robert Skidelsky

Robert Skidelsky

Writing for PS since 2003
201 commentaries

Robert Skidelsky, a member of the British House of Lords and Professor Emeritus of Political Economy at Warwick University, was a non-executive director of the private Russian oil company PJSC Russneft from 2016 to 2021. The author of a three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes, he began his political career in the Labour party, became the Conservative Party’s spokesman for Treasury affairs in the House of Lords, and was eventually forced out of the Conservative Party for his opposition to NATO’s intervention in Kosovo in 1999.

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  1. Globalization’s Latest Last Stand
    skidelsky184_Getty Images_deglobalization Getty Images

    Globalization’s Latest Last Stand

    Feb 20, 2023 Robert Skidelsky traces the growing backlash against economic integration to the faithful application of neoliberal principles.

  2. The Return of Thoughtcrime
    skidelsky183_Hollie AdamsGetty Images_UKpoliceprotest Hollie Adams/Getty Images

    The Return of Thoughtcrime

    Jan 17, 2023 Robert Skidelsky warns that the British government’s crackdown on peaceful public protest negates the presumption of innocence.

  3. Too Poor for War
    skidelsky182_Chris J RatcliffeGetty Images_bank pound falling Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

    Too Poor for War

    Nov 8, 2022 Robert Skidelsky & Philip Pilkington explain how the United Kingdom became more vulnerable to external shocks than other Western powers.

  4. Gorbachev’s Tragic Legacy
    skidelsky181_EVGENIA NOVOZHENINAPOOLAFP via Getty Images_gorbachev funeral EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

    Gorbachev’s Tragic Legacy

    Oct 19, 2022 Robert Skidelsky reflects on the long-term effects of the late Soviet leader’s political and economic reforms.

  5. Requiem for an Empire
    skidelsky_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_queenfuneral Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Requiem for an Empire

    Sep 12, 2022 Robert Skidelsky reflects on Queen Elizabeth II's role preserving Britain's global influence as the head of the Commonwealth.

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  1. bildt109_JAAFAR ASHTIYEHAFP via Getty Images_israelpalestinewestbank Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images

    Hell in the Holy Land

    Carl Bildt fears that the stage is set for another major violent conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
  2. strain11_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_fed Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    The Fed Must Not Flinch

    Michael R. Strain urges the US central bank to continue raising interest rates, despite signs of financial-sector fragility.
  3. sheng135_Carl CourtGetty Images_maldivesclimatechange Carl Court/Getty Images

    Reimagining Development

    Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng argue that grassroots engagement and social enterprise are crucial to achieving countries' aspirations.
  4. goldberg22_ERIC BARADATAFP via Getty Images_world bank ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

    What the World Bank Can Do About Climate Change

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg explains how the institution can maximize its contribution to the global net-zero agenda.
  5. GettyImages-1171447879

    Richard Haass on Russia, Taiwan, and US democracy

    Richard Haass explains what caused the Ukraine war, urges the West to scrutinize its economic dependence on China, proposes ways to reverse the dangerous deterioration of democracy in America, and more.
  6. buiter45_Jabin BotsfordThe Washington Post via Getty Image_jeromepowell Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

    Price Stability vs. Financial Stability?

    Willem H. Buiter

    If the US Federal Reserve raises its policy interest rate by as much as is necessary to rein in inflation, it will most likely further depress the market value of the long-duration securities parked on many banks' balance sheets. So be it.

    thinks central banks can achieve both, despite the occurrence of a liquidity crisis amid high inflation.
  7. frankel145_ Richard Baker  In Pictures via Getty Images_exchangerates Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images

    Fifty Years of Floating Currencies

    Jeffrey Frankel

    The half-century since the official demise of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates has shown the benefits of what replaced it. While some may feel nostalgic for the postwar monetary system, its collapse was inevitable, and what looked like failure has given rise to a remarkably resilient regime.

    explains why the shift toward exchange-rate flexibility after 1973 was not a policy failure, as many believed.
  8. harrington34_Drew AngererGetty Images_avril haines Drew Angerer/Getty Images

    What Do America’s Spies Really Think About China?

    Kent Harrington thinks the intelligence community’s annual threat assessment should have delved deeper on the issue.
  9. grafton2_ SIMON MAINAAFP via Getty Images_water SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images

    Waking Up to the World’s Water Crisis

    Quentin Grafton, et al. see three overarching priorities for the first global water conference in almost a half-century.

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