international analysis and commentary

The euro and the dollar

The euro fell below parity with the dollar on 23 August 2022 for the first time in twenty years. The best explanation is monetary policy and not purchasing power. A euro buys a lot more than a dollar, whether the frame of reference is Big…

Aspenia Ideas – Economic tensions in Europe

Erik Jones is Director of European and Eurasian Studies and Professor of European Studies and International Political Economy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University. He is also…

Rousseau’s curse

Jean Jacques Rousseau once argued that even the best made constitutional arrangements cannot function if the people who get to power do not want them to work. At the time, he was reflecting on the government of Poland. Today he might look…