Project Syndicate
@projectsyndicate.bsky.social
The World’s Opinion Page, featuring exclusive commentaries by scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and civic activists.
Ongoing efforts to derail multilateral tax cooperation lie at the heart of a global program to replace democratic governance with coercive rule by the extremely wealthy, @josephestiglitz.bsky.social and Jayati Ghosh warn. bit.ly/45Yoi5o
Will Democracy Govern Capitalism - or Be Consumed by It?
Joseph E. Stiglitz & Jayati Ghosh urge the rest of the world to salvage a global tax convention that the United States wants to derail.
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February 9, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Ongoing efforts to derail multilateral tax cooperation lie at the heart of a global program to replace democratic governance with coercive rule by the extremely wealthy, @josephestiglitz.bsky.social and Jayati Ghosh warn. bit.ly/45Yoi5o
Democracy does not die only when speech is banned. It also dies when truthful speech ceases to matter, because the powerful have created systems to immunize themselves against it, notes Carla Norrlöf. bit.ly/4ktUKTd
Democracy Dies in Broad Daylight
Carla Norrlöf shows how powerful US elites neutralized the structures that once translated journalism into accountability.
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February 9, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Democracy does not die only when speech is banned. It also dies when truthful speech ceases to matter, because the powerful have created systems to immunize themselves against it, notes Carla Norrlöf. bit.ly/4ktUKTd
Just as Brexit ultimately strengthened support for the EU, Trump’s America may serve as a cautionary example, weakening the appeal of authoritarianism in other democracies, argue Maciej Kisilowski and Anna Wojciuk. bit.ly/4c2J47V
Trump Is Destroying the Far-Right Brand
Maciej Kisilowski & Anna Wojciuk foresee people across the West asking whether chaos is truly preferable to liberal democracy.
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February 9, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Just as Brexit ultimately strengthened support for the EU, Trump’s America may serve as a cautionary example, weakening the appeal of authoritarianism in other democracies, argue Maciej Kisilowski and Anna Wojciuk. bit.ly/4c2J47V
As the assumptions underpinning global finance come under strain, the relative stability of the past few decades appears increasingly fragile, writes Giancarlo Corsetti. bit.ly/3O4WI0k
February 9, 2026 at 3:13 PM
As the assumptions underpinning global finance come under strain, the relative stability of the past few decades appears increasingly fragile, writes Giancarlo Corsetti. bit.ly/3O4WI0k
Reposted by Project Syndicate
The latest @projectsyndicate.bsky.social piece with @jayatighosh.bsky.social on how to have multinational corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
While US MNEs were exempted from the global minimum, the #UNTaxConvention offers a way forward for tax justice.
As @josephestiglitz.bsky.social & @jayatighosh.bsky.social explain in @projectsyndicate.bsky.social, tax extreme wealth or watch democracy crumble.
Here⤵️:
shorturl.at/z3rES
As @josephestiglitz.bsky.social & @jayatighosh.bsky.social explain in @projectsyndicate.bsky.social, tax extreme wealth or watch democracy crumble.
Here⤵️:
shorturl.at/z3rES
Will Democracy Govern Capitalism - or Be Consumed by It?
Joseph E. Stiglitz & Jayati Ghosh urge the rest of the world to salvage a global tax convention that the United States wants to derail.
shorturl.at
February 9, 2026 at 2:59 PM
The latest @projectsyndicate.bsky.social piece with @jayatighosh.bsky.social on how to have multinational corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
Donald Trump's military parade was an embarrassing flop, and his vision for a new White House ballroom has been widely ridiculed. Incapable of achieving genuine spectacle, he has opted for cheap shock politics instead, notes @jp-singh.bsky.social. bit.ly/4anyXbh
Trump’s Failure of the Will
J.P. Singh thinks America’s aspiring dictator is incapable of producing the spectacles that sustain authoritarian rule.
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February 9, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Donald Trump's military parade was an embarrassing flop, and his vision for a new White House ballroom has been widely ridiculed. Incapable of achieving genuine spectacle, he has opted for cheap shock politics instead, notes @jp-singh.bsky.social. bit.ly/4anyXbh
For too long, Europe has treated AI as an afterthought, refining legal definitions while continuing to rely on foreign cloud capacity, chips, and foundation models, Soňa Muzikárová warns. bit.ly/4akjzfy
Europe Cannot Avoid an AI Reckoning
Soňa Muzikárová thinks the bloc's regulatory acumen means little without a much larger stake in the industry.
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February 7, 2026 at 10:17 AM
For too long, Europe has treated AI as an afterthought, refining legal definitions while continuing to rely on foreign cloud capacity, chips, and foundation models, Soňa Muzikárová warns. bit.ly/4akjzfy
When prediction markets work well, they can have significant benefits relative to other methods of forecasting, Scott Duke Kominers argues. bit.ly/4rzhi78
The Super Bowl of Prediction Markets
Scott Duke Kominers explains how to make the most of a powerful tool for allocating resources and aggregating information.
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February 7, 2026 at 10:04 AM
When prediction markets work well, they can have significant benefits relative to other methods of forecasting, Scott Duke Kominers argues. bit.ly/4rzhi78
In Trump’s America, the key question isn’t what actually happened but whose version gets amplified on social media. The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis is a case in point, writes Grzegorz Kwiatkowski. bit.ly/4rBl28b
Brother Trump
Grzegorz Kwiatkowski explores, with the writer Thomas Mann, how the authoritarian temptation resides in all of us.
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February 7, 2026 at 9:59 AM
In Trump’s America, the key question isn’t what actually happened but whose version gets amplified on social media. The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis is a case in point, writes Grzegorz Kwiatkowski. bit.ly/4rBl28b
Ethiopia’s experience illustrates how protracted debt-restructuring negotiations can allow manageable liquidity challenges to escalate into severe solvency crises, explains Vera Songwe. bit.ly/3ZGZADb
Timing Africa’s Debt Restructuring
Vera Songwe argues that prolonged negotiations are leaving African countries highly vulnerable to external developments.
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February 7, 2026 at 9:51 AM
Ethiopia’s experience illustrates how protracted debt-restructuring negotiations can allow manageable liquidity challenges to escalate into severe solvency crises, explains Vera Songwe. bit.ly/3ZGZADb
If Donald Trump is serious about targeting the cartels in Mexico, he should focus on revealing their links to Morena politicians, rather than pushing for military action, writes Guillermo Ortiz. bit.ly/46AsSqB
Trump Is Not All Wrong About Mexico
Guillermo Ortiz urges the Trump administration to focus on revealing organized crime’s links to the ruling Morena party.
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February 6, 2026 at 5:39 PM
If Donald Trump is serious about targeting the cartels in Mexico, he should focus on revealing their links to Morena politicians, rather than pushing for military action, writes Guillermo Ortiz. bit.ly/46AsSqB
After an unprecedented rally, gold fell 10% following the announcement of Kevin Warsh as Donald Trump's nominee to succeed Jerome Powell as US Federal Reserve chair, observes Desmond Lachman. Will markets' faith in Warsh turn out to be misplaced? bit.ly/3ZlPTtC
The Biggest Mistake Warsh Could Make
Desmond Lachman worries that, while the next Fed chair may handle the AI revolution well, he could compound bond-market risks.
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February 6, 2026 at 5:33 PM
After an unprecedented rally, gold fell 10% following the announcement of Kevin Warsh as Donald Trump's nominee to succeed Jerome Powell as US Federal Reserve chair, observes Desmond Lachman. Will markets' faith in Warsh turn out to be misplaced? bit.ly/3ZlPTtC
When the US raises tariffs on close allies, such as Japan and the EU, it can leverage the security guarantees on which they depend to discourage them from retaliating, notes Koichi Hamada. The same is not true for China. bit.ly/4ajn3PF
Trump Is No Game Theorist
Koichi Hamada highlights a fundamental flaw in the US president’s tariff policy, particularly with regard to China.
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February 6, 2026 at 5:26 PM
When the US raises tariffs on close allies, such as Japan and the EU, it can leverage the security guarantees on which they depend to discourage them from retaliating, notes Koichi Hamada. The same is not true for China. bit.ly/4ajn3PF
Donald Trump’s revival of “America First” isolationism has confirmed Indian skeptics’ arguments that the West is unreliable, and that “strategic autonomy” is India’s only safe harbor, writes Ajay Shah. bit.ly/4aFie3p
India’s Middle-Power Dilemma
Ajay Shah thinks the country will remain focused on preserving strategic autonomy, even if it means continued isolation.
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February 6, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Donald Trump’s revival of “America First” isolationism has confirmed Indian skeptics’ arguments that the West is unreliable, and that “strategic autonomy” is India’s only safe harbor, writes Ajay Shah. bit.ly/4aFie3p
The uncomfortable truth is that the world order was already broken even before Donald Trump's first presidency. He just accelerated the decline, giving even greater urgency to the need for something new, @vestager.bsky.social explains. bit.ly/4rzwjpx
New World Order or Bust
Margrethe Vestager explains why defending the remnants of old, ineffective institutions is not the answer.
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February 6, 2026 at 10:41 AM
The uncomfortable truth is that the world order was already broken even before Donald Trump's first presidency. He just accelerated the decline, giving even greater urgency to the need for something new, @vestager.bsky.social explains. bit.ly/4rzwjpx
Some 17 years after Bitcoin’s launch, the one and only “killer app” in crypto is the stablecoin: a digital version of old-fashioned fiat money, which the financial and banking industry already digitalized decades ago, Nouriel Roubini observes. bit.ly/4rBYhBb
The Coming Crypto Apocalypse
Nouriel Roubini thinks the writing is on the wall for an industry that has offered no use cases beyond crime and corruption.
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February 6, 2026 at 10:10 AM
Some 17 years after Bitcoin’s launch, the one and only “killer app” in crypto is the stablecoin: a digital version of old-fashioned fiat money, which the financial and banking industry already digitalized decades ago, Nouriel Roubini observes. bit.ly/4rBYhBb
Global health does not suffer from a lack of clever financial instruments, write Walter O. Ochieng and Tom Achoki. It suffers from a shortage of predictable funding to pay nurses, keep clinics open, and ensure that drugs arrive on time. bit.ly/45RnoaQ
Financialization Won’t Improve Global Health
Walter O. Ochieng & Tom Achoki point out that tools like blended finance cannot underwrite the investments developing countries need the most.
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February 6, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Global health does not suffer from a lack of clever financial instruments, write Walter O. Ochieng and Tom Achoki. It suffers from a shortage of predictable funding to pay nurses, keep clinics open, and ensure that drugs arrive on time. bit.ly/45RnoaQ
Following large-scale layoffs at the Washington Post, read our interview with former executive editor @postbaron.bsky.social, who argues that political intimidation, financial strain, and rapid technological change are steadily eroding journalism’s capacity to hold power to account.
bit.ly/3ZjjBPP
bit.ly/3ZjjBPP
Defending Press Freedom in the Age of Trump
Martin Baron interviewed by Deputy Managing Editor Rachel Danna about the forces endangering the fourth estate.
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February 5, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Following large-scale layoffs at the Washington Post, read our interview with former executive editor @postbaron.bsky.social, who argues that political intimidation, financial strain, and rapid technological change are steadily eroding journalism’s capacity to hold power to account.
bit.ly/3ZjjBPP
bit.ly/3ZjjBPP
During #WorldInterfaithHarmonyWeek, Alaa Murabit argues that faith isn’t a relic of the past—it’s a powerful driver of global development. Faith-based groups deliver real impact through trusted, local networks. bit.ly/3ZfiIrB
Faith Is Indispensable to Global Development
Alaa Murabit urges policymakers to broaden their engagement with religious leaders to reach marginalized groups.
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February 5, 2026 at 11:43 AM
During #WorldInterfaithHarmonyWeek, Alaa Murabit argues that faith isn’t a relic of the past—it’s a powerful driver of global development. Faith-based groups deliver real impact through trusted, local networks. bit.ly/3ZfiIrB
There appears to be a dislocation between political headlines and broader media narratives, on the one hand, and the relative calmness reflected in key financial metrics, on the other, Dambisa Moyo observes. bit.ly/4qaKn7T
Markets Are Shrugging Off Uncertainty
Dambisa Moyo points out that most key metrics of investor sentiment have been surprisingly calm in recent months.
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February 4, 2026 at 2:48 PM
There appears to be a dislocation between political headlines and broader media narratives, on the one hand, and the relative calmness reflected in key financial metrics, on the other, Dambisa Moyo observes. bit.ly/4qaKn7T
While memories are often short, the footage of two peaceful US citizens killed at close range by trigger-happy government goons won’t fade fast. As Ian Buruma sees it, anger at the government will linger. bit.ly/3ZAVY5D
The ICEmen Killeth
Ian Buruma thinks public anger over federal agencies’ violence in Minnesota will influence this year’s midterm elections.
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February 4, 2026 at 10:25 AM
While memories are often short, the footage of two peaceful US citizens killed at close range by trigger-happy government goons won’t fade fast. As Ian Buruma sees it, anger at the government will linger. bit.ly/3ZAVY5D
@jefffrankel.bsky.social sees disturbing parallels between Donald Trump's unhinged behavior and that of ancient Rome's mad emperor, Caligula. bit.ly/4r8AXuQ
America’s Mad Emperor
Jeffrey Frankel sees disturbing parallels between Donald Trump's unhinged behavior and that of ancient Rome's Caligula.
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February 4, 2026 at 9:25 AM
@jefffrankel.bsky.social sees disturbing parallels between Donald Trump's unhinged behavior and that of ancient Rome's mad emperor, Caligula. bit.ly/4r8AXuQ
America’s most powerful asset during World War II was not any single weapon, but an innovation system that aligned research, industrial capacity, and public investment, writes Paolo Surico. bit.ly/45LLAvj
Penicillin and American Power
Paolo Surico highlights the innovation ecosystem that converts science into new technologies when they are needed most.
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February 3, 2026 at 4:23 PM
America’s most powerful asset during World War II was not any single weapon, but an innovation system that aligned research, industrial capacity, and public investment, writes Paolo Surico. bit.ly/45LLAvj
The dividend from a weak dollar may be sharply discounted in the current depreciation cycle, because tariffs act as a wedge that “pre-adjusts” relative prices in the trade sphere, Qiyuan Xu observes. bit.ly/3O4omu5
Our Tariff-Era Dollar, Your Problem
Qiyuan Xu warns that protectionism may be widening the gap between the greenback’s financial role and its trade effects.
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February 3, 2026 at 4:16 PM
The dividend from a weak dollar may be sharply discounted in the current depreciation cycle, because tariffs act as a wedge that “pre-adjusts” relative prices in the trade sphere, Qiyuan Xu observes. bit.ly/3O4omu5
Donald Trump’s trade war has not been as damaging for Latin America and the Caribbean as feared. But the sustained uncertainty has strengthened the case for trade diversification, argues Eugenia Andreasen. bit.ly/3Zbs8V0
The Impact of Trump’s Tariffs on Latin America
Eugenia Andreasen notes that while the region has fared relatively well, the case for trade diversification is stronger than ever.
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February 3, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Donald Trump’s trade war has not been as damaging for Latin America and the Caribbean as feared. But the sustained uncertainty has strengthened the case for trade diversification, argues Eugenia Andreasen. bit.ly/3Zbs8V0