Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate confirmed three new board members to the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM), giving it the quorum required to approve financing or loan guarantees larger than $10 million. There has not been a quorum at EXIM since July 2015 — in essence, EXIM has been nonfunctional since then. Although EXIM has …
Continue reading Stopping the buck: Reforming the EXIM Bank so that it can finally be reauthorized
Zimbabwe’s authoritarian government is working with World Bank staff and outside powers to get the creditors to clear billions in arrears and restart loans. Now is not the time for the World Bank to renew lending to Zimbabwe. The new government has made a long list of promises. They need to keep these promises before …
Continue reading Zimbabwe must prove itself before seeking World Bank loans
The Trump administration is pursuing the right policy of sanctions and diplomacy in support of Interim President Juan Guaidó of Venezuela. To its credit, the administration recognized the Guaidó government according to the Venezuelan Constitution and has led an international campaign to get other countries to do the same. With a big assist from Canada, …
Continue reading Rebuilding Venezuela after Maduro will require the US to front some money
The United States and the Republican Party have lost a wonderful force for good. Former Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana passed away at the age of 87. A Republican, Lugar served for 36 years in the U.S. Senate. He was the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations twice, from 1985-1987 and from 2003-2007, and …
Continue reading Thanks to Sen. Richard Lugar, the world is safer, freer, and more prosperous
The U.S. is proposing Undersecretary of the U.S. Treasury, David Malpass, as its nominee for the World Bank presidency. Malpass is a strong pick and meets the qualifications that the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank put forward, which are quoted below: “a proven track record of leadership; experience of managing large …
Continue reading Time for the world to get behind David Malpass for World Bank president
The United States owes a great debt to its 41st president. I met Bush for the first time at a Sunday pancake breakfast in 1992 hosted by New Hampshire Gov. Judd Gregg and former Gov. Hugh Gregg during that state’s primary. (I was a volunteer in the state for Bush’s re-election campaign.) At the breakfast, …
Continue reading History Will Remember George H.W. Bush Kindly
A lasting peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea would be an enormous strategic win for the West. The United States has plenty of strategic reasons to immediately invest diplomatic capital in the rapidly thawing relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. It’s a historic opportunity that, if it continues heading in the right direction, promises fewer refugees for …
Continue reading Trump Needs to Close the Deal in the Horn of Africa
As an era of peace approaches, both countries should take practical steps to strengthen the relationship. Vice President Mike Pence set off for Lima, Peru, on Friday, to stand in for President Donald Trump — who stayed home to focus on Syria — at the Summit of the Americas. On Saturday, Pence is set to …
Continue reading Here’s How the United States Can Help Colombia Thrive
The United States should help its Latin American ally become a member of the OECD. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an exclusive group of wealthy and democratic countries. Colombia is currently applying for membership. The United States should help Colombia join as the 36th member state before President Juan Manuel Santos …
They are among the institution's most powerful tools — heed not the critics. The World Bank’s Doing Business indicators are one of the institution’s greatest contributions of the past 50 years. I first described them here in 2013. The United States, as the institution’s largest shareholder, should be proud of what these indicators have accomplished. …
Continue reading The World Bank’s Doing Business Indicators Still Work
Daniel Runde 