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Benjamin J. Cohen

Benjamin J. Cohen

15 commentaries

Benjamin J. Cohen, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of International Political Economy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is the author of Currency Statecraft: Monetary Rivalry and Geopolitical Ambition.

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  1. The Bonfire of the Currencies?
    op_bjcohen2_Martin PooleGetty Images_usdfire Martin Poole/Getty Images

    The Bonfire of the Currencies?

    Oct 29, 2021 Benjamin J. Cohen reviews books by two leading economists on what the future holds for currencies and payment systems.

  2. The Pandemic Is Shaking the Dollar’s Supremacy
    bjcohen13_ANTHONY WALLACEAFP via Getty Images_tornUSDdollar Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

    The Pandemic Is Shaking the Dollar’s Supremacy

    May 18, 2020 Benjamin J. Cohen suggests that escalating US leadership failures will further erode the greenback's global standing.

  3. Can America and China Avoid a Currency War?
    bjcohen12_XuJinbaiVCGviaGettyImages_chinarenminbiuscurrency Xu Jinbai/VCG via Getty Images

    Can America and China Avoid a Currency War?

    Aug 8, 2019 Benjamin J. Cohen holds out hope that the world’s two largest economies may yet achieve some form of exchange-rate détente.

  4. The Case for a Fiscal Fed
    bjcohen11_GettyImages_gearswindupglobe Getty Images

    The Case for a Fiscal Fed

    Jul 19, 2019 Benjamin J. Cohen proposes a new independent agency to supplement monetary-policy responses to macroeconomic fluctuations.

  5. Where Have All the Safe Havens Gone?
    man at porthole piola666/Getty Images

    Where Have All the Safe Havens Gone?

    Jan 7, 2019 Benjamin J. Cohen expects lost faith in the US dollar and economic troubles elsewhere to lead to even more market volatility.

  1. isenberg1_TIMOTHY A. CLARYPOOLAFP via Getty Images_trumptrial Timothy A. Clary/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Is Trump Above the Law?

    Nancy Isenberg

    Contrary to what former US President Donald Trump would have the American public believe, no president enjoys absolute immunity from criminal prosecution. To suggest otherwise is to reject a bedrock principle of American democracy: the president is not a monarch.

    explains why the US Supreme Court must reject the former president's claim to immunity from prosecution.
  2. deryugina1_BEN BIRCHALLPOOLAFP via Getty Images_ukraineflagsoldier Ben Birchall/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    Ukraine Is Far From Doomed

    Tatyana Deryugina & Anastassia Fedyk

    When comparing Ukraine’s situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible. But it will require the West, and the US in particular, to put aside domestic political squabbles and muster the political will to provide Ukraine with consistent and robust military and financial assistance.

    compare Russia's full-scale invasion to World War II and see reason to hope – as long as aid keeps flowing.
  3. glennerster2_Scott OlsonGetty Images)_vaccines Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    The Pandemic Financing Developing Countries Need

    Rachel Glennerster urges multilateral development banks to establish mechanisms that enable at-risk vaccine purchases.
  4. krueger74_AFP via Getty Images_nigercoup AFP via Getty Images

    The Geopolitics of Africa’s Debt Crisis

    Anne O. Krueger urges developed countries to back efforts by the IMF and the World Bank to promote growth-enhancing reforms.
  5. palacio156_ Georg Moritzpicture alliance via Getty Images_immigation Georg Moritz/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Why the EU’s New Migration Pact Matters

    Ana Palacio applauds the pragmatic coalition-building, especially by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, that enabled the deal.
  6. kirchschlager1_Fatih AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_AI Fatih AktasAnadolu Agency via Getty Images

    AI Needs UN Oversight

    Peter G. Kirchschläger calls for the creation of a watchdog – similar to the IAEA – that employs a human rights-based approach.
  7. chellaney_VCGVCG via Getty Images_china military VCG/VCG via Getty Images

    The West Is Hastening Its Own Decline

    Brahma Chellaney argues that the unprecedented US and European sanctions against Russia are backfiring.
  8. zizek29_Sebastian Gollnowpicture alliance via Getty Images_palestine congress germany Sebastian Gollnowpicture alliance via Getty Images

    Canceling Palestine

    Slavoj Žižek worries that the double standards applied on Israel’s behalf will lead to an anti-Semitic backlash.
  9. ackerman2_Brian van der Brug  Los Angeles Times via Getty Images_preschool Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

    America’s Childcare Is Unfit for the Postmodern Age

    Bruce Ackerman urges US President Joe Biden to put universal preschool at the center of his re-election campaign.

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