Christopher Smart

Writing for PS since 2016
12 commentaries
0 videos & podcasts

Christopher Smart is Head of Macroeconomic and Geopolitical Research at Barings and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was a special assistant to the US president for International Economics, Trade, and Investment (2013-2015) and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Europe and Eurasia (2009-13).

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This Time Really Is Different
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This Time Really Is Different

Feb 20, 2019 Christopher Smart thinks investors will face unprecedented technological and political uncertainty in the next business cycle.

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Could the Renminbi Challenge the Dollar?
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Could the Renminbi Challenge the Dollar?

Feb 2, 2018 Christopher Smart reviews three recent books examining China’s quest to challenge American financial dominance.

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The Real Risk to the Global Economy
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The Real Risk to the Global Economy

Nov 8, 2017 Christopher Smart argues that institutional drift and decay are far more dangerous than even the most dramatic political crises.

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The Clash of the Data Titans
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The Clash of the Data Titans

Aug 18, 2017 Christopher Smart of Chatham House worries that the US and Europe are parting ways on this century’s most important economic-policy issue.

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Trump’s Trade Illogic
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Trump’s Trade Illogic

Jun 22, 2017 Christopher Smart points out three fundamental flaws in the US administration's approach to globalization.

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Renewing Europe
Mar 5, 2019

‪Not all of these are great ideas (for example the European agency on democracy) but some are well-worth pursuing (like a stronger Schengen). At the very least, President Macron is pushing a creative and exciting vision of Europe rather than letting the naysayers set the agenda. As he says, it is all to easy to find fault without offering a real alternative. Macron’s ideas should shape the next debates on the European project far more than either Brexit or Italian budget targets.

The Real Obstacle to Climate Action

Kemal Derviş & Sebastián Strauss

Distributional issues – not aggregate costs – are the real obstacle to the ambitious policies needed to avert possibly catastrophic climate change. Progressives everywhere must therefore unite in support of a rapid green transition that is feasible and desirable for all.

Is Britain Becoming a Failed State?

Chris Patten

Failed states used to be largely the preserve of the developing world, where the institutions of democracy do not have deep roots. But given the extent to which the Brexit campaign has undermined Britain's institutions through lies, it is reasonable to worry that the country will soon come to resemble a tinpot dictatorship.