The World Cup provides a unique diplomatic opportunity for North American co-hosts (US, Canada, Mexico) to overcome deep historical and political frictions. Despite ongoing economic tensions and border disputes, the region maintains profound integration, evidenced by $1 trillion in annual cross-border trade and large trans-national populations. The shared cultural experience of major global events can transcend nationalistic divides, allowing leaders to refocus on common ground. Policymakers should leverage such moments to promote cooperation and build social bridges, mitigating geopolitical disputes that threaten continental stability.
The Fed’s Post-2008 Powers Are a Fiscal Time Bomb
English Summary
The article argues that the Federal Reserve's post-2008 powers, particularly the ability to pay interest on reserves, have dangerously blurred the lines between monetary policy and fiscal spending, creating a 'fiscal time bomb.' This mechanism allows the Fed to easily accommodate excessive government debt spending, effectively enabling debt monetization and undermining the separation established by the 1951 Treasury-Fed Accord. To mitigate this risk, the author recommends that the Fed must shrink its balance sheet and, critically, that Congress revoke the authority to pay interest on reserves. These reforms are necessary to restore the Fed's independence and prevent the government from using the central bank for backdoor fiscal expenditures.
中文摘要
本文論述聯邦儲備系統（Federal Reserve）自2008年後所擁有的權力，特別是支付準備金利息的能力，已危險地模糊了貨幣政策與財政支出之間的界線，從而構成了「財政定時炸彈」。這種機制使得聯準會能夠輕易地配合過度的政府債務支出，實質上促成了債務貨幣化，並動搖了1951年《財政部－聯準會協定》所確立的區隔。為緩解此風險，作者建議聯準會必須縮減其資產負債表，且關鍵性地，國會必須取消支付準備金利息的權力。這些改革對於恢復聯準會的獨立性，並防止政府利用中央銀行進行「後門」式的財政支出，是至關重要的。
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