The major challenge for the United States is whether it can become the first outward-looking, continental, nonimperialist power in history.

You can't have a situation in which companies proceed on a permanent basis relying only on cash from the government.

It used to be said that when the U.S. sneezed, the world caught a cold. The opposite is equally true today.

I promise you that there are a lot of people involved in various kinds of retail activities who think they have a crucial role in the economy, and they're right.

Investment in girls' education may well be the highest-return investment available in the developing world.

Blaming speculators as a response to financial crisis goes back at least to the Greeks. It's almost always the wrong response.

With uncertainty in oil markets, a buildup of speculative pressures and the large U.S. current account deficit, there is a real possibility that Paulson's crisis-management skills will be tested.