Commentary

The Federal Budget Follies - Washington's longest running situation comedy - has exposed the bankrup

THE GOOD NEWS is that, with Herculean labor, Congress and the White House have crafted a budget deal

The current debate over monetary and fiscal policy has focused on the federal budget deficit. Those

Mikhail Gorbachev and George Bush signed several commercial agreements in Washington this past summe

IF YOU WANT FREER TRADE, you've got to sell it. In that spirit, U.S. Commerce Secretary Robert Mosba

THIS YEAR'S FEDERAL BUDGET is tight. Yet, somehow, it has room for maritime spending that's hard to

Swaps are all the rage. In the sixties, one swapped spouses. Later, barterclubs were formed

As the showdown over rice liberalization approaches, the political taboo on deregulating Japan's sta

OK, so we're gonna tax the rich. Or, to be more precise, we're gonna tax folks who earn a lot of mo

IT'S HARD TO FIND an executive who doesn't lament the lack of basic skills among prospective employe

IN NORMAL TIMES, a 0.8 percent jump in the cost of living in a single month would be cause for alarm

Speculation grows as the Bush administration continues to ponder changes in the subsidy programs for

The influential chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Les Aspin, called it "schnorrerism."

Japan and Germany still bear the stigma of World War II aggressors. Any high- profile role in intern

THE END OF THE COLD WAR has removed the shackles from U.S. foreign policy. While U.S.-Soviet coopera

The Chicago Board of Trade, the world's oldest and largest commodity futures exchange, has decided t

CONGRESS HAS A DESERVED reputation as protectionist. But once they are done with the speeches, membe

The Enterprise for the Americas Initiative - or, as it is referred to in Latin America, the Bush Ini

Compared with the attention paid to stealth bombers, laser-guided weapons, cruise missiles and other

There probably aren't many Japanese officials who agree with Pat Choate, the author of new book warn

SINGAPORE IS ONE OF the world's economic showcases. Politically, however, the island-state is run mo

EARLY TUESDAY MORNING members of the House-Senate conference on the 1990 Farm Bill took a very larg

Every public opinion poll shows that large increases in immigration are opposed by exceptionally lar

JAPAN'S PRIME MINISTER, Toshiki Kaifu, is in a no-win position. Even after a promise to donate $4 bi

EMPTY THREATS NEVER pay. And the United States' latest threats to retaliate against European governm

Little over a month since arriving here, surprise and shock still come easily. Surprise to f

Congress is on the verge of passing a major increase in taxes on upper-income households. Proponents

ALARMING REPORTS WARN that the insurance industry may not be able to weather a severe economic downt

At the beginning of this month, U.S. sugar import policy was transformed. Hurray for progress, but d

FOR MONTHS DOOMSAYERS have been forecasting that the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations would colla

AS THE FIGHT OVER TAXES gets hot and heavy, at least some organizations are sticking to their princi

A shocking feature of the U.S. government budget deficit has been the explosion in its projected siz

With a tone appropriate to discussion of an unmistakable public misfortune, the survey and polling

Margaret Thatcher even managed to crack a couple of Monty Python jokes as she confidently addressed

The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent turmoil in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting C

THERE WASN'T MUCH CELEBRATION, but Sunday was an anniversary worth recalling. Ten years ago, on Oct.

EXECUTIVE-CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS in Peru could be better. Last week, President Alberto Fujimori wa

Soap operas can be pretty confusing. But few television dramas are as involved as Washington's lates

The House this week may approve most-favored-nation trade benefits for Czechoslovakia and vote on pr

In ancient Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates and doorways whose two faces looked in opposi