• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "David Rothkopf"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Hope and Reality at the G20

With 26 delegations and a daunting list of economic issues to address, next week’s G20 Summit is unlikely to accomplish as much as the world is hoping.

Link Copied
By David Rothkopf
Published on Mar 24, 2009

Source: Wisconsin Public Radio's Conversations with Kathleen Dunn

With 26 delegations and a daunting list of economic issues to address, next week’s G20 Summit is unlikely to accomplish as much as the world is hoping. On Wisconsin Public Radio, David Rothkopf discussed the state of the world economy, painting a dire picture of the current situation yet leaving room for optimism regarding future growth.

“There is almost no place that you can think of in the global economy that doesn’t require a jump-start right now,” Rothkopf said. Therefore, the first priority should be to “stop the bleeding,” followed by policies that aim to restore growth. The G20 Summit, however, is likely to produce little consensus on the best policies to achieve these goals because it will be difficult to reconcile the widely varying economic plans of all 26 delegations. Some of the most important policy questions are likely to remain unresolved, including the debate over whether countries should embrace big stimulus packages and whether new international regulatory mechanisms should be established.

Nonetheless, Rothkopf noted that economies tend to repair themselves over time, predicting that the global economy might begin to see a resurgence in growth at the end of 2009 or the beginning of 2010. The interesting question is not whether we will recover but what the world will look like once we have emerged from this crisis. New industries will lead our future growth, perhaps with a focus on green industry, and existing industries may see large-scale changes. Inevitably, geopolitical relationships will shift, leaving a world with new opportunities and dilemmas.

About the Author

David Rothkopf

Former Visiting Scholar

David Rothkopf was a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment as well as the former CEO and editor in chief of the FP Group.

    Recent Work

  • In The Media
    How Bush, Obama, and Trump Ended Pax Americana

      David Rothkopf

  • In The Media
    A Bigger Clubhouse

      David Rothkopf

David Rothkopf
Former Visiting Scholar
David Rothkopf
EconomyNorth AmericaUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Article
    From Labor Scarcity to AI Society: Governing Productivity in East Asia

    The debate over AI and work too often centers on displacement. Facing aging populations and shrinking workforces, East Asian policymakers view AI not as a threat, but as a cross-sectoral workforce strategy.

      Darcie Draudt-Véjares, Sophie Zhuang

  • Article
    Governing AI in the Shadow of Giants: Korea’s Strategic Response to Great Power AI Competition

    In its version of an AI middle power strategy, Seoul is pursuing alignment with the United States not as an endpoint but as a strategy to build industrial and geopolitical leverage. Whether this balance holds remains an open question.

      Darcie Draudt-Véjares, Seungjoo Lee

  • China Financial Markets
    Commentary
    China Financial Markets
    Is China’s High-Quality Investment Output Economically Viable?

    China’s rapid technological progress and its first-rate infrastructure are often cited as refuting the claim that China has been systematically overinvesting in non-productive projects for many years. In fact, as the logic of overinvestment and the many historical precedents show, the former is all-too-often consistent with the latter.

      Michael Pettis

  • Article
    The Iran War Shows the Limits of U.S. Power

    If Washington cannot adapt to the ongoing transformations of a multipolar world, its superiority will become a liability.

      Amr Hamzawy

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Where is the Groundwork for Lebanon’s Negotiations With Israel?

    A prerequisite of serious talks is that the country’s leadership consolidates majority national support for such a process.

      Michael Young

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.