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Bretton Woods

How Russia bossed the room at Bretton Woods

How Russia bossed the room at Bretton Woods

Earlier this week Russia essentially vetoed [https://www.reuters.com/world/imf-steering-committee-will-skip-communique-after-russia-blocked-consensus-2022-04-21/] the joint agreement at the IMF’s spring meetings - one of the most important policy documents of the economic calendar. Most of the members of the IMFC, the main IMF committee, had wanted to use the statement

Bretton Woods: could we do it all over again today?

Bretton Woods: could we do it all over again today?

A few years ago I wrote a book [https://www.edmundconway.com/books/thesummit/] about the Bretton Woods conference of 1944. The conference was one of those rare things: a moment where countries came together to fix long-standing problems that had bedevilled the global system for years. The imbalances between

When crunch talks go wrong

When crunch talks go wrong

It’s a little-known fact that John Maynard Keynes was dosed up on mind-altering drugs when he carried out one of the most important economic negotiations in British history. The ageing economist was suffering from heart disease when he was sent away to secure Britain’s post-war loan with the

How One Drunken, Chaotic Meeting Shaped Western Capitalism

How One Drunken, Chaotic Meeting Shaped Western Capitalism

The Bretton Woods conference may have happened 70 years ago but it was the most important agreement in economic history. And we’re still living out its consequences today. Here are 15 reasons why you should care1.It helped prevent World War Three IMF Archives / ViaLet’s start with the