Stories by Mark Weisbrot

Mark Weisbrot is Co-Director and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan. He is co-author, with Dean Baker, of Social Security: The Phony Crisis (University of Chicago Press, 2000), and has written numerous research papers on economic policy. He is also president of Just Foreign Policy. subscribe to Mark Weisbrot's feed

Ecuador: The Perfect Place for Whistleblower Edward Snowden to Seek Refuge

Posted on: Jun 27, 2013, Source: The Guardian

This Latin American country has already been dragged through the mud for sheltering Julian Assange, and it is willing to stand up to the US.

Obama Gets Four More Years to Bash Hugo Chavez and the Latin American Left

Posted on: Dec 18, 2012, Source: Al Jazeera English

President Obama's crass comments about newly-elected Chavez only serve to further alienate himself from Latin America.

Hugo Chavez Got Re-Elected Because His Programs Are Popular

Posted on: Oct 10, 2012, Source: CEPR

It's really no mystery, and it's happening elsewhere in Latin America.

The Economic Idiocy of Economists

Posted on: Jan 22, 2012, Source: Comment Is Free

With a brain trust like this, a lost decade for America looks likely – unless the citizenry can steer a different course.

Failure to Enact Bigger Stimulus Was a Fatal Mistake

Posted on: Nov 5, 2010, Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research

By failing to stimulate economic recovery, the Dems gave the GOP a populist card on a platter.

The Deficit Hysterics Have no Case

Posted on: Jul 29, 2010, Source: Comment Is Free

Much of the argument for deficit reduction is economically illiterate, but even an expert like Ken Rogoff can be wrong on fiscal austerity

Obama Needs to Make a Clean Break on Latin America

Posted on: Dec 4, 2008, Source: AlterNet

The president-elect has the opportunity to forge a new relationship with the region after Bush drove U.S.-Latin American relations into a ditch.

South America: Can Recession Be Avoided?

Posted on: Nov 18, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Can South America escape the wrath of the economic and financial storms that have their epicenter in the United States?

Why Obama Has Pulled Ahead on Taxes and Economic Issues

Posted on: Oct 24, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Republicans push policies that redistribute income from working and middle-class Americans to the rich. No wonder people are turning to Obama.

How World Leaders Can Reverse the Economic Meltdown

Posted on: Oct 12, 2008, Source: Campaign for America's Future

A broader stimulus package is desperately needed to right a listing economic ship.

Why the Bailout Won't Help

Posted on: Oct 10, 2008, Source: AlterNet

The bailout's supporters said Congress had to do something to unfreeze the credit markets. It didn't work.

Let's Renegotiate NAFTA and the WTO Agreement

Posted on: Sep 30, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Trade is not an end in itself -- the goal is to improve people's living standards.

Employee Free Choice Act Could Be Biggest Reform Since New Deal

Posted on: Sep 16, 2008, Source: AlterNet

This legislation would give employees a fighting chance to regain some of their lost rights.

Bolivia: Can the Majority of People Vote for Change and Actually Get It?

Posted on: Aug 27, 2008, Source: AlterNet

A wealthy minority in Bolivia seems determined to thwart the changes demanded by a majority of the population.

Offshore Drilling Won't Help, But "Green Stimulus" Can

Posted on: Aug 1, 2008, Source: AlterNet

A "green stimulus" package would give the economy a lift while simultaneously reducing energy consumption.

Anti-War Movement Successfully Pushes Back Against Military Confrontation With Iran

Posted on: Jul 22, 2008, Source: AlterNet

For something that's not supposed to exist, the anti-war movement sure was effective in fighting a recent resolution to blockade Iran.

Senator McCain Has a Serious "Knowledge Gap": It's an Issue

Posted on: Jul 11, 2008, Source: AlterNet

The Senator appears clueless on a number of crucial policy areas.

Why Subsidize Purchases Made on the Internet?

Posted on: Jun 24, 2008, Source: AlterNet

If your local sporting goods store can collect and pay a sales tax on the running shoes that it sells, the big internet retailers can do the same.

Chavez's Call for FARC Disarmament Takes Washington By Surprise

Posted on: Jun 11, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Political chasm between Washington and Latin America continues to deepen, as Chavez rejects FARC's armed campaign.

U.S. Economy: The Worst is Yet to Come

Posted on: May 29, 2008, Source: Huffington Post

Nobody can predict exactly where the bottom will be, but it's clear that we're not even close to hitting it.

The IMF's Going Down -- Is that a Bad Thing?

Posted on: May 1, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Thanks to disasters of its own making, the agency is losing money and influence.

The Audacity of Populism

Posted on: Apr 7, 2008, Source: AlterNet

If Obama convinces white working-class voters that he cares about their economic plight, he will become the 44th President of the United States.

A Question of Values: Drug Patent Laws Must Have Public Health Exceptions

Posted on: Mar 24, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Big Pharma is up in arms about developing countries importing less expensive generic versions of their drugs.

Appalling Spread of False Information Requires Stronger Media Accountability

Posted on: Mar 12, 2008, Source: AlterNet

The mass media has become one of the most important obstacles to social and economic progress in the 21st century.

The Media's Election

Posted on: Feb 27, 2008, Source: AlterNet

The corporate-owned media play a large, often unnoticed role in U.S. national politics.

Is Washington Undermining Democracy in Bolivia?

Posted on: Feb 16, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Bolivian officials say Washington is trying to destabilize and even topple their democratic government.

Proposed Stimulus Package Not Enough

Posted on: Feb 6, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Given the magnitude of the economic pain that Americans are facing, it's imperative to demand measures that will soften the blow.

Latin America News Coverage: Half the Story Is Worse Than None

Posted on: Feb 1, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Those who follow the commercial media's coverage of Latin America can end up with less understanding than those who ignore it.

Big Rate Cuts and Fiscal Stimulus Trump Conservative Ideology

Posted on: Jan 22, 2008, Source: AlterNet

Like Nixon said, "We're all Keynesians now."

"Suitcase Scandal" is Another U.S. Foreign Policy Blunder

Posted on: Jan 10, 2008, Source: AlterNet

The "suitcase scandal" has alienated the new Argentine government and will only further sully Washington's reputation in Latin America.

A Lesson From the Last, and Next, Recession

Posted on: Jan 3, 2008, Source: AlterNet

This will be the second recession since 2001 that was caused by the bursting of an obviously speculative asset bubble.

Housing Crash: Why a 'Soft Landing' is Unlikely

Posted on: Dec 12, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Don't let the latest stock market rally fool you.

Democracy Still Alive and Well in Venezuela

Posted on: Nov 27, 2007, Source: AlterNet

When it comes to the commercial media's portrayal of Latin American politics, words like "democracy" and "dictatorship" have no meaning.

Holocaust Denial, American Style

Posted on: Nov 21, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Institutionally unwilling to consider America's responsibility for the bloodbath, the traditional media have refused to acknowledge the massive number of Iraqis killed since the invasion.

Memo to Obama: No Rush to "Fix" Social Security

Posted on: Nov 14, 2007, Source: AlterNet

The right has created powerful and lasting myths about the state of the program's finances.

Who's Afraid of a Falling Dollar?

Posted on: Nov 8, 2007, Source: AlterNet

An overvalued currency has been the source of many of our economic problems.

A Bank of Their Own: Latin America Casting off Washington's Shackles

Posted on: Oct 30, 2007, Source: AlterNet

The western media call it "Chavez Bank" -- but what are they really afraid of?

IMF's "Pro-Growth" Policies Killing Gains in Developing World

Posted on: Oct 18, 2007, Source: AlterNet

The dirty secret is that income growth was stronger before the era of "globalization."

Threats, Dirty Tricks, Fake Polls: Costa Rica Votes Under Duress on "Free Trade"

Posted on: Oct 5, 2007, Source: AlterNet

Costa Rica's citizens will soon become the first to vote on a "free trade" agreement, and the corporatocracy is pulling out all the stops to see that they vote its way.

Bogus Media-Generated "Scandal" Undermines Democracy in Ecuador

Posted on: Jul 26, 2007, Source: The Guardian

In Latin America, a monopolized corporate media represent a much larger share of the news that people receive and are even more shamelessly manipulated for political purposes.

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