News stories by Jomo Kwame Sundaram
New US Fed Policy Deepens World Stagflation
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 26 (IPS) - The Federal Reserve Bank’s turn to ‘reserve management’ exposes the limited policy options still available as the US seeks to protect itself against international stagflation stemming from President Trump’s policies.
Food Systems and Policies Undermining Food Security
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 12 (IPS) - Transnational agribusinesses increasingly shape food policies worldwide. Claiming to best address recent food security concerns, they seek to profit more from innovations in food production, processing, and distribution.
US Military Strategy Document Misleads. Deliberately?
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 28 (IPS) - The January 2026 US National Defense Strategy (NDS) departs significantly from those preceding it, including from Trump’s first term. Is it deliberately misleading? Or is actual policy, including war, being driven by other considerations?
Trump Rips off Velvet Glove from Mailed Fist
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 14 (IPS) - Trump 2.0 has been marked by the blatantly aggressive exercise of power to secure US interests as defined by him. While many recent trends even predate his first term, his reduced use of ‘soft power’ has exposed his bullying, extortionary use of US power.
Iran War Threatens World Food Crisis
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 31 (IPS) - While media coverage of Iran’s restrictions on passage through the Hormuz Straits focuses on fuel prices, partial closure is also disrupting crucial fertiliser and other supplies, risking catastrophe for billions worldwide.
Central Bank Hedging Triggered Gold Fever
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 24 (IPS) - In mid-1971, US President Nixon ended the dollar’s gold peg at $35 per ounce, triggering de-dollarisation. The 2025 gold and silver rush followed private speculators trying to profit from central banks hedging against perceived new risks.
Rubio Seduces Europe with Imperial Nostalgia
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 11 (IPS) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Munich speech last month seemed to seduce the European elite behind President Trump, against the ‘Rest’, especially the resource-rich Global South.
Massive US War Spending Hike Raises Debt, Taxes, Doubts
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, February 27 (IPS) - As US President Donald Trump pushes the world to war, arms spending has been rising worldwide. Wars secure more budgetary allocations, mainly benefiting the US-dominated military-industrial complex.
Trump Tariffs Creating Less Manufacturing Jobs
- Inter Press Service

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, February 24 (IPS) - President Donald Trump has shaken up the world economy and the rule of international law in the first year of his second term – ostensibly to make America great again, particularly by reviving US manufacturing jobs.
Trade Liberalisation Undermines Development
- Inter Press Service

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, February 10 (IPS) - Despite lacking both evidence and theory, many economists claim trade liberalisation accelerates development. But only a few economies have gained many jobs from external market access.

