The Economist Special Reports

Trade has been about growth and efficiency. Now other goals are competing for attention, says Soumaya Keynes

In global trade, power increasingly trumps rules

The quest for resilience involves reaching for facts, friends and fortification

How trade restrictions are being used as a tool to protect human rights

When environmental protection turns into trade protection

International commerce needs firmer underpinnings

Angela Merkel’s departure will leave a big hole in Germany—and much for her successor to do, says Tom Nuttall

Necessary new infrastructure is not being built

The all-powerful automotive sector faces a challenging future

Coping with ageing and shrinking populations is hardest in the east

There is no obvious replacement for the chancellor

New German voters have no memory of life before Mrs Merkel

A passive (and pacifist) country considers a more active role

Unfortunately, it may not get one

The region is mired in conflict and collapse

Its allies are impoverished

They have proved out of touch with those they claimed to support

Their struggle against Israel still looms large, but for Arab governments it has outlived its purpose