South Korean President Lee-Myung Bak optimistically said that he had “high expectations for the expected outcome of the Summit.” However, quantitative easing alone essentially doomed the entire Conference.

On December 10th, the 16th annual Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) wrapped up in Cancun, Mexico. Much like its ballyhooed predecessor in Copenhagen, Denmark, COP 16 concluded with an international agreement that few claim will verily avert the looming climate crisis.

Going into the future, the US must pursue aggressive trade liberalization policies which would open foreign markets to US clean energy technology exports and ensure that other nations will also implement free trade principles for such technologies.

A growing economy, continued urbanization, and a different banking system mean a housing bubble followed by a burst is less likely to occur in China. Furthermore, the Chinese government is already taking steps to prevent the collapse of its housing market.

The U.S. should adopt a more conciliatory tone toward China by persuading it to voluntarily revalue its currency and by addressing the issue multilaterally at the upcoming G20 economic summit in June. Doing otherwise threatens Sino-American cooperation on other significant issues such as environmental protection and a nuclear Iran.

US involvement is crucial to ensuring that a rescue package is formulated and organized according to the principles of austerity. France and Germany are hesitant to offer assistance, but could be persuaded if the United States emphasizes the importance of the Greek situation to the global recovery and the perils of allowing the crisis to spread.

Recovery to and beyond pre-earthquake levels will likely take decades. The emergency response by the international community has been admirable, but only the coming months and years will tell how quickly Haiti can advance through reconstruction and recovery efforts.

First, the developed world should recognize its distortionary role in world food markets and eliminate biofuel and agricultural subsidies. Second, the U.S. should work through international institutions and with exporting countries to mitigate the price increases in ways that do not hamper trade.

If President Obama wishes to encourage moderate Palestinian leadership and the renewal of negotiations, he must spend his political capital in a manner that reflects the true urgency of the region’s political situation and does not assume, as Mr. Lieberman says, that the region has “learned to live with” violent conflict.

Given Brazil’s strategic significance, the U.S. must embrace closer relations with its Latin American neighbor, granting it some long-due political and economic concessions.