Was Buenos Aires the Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning? The Future of the World Trade Organization

In all too many minds, the relevance of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is much in doubt. The failure of the 11th Ministerial Conference of the WTO last December in Buenos Aires to complete any new multilateral or other agreements has left many wondering if this is the beginning of the end for the WTO. In a new paper, Cato scholar James Bacchus argues that there are clear signs on several fronts that this is the end of the beginning — and not the beginning of the end — for the World Trade Organization.

The Future of Monetary Policy

There will be many challenges as the Federal Reserve and other major central banks exit their unconventional monetary policies and normalize their balance sheets. Ultra-low interest rates, quantitative easing, and forward guidance have increased risk taking and pumped up asset prices. Rising volatility in global stock markets reflect, in part, the uncertainty of future monetary policy. In the new issue of Cato Journal, authors focus on four major issues: (1) the case for a rules-based international monetary system, (2) normalizing monetary policy, (3) the future of currency, and (4) the future of China in the global monetary system.

Drones on the Border: Efficacy and Privacy Implications

In response to President Donald Trump’s call for a border wall, some members of Congress have instead offered a “virtual wall”—ocean-to-ocean border surveillance with technology, especially unmanned aircraft known as drones. But according to a new brief by Cato scholars David Bier and Matthew Feeney, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s drone program undermines Americans’ privacy and has failed to live up to its expectations.

Cato Institute Honors Human Rights Group the Ladies in White with 2018 Milton Friedman Prize

The Cato Institute announced today that Cuba’s Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco), will receive the 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, a $250,000 biennial award presented to a group or individual who has made a significant contribution to advance human freedom. The Ladies in White have a simple message: The political prisoners of Cuba are our sons, brothers, and our husbands. They must not be forgotten.

“All who labor in the name of freedom take great inspiration from — and feel a tremendous debt to — courageous people who risk everything to stand up to oppression. The Ladies in White are a stirring example,” said Peter Goettler, president and CEO of the Cato Institute.

The prize will be presented during a dinner at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York on May 17, 2018.

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Events

May 10

Marijuana: An Unbanked Industry

Featuring the filmmaker Matt Wood, Director, Film and Photography, The Federalist Society; with comments by Julie A. Hill, Professor, University of Alabama School of Law; John Hudak, Deputy Director, Center for Effective Public Management, and Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution; and Jeffrey Miron, Director, Economic Studies, Cato Institute; moderated by George Selgin, Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute.

4:00PM to 5:15PM EDT
Hayek Auditorium, Cato Institute

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Cato University: College of History and Philosophy

Cato University: College of History and Philosophy

History is indispensable to understanding and defending liberty under our constitutionally limited, representative government. And at the core of that history are the philosophical beliefs and values on which the American republic was founded. Cato University’s College of History and Philosophy, August 2-4 in San Diego, brings these two powerful subjects together to explore the foundations of liberty and justice, of wealth and poverty, of individual rights and the rule of law.

Special! 10 Copies for $10

Cato Pocket Constitution

To encourage people everywhere to better understand and appreciate the principles of government that are set forth in America’s founding documents, the Cato Institute published this pocket-size edition.

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The Cato Institute offers a wealth of online educational audio and video resources, from self-paced guides on the ideas of liberty and the principles of economics, to exclusive, archived lectures by thinkers such as Milton Friedman and F. A. Hayek. Browse through some highlights of our collections, for personal study or for use in the classroom.

The Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty

May 17, 2018 • Cipriani 42nd Street • New York, NY

The Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, named in honor of perhaps the greatest champion of liberty in the 20th century, is presented every other year to an individual who has made a significant contribution to advance human freedom. The 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty Biennial Dinner will be held on May 17, 2018 at Cipriani 42nd Street, New York.