The History Behind Lawsuits Over Old Chinese and Russian Sovereign Debt

Lawsuits to enforce long-defaulted Chinese bonds (by an engineer in Alabama) and Russian bonds (by the wonderfully-named Carl Marks & Co.) have a storied place in sovereign debt lore. They sit at the intersection of history, politics, and economics, mixed with a bit of law a whole lot of international intrigue. We talk with historian/geographer Elya Zhang of the University of Rochester about the back story behind these courtroom dramas and the broader history of modern Chinese sovereign debt.

Producer: Leanna Doty