It is also timely to make a reflection on what we have achieved so far, what structural problems remain and how to make our economy stronger and more resilient in the future. We all also know what had happened in Aceh and in other parts of the world surrounding the Indian Ocean. It was one of the greatest natural disasters in living memory.
In the case of the United States, economic growth so far has been slower than originally expected, as exemplified by substantial downward revisions made by a number of international organizations and think tanks – including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – to their projections for 2011 and 2012.