Friday Focus: America and China's trade war is destabilizing the global economy
Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice open the show talking about the escalating trade war between the US and China. The pace and magnitude of this growing dispute is destabilizing the global economy and forcing both countries down a dangerous path. Instead of talking to China about trade, Trump should be talking to Xi about growing domestic consumption in China so that their exports don't destroy foreign industries. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice predict how this trade dispute will play out: which leader will blink first? Is there another leader - an ally of both countries - who can step in to resolve this? and how will China react to the strangling of their economy? On this point they both agree: we are in a dangerous and unstable period in history, and Donald Trump is the most erratic decision maker that has ever been in charge of a nuclear power. To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.
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20:15
Friday Focus: China's reciprocal tariffs and Canada gets a Liberation Day exemption
Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice open the show with Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcements and specifically China's response: a punishing 34% countervailing tax on all imports from the US. Is this the start of a more dangerous moment between these two adversaries? President Trump is about to find out how vulnerable the US is to China, and how easy it is to start an economic war but how hard it is to end it. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn their attention to Canada, which was conspicuously absent from Trump's Wednesday tariff announcement. What can we expect when CUSMA - our free trade agreement with the US - gets renegotiated after the election? To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.
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16:21
Tension with Iran, Greenland's annexation rejection, and China provokes Taiwan (again)
On this episode we are joined by Stephen Wertheim, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Evelyn Farkas, Executive Director of the McCain Institute at Arizona State University, to discuss the likelihood of US military strikes on Iran, America’s Greenland annexation plans, and Chinese military drills off the coast of Taiwan.
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28:49
Friday Focus: Another tariff announcement and Bibi scores a political victory
Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice open the show with Trump's announcement of auto tariffs which, coupled with the tariffs on steel and aluminum, could cripple the Canadian car sector. Instead of doubling down on a dying industry which is bound to the US, why not invest in an industry like mining that we export to the rest of the world? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn their attention to Israel, where a budget victory for Bibi has bought him 18 months until the next election. Can he free himself from the right wing ideologues in his coalition? Or will this new sense of security galvanize him to continue prosecuting the war in Gaza? To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.
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18:01
Be it Resolved: Religion is a Force for Good in the World
This week we are airing a special edition of the Munk Debates Podcast—a rebroadcast of a classic debate that launched our series on the world stage. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair and the late Christopher Hitchens - an avowed atheist - debating the motion Be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world. To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch
The Munk Debates podcast is an extension of the main stage events - in subject, speaker selection, tone and format. It will introduce the iconic brand - and its engaging debates about significant issues of our time. Audiences will hear strong and passionate arguments from both sides of an issue so they will have enough information to make up their own minds about where they stand.
Canada - english