GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Three years after the October 7 attacks, Gaza remains divided and without a clear path forward. Hamas has been severely weakened militarily but retains significant influence, while Palestinians continue to face difficult humanitarian conditions and little prospect of a political breakthrough.  On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with former US Middle East negotiator Aaron David...

President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping traded handshakes, toasts, and pandas at a diplomatic summit at the White House last week, but beneath all the pageantry, the rivalry between the world’s two most powerful countries is only getting more intense. Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Elizabeth Economy joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast for a look at what’s really driving the relationship...

This week on the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the General Assembly for the final time in his official capacity as UN chief. After a decade as the UN’s top diplomat, the former Portuguese Prime Minister is leaving his position at a moment of great global instability. Wars grind on in Ukraine and Iran with no end in sight....

For decades, nuclear war has represented the ultimate doomsday scenario. But investigative journalist and author Annie Jacobsen says biological warfare may pose an even greater overall threat. Unlike nuclear weapons, which require tightly controlled materials, enormously expensive delivery systems, and specialized expertise, the barriers to developing biological weapons can be far lower. And artif...

This week marks 25 years since 9/11—the deadliest terror attack the world has ever seen and a defining moment in American history. The attacks transformed US politics and national security. The war on terror became the organizing principle of American foreign policy. Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to reflect on the day that forever changed how A...

More than half a century after humans last walked on the Moon, the next era of space exploration is taking shape. Getting there is cheaper, private companies are playing a much bigger role, and discoveries like vast reserves of lunar water have made the prospect of establishing a permanent presence on the Moon far more realistic. Ian Bremmer sits down with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield to talk...

What happens when the world’s safety net disappears? For decades, international aid has helped fight poverty, stop disease outbreaks, and keep fragile societies from falling over the edge. But after the shutdown of USAID last year, the relief system is in danger of collapsing entirely. International Rescue Committee President & CEO David Miliband joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to tal...

Ten years ago, Britain voted to leave the European Union in one of the most consequential political decisions of the 21st century. Supporters promised greater sovereignty, stronger economic growth, and a more independent future. Instead, Brexit ushered in a decade of political upheaval, economic uncertainty, and a fundamental rethinking of Britain's role in the world. On this episode of the GZERO...

While the world’s attention has focused on the Strait of Hormuz and the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran, another potentially transformative front has opened in Lebanon. Israeli attacks against the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah have left more than 4,000 people dead and displaced over a million. Now, a fragile ceasefire has raised a question diplomats have struggled with for...

For more than four years, Russia has wagered that it can outlast Ukraine. The Kremlin has more troops, more resources, and a greater tolerance for casualties, betting that Kyiv—and its Western allies—will eventually lose the will to keep fighting. But that assumption is being tested. Ukraine is carrying out increasingly sophisticated strikes deep inside Russian territory, forcing Moscow to defend...

Iran’s government emerged from the war with a powerful new story to tell: it withstood attacks from the United States and Israel, kept its grip on power, and gained fresh leverage in the region. But that is not how the conflict looks from inside the country. For ordinary Iranians, the conflict has brought more fear, deeper economic pain, and little sign that the political change many hoped for is...

America turns 250 at a time when even celebrating the country can feel political. In the latest episode of the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with comedian and political commentator Bill Maher to discuss patriotism, polarization, and the arguments Americans are having over what their country represents. Maher argues that patriotism should not belong to US President Donald Trump or any...

What can Democrats learn from winning in America's ultimate swing state? On the latest episode of the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to discuss the future of the Democratic Party, the growing crisis of trust in American institutions, and the biggest challenges facing the country at home and abroad. The conversation spans a wide range of issues: t...

The World Cup descends on North America this week, bringing with it billions of viewers, billions of dollars, and no shortage of political controversy. But according World Cup Fever author Simon Kuper , none of that is new - the tournament has always reflected the world around it. On GZERO World, Kuper and Ian Bremmer discuss how national teams have become flashpoints in debates over immigration a...

From birthright citizenship to the independence of federal agencies, the Supreme Court is poised to decide a series of cases that could redefine the balance of power in Washington. Yale legal scholar and New York Times Magazine staff writer Emily Bazelon joins Ian Bremmer to assess what's at stake and whether the judiciary remains an effective check on presidential authority. Bazelon argues that T...

Operation Epic Fury may be over, but the Iran war is far from resolved. On this week's episode, American Enterprise Institute Kori Schake joins Ian Bremmer to discuss the conflict's global ripple effects.  With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to commercial shipping, the US finds itself in what Schake calls a Mexican standoff, unable to force Iran's hand without dramatic escalation, and unw...

Ian Bremmer's guest this week is author and Bloomberg defense tech reporter Katrina Manson, who spent years reporting on Project Maven for her new book on the Pentagon's AI push. The program launched in 2017 with a narrow mandate: use machine learning to process drone footage. It has since expanded into something far more ambitious. Autonomous weapons, drone swarming technology, and AI-assisted ta...

Historian Michael Bustamante joins Ian Bremmer to discuss Cuba's economic freefall, Trump's end game, and the hopes of Cuban Americans. This week, Ian Bremmer sits down with University of Miami historian and Cuba expert Michael Bustamante to make sense of the US-Cuba standoff. Cuba is in its worst crisis in 30 years, with basic necessities like fuel, water and food in short supply. Between one and...

North Korea has nuclear weapons, a succession plan hiding in plain sight, and a personality cult that has outlasted Stalin's and Mao's combined. Wall Street Journal's Beijing bureau chief Jonathan Cheng argues the world keeps misreading Pyongyang because it insists on reducing it to an authoritarian state. North Korea is also a religious society, built on a divine rule centered on a "god-king", Ch...

Rising energy prices, higher inflation, and growing economic uncertainty — a Harvard economist says the fallout from the Iran war is already being felt. On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Harvard economist and former IMF Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath to unpack how the conflict is rippling through the global economy. As oil and gas prices surge, inflation is climbing, a...

Ian Bremmer sits down with Ivan Krastev , Chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies and political scientist, to discuss Hungary's consequential upcoming election and what it means for the far right globally. For sixteen years, Viktor Orbán has dominated Hungarian politics, rewriting rules, consolidating power, and positioning himself as Europe's leading nationalist and Donald Trump's closest a...

Ian Bremmer and Rahm Emanuel discuss the deepening conflict in the Middle East, US foreign policy under Trump, and the upcoming midterms. Rahm Emanuel argues that this is a war of choice, one President Trump made himself, not one driven by external pressures like Israel’s influence. While the Prime Minister of Israel has long pushed for military action, Emanuel stresses that the responsibility for...

Ian Bremmer sits down with Thomas Wright , Brookings Institution fellow and former Senior Director at the US National Security Council, to unpack the deepening war in Iran and the divergent strategies shaping it. What are the possible outcomes for the widening conflict in Iran? What began as a dramatic opening strike has evolved into a far more complex war, with Washington, Jerusalem, and Tehran a...

While Washington has become more hostile to globalization, Americans continue to buy foreign goods in record numbers. Lincicome notes that economic nationalism is “about an inch deep,” with support collapsing when Americans face higher prices for domestic products. The conversation also explores the impact of tariffs on businesses and consumers. Lincicome explains that if certain tariffs are ruled...

Ian Bremmer sits down with Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for Peace to examine Iran’s precarious position on the global stage and the forces shaping the country. At the heart of the discussion is the regime’s internal fragility. Sadjadpour explains that many inside Iran, including elements of the Revolutionary Guards, are “waiting for Ayatollah Khamenei to die.”  The conversation also...