The Call by the Global Intelligence Desk

Southeast Asia is stuck in the middle; caught between Washington’s push to address Chinese trade practices and Beijing’s growing economic clout. This week’s guest, John Goyer, VP for Southeast Asia & Oceania at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,has recently returned from a tour across the region—and joined this week’s episode to unpack how governments are navigating the pressure. - The Call is a se...

Tariffs don’t just change the cost of goods—they change where, how, and even if goods move at all. Recent trade talks threaten to upend these logistics for U.S. businesses and consumers. Uncertainties over the scope of the tariff regime, meanwhile, are growing after the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled against the administration’s key justification for the levies.    All of which raises que...

Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus at Harvard University, joins Jay to discuss the evolving role of the dollar in the global economy. As a former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Director of the National Economic Council, Summers brings decades of insight into the forces shaping global markets. He is now raising pointed concerns about how the new tariff re...

In today’s episode of The Call, Robert Kaplan, Vice Chairman at Goldman Sachs and former President of the Dallas Fed, lays out why the U.S. Federal Reserve is cornered by rising tariffs, sticky inflation, and mounting political pressure.    As businesses brace for slower growth and the Fed takes a wait-and-see stance, Kaplan joins Jay Sapsford to explain why this moment calls on business leaders t...

With U.S. tariffs back in play, Canadian businesses are bracing for a long, politically charged road ahead. Candace Laing, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, joins Jay Sapsford to unpack rising trade tensions between two of the world’s closest allies—and what they mean for the $3.6 billion in business that happens across the U.S.–Canada border every day. Can one of the world’s...

In today’s episode of The Call, Wendy Cutler, Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute and former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, warns businesses to brace for more uncertainty, re-risk and scrutinize supply chains.   As the U.S. and China prepare for their first high-level talks since the tariff announcement, Cutler joins Jay Sapsford to explain what it actually takes to land a deal...

The U.S.-China relationship is at its most strained point in decades, with tariffs surging, trade collapsing, and trust evaporating. Jeremie Waterman, President of the China Center at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, warns that this moment didn’t begin with Trump or Biden—but with long-running structural forces on both sides. He joins Jay Sapsford on The Call to break down China’s push for self-relia...

India is the world’s most populous country, its economy is growing at 7%—but is that enough? India could grow old before it grows rich, warns Raghuram Rajan, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and Professor at Chicago Booth School of Business. He joins Jay Sapsford on The Call to unpack the demographic boom, the myth of manufacturing, and why India’s real opportunity may lie in services,...

“Each side has essentially put trade embargoes on the other,” warns Wall Street Journal Chief China Correspondent Lingling Wei. With Xi Jinping doubling down on strategic industries and bloc-building abroad, Wei argues today’s rift goes beyond tariffs—it’s about ideology and long-term power. She joins Jay Sapsford on The Call to break down the risks of escalation, China’s limited pain tolerance, a...

Global markets have entered a period of intense volatility after the U.S. announced a new round of tariffs last week, putting a floor of 10% on most goods entering the country and targeting specific nations for double digit duties. Some economists now say the chances of a recession – both at home and abroad – are growing. Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody's Analytics,  joins us to assess t...

A blanket tariff of 10% on foreign imports was announced, with some exemptions, by the Trump administration, designed to respond to trade imbalances. Those follow a recent announcement of 25% tariffs on autos, effective this month, and earlier trade restrictions including levies on steel and aluminum. The changes mark a major inflection point in U.S. trade policy, with significant consequences, in...

The USTR is proposing steep docking fees on Chinese-built ships to counter China’s rapid rise in shipbuilding; a sector the U.S. says benefits from unfair trade practices.  The proposed fees—up to $1.5 million per port call—aim to curb reliance on Chinese shipbuilding and reignite domestic capacity. But opponents say the policy could backfire, harming U.S. competitiveness across agriculture, energ...

AI is everywhere. It is the most mentioned term in corporate earnings reports, a driving force behind market shifts, and, most importantly, the technology most shaping the future of warfare and global security. The U.S. now faces challenges to its AI dominance as rivals – notably China – scramble to develop advanced AI-driven military capabilities.   Paul Scharre, a former Pentagon official and th...

NATO faces a moment of reckoning. Doubts about the U.S. commitment to the alliance are growing at a time when Russia’s attack on Ukraine challenges Europe from the East. Long the backbone of European security, NATO members must now confront hard questions: What happens if the U.S. pulls back entirely? Is Europe ready to stand on its own? U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.), former NATO Suprem...

China’s economy is slowing. Amid weak borrowing, slack investment, deflationary pressures and uneven growth, the evidence points to China slipping into a "balance sheet recession"—a phenomenon our guest, Richard Koo, first diagnosed during Japan’s lost decades of the 90s, and then identified in the financial crises of both Europe and the U.S.    The former New York Fed official, who has...

Ukraine is at a pivotal moment. As Great Powers seek to resolve the conflict, and vie for influence, questions are surfacing over what level of commitment—military, economic, and strategic—will be required to secure Ukraine’s future. Those questions have broader implications for both Europe and the global balance of power and ultimately will help shape trade and investment across strategic domains...

The global landscape is undergoing profound shifts. The era of a U.S.-led, rules-based order is fading. In its place, we see a world driven by raw power, strategic rivalry, and shifting alliances—where military strength, economic leverage, and geopolitical maneuvering define who gets a seat at the table.     This episode's guest, SAIS’s Hal Brands, sees the Trump administration as likely to a...

The dynamics of the war in Ukraine, after three years of stalemate, are showing signs of shifting. The Trump administration is pursuing direct negotiations with Russia. European leaders are meeting amongst themselves and clashing over whether to send in troops. Ukraine says it will not recognize any negotiations that do not include Kyiv. All this comes after the conflict reshaped assumptions over...

The Munich Security Conference kicks off in Germany this Friday amid tensions on both sides of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, defense priorities are shifting with a new U.S. administration and upcoming elections in Germany and the European Union. Many items are on the agenda, but the conference will conclude with a discussion on Europe’s role in the world.  We are joined by Keith Webster, Vice President...

Colombia stands at a critical economic juncture. Amid political uncertainty, shifting trade relations, security concerns and an ambitious energy transition, credit rating agencies are watching Colombia's fiscal health. A dispute with the U.S. over migrants and tariffs was resolved quickly, but focused attention on the bi-lateral relationship.   Bogota’s policies on fossil fuel dependency, tax...

European unity is being put to the test. Across the continent, the Ukraine war is straining resources and defense capabilities. Tech regulation is a source of tension and debate. A populist backlash against migrants is roiling politics. And transatlantic relations are evolving amid rising competition with China.   Europe has survived in recent decades through trade, and through a reliance on cheap...

The U.S. will face a slew of foreign policy issues that will require attention in the months and years ahead: a weakened Iran in the Middle East, an economically struggling China, an expiring nuclear arms deal with Russia, a prolonged war in Ukraine, and a long list of economic issues involving friends and rivals alike.     These challenges, and geopolitics in general, are rising to the top of the...

After managing decades of double-digit economic expansion, China is now struggling to produce growth at half that rate, the result of a property market bust, deflation, flagging consumption and the collapse of local infrastructure investment. The upshot is growing uncertainty over Beijing’s economic, diplomatic and military role in the world, and to address that uncertainty, the Global Intelligenc...

Businesses rely on water as a critical resource in the production and delivery of food and manufactured goods. Water stress can drive up costs, cause a significant disruption and lead to delays. Some say water is too cheap, too available, and often subsidized, causing overuse and poor stewardship. Our guest, Dr. Alex Money, Principal Investigator at Oxford University and founder of Watermarq, help...

Syria, now lead by Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the “Gatsby of jihadists,” faces a pivotal inflection point akin to the collapse of the Berlin Wall in the Middle East. If this government shift materializes into something more substantial, it could end decades of isolation, redraw Middle Eastern trade routes, and disrupt global power dynamics.   On a special rapid response episode of the Call,  Jennifer...