Independent Thinking: Is the US dollar losing its dominance?

Isabelle Mateos y Lago and David Lubin join Bronwen Maddox from the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington DC to discuss the instability in the US dollar.

Leena Koni Hoffmann joins Bronwen Maddox to discuss Chatham House’s decade long research into how Nigerians can fight corruption in Nigeria.

US tariffs add to the sense of an increasingly unpredictable and unreliable partner. Allies in Europe and the Pacific are questioning foundational assumptions about their security arrangements as a result.

Beijing will see the removal of South Korea’s president and subsequent election as an opportunity to undermine Seoul’s alliances, at a time of rising tensions with the US.

Despite the bitter exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from ECOWAS and their formation of the rival AES, the destinies of the two blocs remain deeply intertwined.

Yu Jie, Robert Evan Ellis and Bruno Binetti join Chris Sabatini to discuss the battle for influence underway in Latin America between the US and China.

X CEO Elon Musk is close to President Trump at a time when India wants to negotiate on US trade. But X’s case challenges wide-ranging government powers.

Trump’s trade war has brought Norway even closer to the EU and increased the urgency for it to make a decision about membership.

Recent events have undermined the 2018 peace agreement, raising questions over whether the deal can be resuscitated or if a new way forward is needed.

Concerns over foreign-owned platforms may overshadow deeper-rooted threats in the global information environment. Beyond platform ownership, the US and other democracies need coordinated and consistent policy, aligned with democratic values.

ASEAN countries fear being caught in a US–China trade war – punished by US tariffs while being flooded with Chinese goods. They will need to band together to preserve their impressive economies.

Discussing the interplay between critical raw materials and geopolitics – and the challenges associated with extraction.

By exempting certain critical minerals from his latest tariffs, Trump has demonstrated the fragile interdependence underpinning modern industrial economies – and provided a wake-up call for the EU and UK.

Jason Furman, Dame DeAnne Julius and David Lubin discuss the impact of Donald Trump’s ‘liberation day’ tariffs on the United States and the global economy.

Amid strident rhetoric and shifting targets, many observers have written off Trump’s tariff agenda either as a thoughtless time bomb that may wreck the global economy or as a negotiating tactic. But they are missing the bigger picture.

Criticism of US government inefficiency is justified. But rapid cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency threaten US resilience and competitiveness. 

The devastating earthquake has put further strain on the embattled military regime as it fights a civil war. It is unlikely to collapse imminently, but the country’s crisis will only get worse.

It would likely be unpopular for a government that has cut welfare services and introduced new taxes on UK businesses, but it also risks undermining wider attempts to regulate big tech. 

As overseas aid budgets are cut, how can policymakers make sure their conflict prevention interventions are effective?

US tariffs could hurt the South African economy, but Pretoria is already leveraging its energy transition to attract support from the EU and other partners.

Israel is pursuing the illusion of total victory and likely plans to reoccupy Gaza. Arab countries must persuade President Trump that an alternative is better.

Creon Butler, Olivia O’Sullivan and Nicolai von Ondarza discuss whether Europe can defend the global economic system in the face of Donald Trump’s policies.

The more the US dithers in its response, the more the strategic balance shifts in China’s favour.

Only Europe can begin to fill the void left by the US’s withdrawal from its post-war global economic leadership role. The EU and UK should make this goal a shared priority.

As the Trump administration turns away from the US-led post-war international order, how are other states envisioning ‘international order’ and what are their plans for adapting to new realities?

The administration’s policy works against its economic priorities and undermines America’s strengths. 

The trade of gold is perpetuating Sudan’s civil war and connecting the conflict to the wider region. Consequently, external actors that benefit from the gold sector could hold the key to a sustainable peace.

Central Asia is adept at hedging between Moscow and the West. Much of its success lies in adhering to a single maxim: tell each side what it wants to hear.

What are the aims of COP30, and what does Brazil’s diplomatic strategy look like?

Donald Trump values his personal relations with Saudi royals and the kingdom is willing to play the role of host. But with prestige comes expectations.