The Call by the Global Intelligence Desk

Washington and Beijing are engaged in a far-reaching rivalry, spanning trade, capital, development finance, and supply chains—ultimately shaping the global economy. For countries and companies alike, the task is increasingly to navigate between these two centers of gravity.As global tensions threaten growth, however, our attention turns to the upcoming U.S.-China summit and whether Presidents Trump and Xi could possibly stabilize ties and reassert some measure of cooperation. Hurdles to such an alignment include the trade dispute, the digital rivalry, the Taiwan question, and the war in Iran.  And yet, the search for common ground will be a recurring theme this year as the U.S. hosts the G20 and the U.S. Chamber hosts the B20 – critical venues for coordinating the world’s bid for growth. So as the advance teams in Beijing prepare the red carpets, we ask David Malpass, renowned economic diplomat: Can the U.S. and China reset?-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

The U.S. Treasury has announced that it will release what it describes as the “financial equivalent,” of a military campaign on Iran, threatening to cut off any bank, company, or country that continues doing business with the U.S. adversary. Warning letters have already landed on the desks of financial institutions across three continents.  The move is an example of ‘economic warfare,’ in which the tools of commerce and trade are used as leverage over those running afoul of U.S. and its allies. For global businesses, this means operating legally under another country’s law is no longer sufficient legal protection.  Our guest Juan Zarate, former Deputy National Security Advisor, spent a decade inside the machine by building the sanctions architecture at OFAC, establishing the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, and leading the global effort to seize Saddam Hussein’s assets. However, he warns guest host Masha Angelova that this powerful tool of statecraft also provides incentives for U.S. rivals to work outside the system, a movement that is growing.  Raising the question: Should the U.S. Treasury be an agency of national security? -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

A new age of cybersecurity threats has arrived.Two weeks ago, the world learned about an unprecedented new AI capability that will change the cyber landscape. Anthropic developed Mythos, a powerful corporate security tool specially designed for coding and enterprise defense. But mindful of possible misuse, the tool was released under code named "Project Glasswing" to a handful of trusted users.That capability may be getting out into the world sooner rather than later. Bloomberg is reporting the powerful new tool has been used by a "private online forum," without authorization. Other media outlets are chasing. Anthropic says it is investigatingAre we prepared for this new era? What does this mean for all of us? U.S. Chamber CTO Bill Jewell joins Jay Sapsford for this timely, important discussion, with some advice for how companies can protect against these threats today and in the future.The developments of the past two weeks underscore the risks as these powerful new tools enter the workplace and add urgency to understanding their implications for enterprise security, governance, and responsible adoption. This isn’t just a conversation for this or that silo but has implications across the operation.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Talks in Islamabad have collapsed. A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports is now underway. The Strait of Hormuz, through which passes roughly a fifth of the world's seaborne energy, remains effectively closed, triggering what some have called the largest oil supply disruption in history. Hanging in the balance are the world’s economic growth prospects.Can diplomacy find an answer?Ambassador Dennis Ross is one of America's most experienced diplomats, having served across Democratic and Republican administrations alike. Host Jay Sapsford asks him to tap years of experience in the Middle East and help us understand why Iran has proven so resilient, and what pathways remain open for Washington as the conflict turns to a standoff.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Immediately after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the U.S. and its allies froze roughly $300 billion in Russian central bank reserves. The move shocked the world, signaling that assets – dollar assets – can be seized, setting a frightening precedent for anyone worried about falling out of line with Washington. Joining Jay Sapsford in a special in-person episode live from the U.S. Chamber building in Washington are Josh Lipsky from the Atlantic Council and Edward Fishman from the Council of Foreign Relations.Our guest Lipsky says we have been living with the repercussions ever since, with implications for cross-border payments, digital assets and a growing distrust of the dollar as world currency: “Every time a country builds a new payment system to work around the dollar, you can trace the decision back to this day.”Fishman sees the move as a major step toward ‘economic warfare,’ in which countries leverage geography (Iran with Hormuz) or crucial resources (China with rare earths) to vie with rival and pursue interests. As Fishman describes it, the ultimate chokepoint has been the dollar and the U.S. role in cross-border settlements.All of which raises questions about whether the growing use of sanctions has kicked-started an effort to find a tech-based alternative to the greenback. Or put more simply: Has the seizure of Russian assets undermined the dollar?-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, the man responsible for a waterway offering many shippers an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, joins Jay Sapsford to discuss global trade, energy, and strategic infrastructure.The Panama Canal already carries 5% of the world's maritime trade and 40% of all U.S. container traffic. Now, the short-cut between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans faces growing demand after the Iran conflict has forced a real-time rerouting of global shipping. And that surge comes just as Panama was already under intense public scrutiny.Mr. Morales’ team had just addressed a water shortage crisis when a fight broke out between the U.S. and China – its two largest customers - over who operates the terminals on either side of the waterway. Now, the authority is pushing an ambitious expansion to boost its water supply, expand container capacity, and build a new energy pipeline.Morales speaks to what all of this means for the companies that move goods through a consequential 50-mile stretch of water, and what business leaders should expect from one of the world's busiest chokepoints.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

The Trump-Xi summit was supposed to take place in the days ahead. It's been delayed -- and sidelined -- by the war in Iran war, which has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, rattled oil markets, raised the risks of inflation and forced a reassessment of a slew of assumptions about the state of play between powers great, medium and small.The under-appreciated player in this global contest is China, hugely dependent on Middle East energy, even as it negotiates trade ties to the U.S. For business leaders, the Iran conflict compounds the high levels of uncertainty that already haunted the relationship between Beijing and Washington, and the world’s two largest economies.Our guest, Robert "Bob" Hormats, Visiting Lecturer at Yale and Former United States Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, having advised Henry Kissinger on the original opening to China, has engaged with Beijing at the highest levels across five decades, and as such, is one of the world’s most seasoned voices on the U.S.-China relationship in the world. He discusses this turbulent situation with host Jay Sapsford and gives his take on what happens next.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

A few weeks into the War with Iran, it is clear the conflict will hit more than the market for crude. The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz has significant implications for the price – and availability – of petroleum intensive products affecting agriculture, logistics, manufacturing, defense and a slew of other core industries.   Scott Lincicome, Vice President of General Economics at the Cato Institute, one of the most cited voices in the national debate over U.S. trade policy, joins host Jay Sapsford to discuss recent moves to ease both Russian sanctions and the Jones Act. They also talk about what the war – and its focus on Hormuz, a vital chokepoint - says about our highly interdependent global economy.  -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Jim Bridenstine, Managing Partner of the Artemis Group, former NASA Administrator, former U.S. Representative (R-OK), and a leading voice in American space policy, joins our guest host for this episode, Neil Bradley, the U.S. Chamber’s Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer and Head of Strategic Advocacy, to discuss the new space rce.As early as April, the U.S. will launch Artemis II, its first manned space flight in half a century. The planned launch comes amid a new rivalry that echoes the Cold War contest with the USSR. This time, however, the race is with China, with immediate national security implications. And the U.S. is relying more heavily on venture capital and private business.  So we will launch the discussion with this frame: What drives the ‘New Space Race?’Bridenstine and Bradley break down the convergence of the China rivalry, military space dominance, satellite technology, and commercial expansion, and what it means for companies operating in defense, telecommunications, logistics, and beyond.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Suzanne Maloney, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution and one of Washington’s leading experts on Iran joins host Jay Sapsford for a conversation on Iran, escalation risk, and regional business implications The death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has thrown Iran into its most consequential leadership crisis since 1979, with succession questions now emerging under intense pressure, and amid a relentless attack by U.S. and Israeli forces that shows little sign of abating. Much of Iran’s leadership was the target of a successful attack, posing a challenge to anybody running operations across the dynamic markets of the Middle East: Who will run Iran after the crisis? Is this a decapitation strike or nation building? And what are the scenarios affecting business, growth and investment?Maloney breaks down the most plausible paths from here, what the succession mechanics mean in practice, where escalation risk is highest, and the signposts that matter most for business leaders trying to plan through volatility. -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Four years in, another round of U.S.-brokered talks have reached no breakthrough. Russia continues to make incremental gains in the east, Ukraine’s energy grid can meet only 60 percent of demand, and Trump is pressing Kyiv for concessions ahead of a June deadline.Ukraine, however, has emerged as a leading innovator in drone and digital warfare, while Russia is increasingly reliant on what Kendall-Taylor calls the “axis of upheaval”: deepening military cooperation among Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, with significant implications for a shifting global order.Former senior CIA analyst Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) joins Jay Sapsford to discuss the vital question: How long will the war in Ukraine last, and what will be its lasting impact on the global world order?-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Mark Esper, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and now a Managing Partner at Red Cell Partners, joins us to examine the implications, risks and opportunities amid the expanding defense spending commitments across the world. The war in Ukraine has reshuffled the deck. The conflict underscores a shift in battlefield logistics, driving an unprecedented pairing of technology with kinetic capabilities across land, sea, air and space. This, combined with U.S. pushing Europe to increase its share of the collective defense burden, is driving defense commitments to unprecedented levels.It is a global phenomenon, with geopolitical tensions driving spending across regions. But for the defense industry, the greatest challenge may lie in the transatlantic relationship. Mark discusses with Jay Sapsford whether execution can match the ambitions, and whether this becomes a short surge or a durable project that reshapes industrial policy, budgets, and supply chains for the next decade. -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

The U.S. incursion into Venezuela, and the deposition of President Maduro while leaving his government in place, sets a new model for a U.S. grappling with hostile governments. It leaves in place an existing governance structure and avoids the chaos of Iraq after the U.S. invasion.   Now, many wonder whether Venezuela is a template, a model that might be applied to other hotspots such as Iran, another oil rich nation facing popular uprising stemming from significant economic mismanagement. And as an armada of U.S. war ships presses into Iranian waters, Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela and Iran, joins Jay Sapsford to discuss the pressing question: Is Venezuela a precedent for Iran? -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

The dollar has been volatile and weak, falling by double digits over the past year. Equities are strong, rising to valuations that some see as unsustainable. Prices of key metals and materials – gold, copper - are gyrating amid shortages, while yawning deficits are driving sovereign debt, both in the U.S. and abroad, to levels unseen since World War Two.All of which begs us to ask: Are global markets flashing warning signs?Tim Adams, former Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury for International Affairs, and current President & CEO of the Institute of International Finance, joins us to discuss this vital topic. Few people can match Tim Adams’s insights into capital flows, sovereign risk, and the costs of erratic policies. He tells us what he’s hearing from institutions, what signals he’s watching, what this moment means for business leaders making decisions on how best to navigate the volatility.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

What will be the U.S. role in the next global paradigm? We invited Robert O’Brien, former National Security Advisor during Trump’s first term, to help us define U.S. success amid a landscape that is shifting, often because of changes emanating from Washington. We delve into the National Security Strategy, the administration’s vision for alliances and trade, and how it sees the global interests of the world’s leading economic power. Most importantly, at a time when the U.S. policy shifts happen faster than planning cycles, we ask the former advisor to help us identify which signals matter the most for business.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

For years, policy planners have operated on a green assumption: oil demand would eventually de-couple from economic growth. Electric vehicles, cheaper batteries, solar, wind -- all would combine to reduce demand and put us on a long glide path away from crude. Some even put a date on it: 2030 as the moment oil demand would “peak.”So, is the ‘Peak Oil’ thesis still a thing? Robert McNally, President of Rapidan Energy Group and former White House energy adviser, joins host Jay Sapsford to bring his stellar predictive track record to this question, arguing fossil fuel demand could well be stronger than anticipated, while supply will be tough to grow, given the politics and the risk of geopolitical disruption. The upshot: A future in which oil – and energy – is structurally tight. In some cases, very tight.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

China enters 2026 targeting 5% growth. But behind the numbers, it grapples with weak domestic demand, a property hangover, high local government debt, and growing external pressure on trade and technology. Beijing’s answer is increasingly framed around expanding ‘new economy’ investments in advanced manufacturing and clean tech. Will that be enough for China to achieve its growth targets?Probably not, says Dan Rosen, co-founder of the Rhodium Group. He joins Jay Sapsford to discuss how these new strategic investments yield too little to compensate for the property bust or declining returns on infrastructure. That, in turn, leaves Beijing even more reliant on exports than ever before, with significant implications for the rest of the world. -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Amid a dramatically shifting global environment, Europe enters 2026 with pressure coming from every direction: security threats from Russia, economic threats from China, political fragmentation, a lagging digital sector, energy insufficiency, rapid aging, surging public debt, and a stagnant economy suffocating in red tape. The stakes for business will be significant, given the trade flows across the Atlantic, by some measures the biggest bilateral economic relationship in the world. U.S. demands over Greenland are the latest sign Europe can no longer rely on the United States for the balance of its hard security while focusing on ever more generous social programs.  But what is Europe’s path to revival? Can it rise to the challenge? Featuring the U.S. Chamber's Senior Vice President, Europe, Marjorie Chorlins.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Washington policymakers will again navigate a dramatically shifting playing field in 2026, not least because of the midterm elections in November. We can think of no better guide than our very own Neil Bradley to help us understand not only the stakes of the election, but what to expect across the issues that matter most for business.    In this conversation, amid the continued uncertainty, we step back and ask: What will the world actually see out of Washington in 2026, and what does it mean for companies making long-term decisions today? We explore the outlook for tariffs and investment policy, the direction of U.S. leadership and alliances, the evolving debate over AI and innovation, and how domestic policy choices (from deregulation to immigration and tax policy) could shape competitiveness in the year ahead. -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is the lead author of the EBRD’s landmark new report, “Brave Old World,” which lays out one of the defining long-term challenges of our time: the demographic reversal. Populations are aging, fertility rates are falling, and fiscal systems, whether in high-income economies or the global south, are coming under strain. This week on The Call for our final episode of the year, Jay Sapsford  asks Beata how governments can manage this transition, what an economy built on a shrinking workforce means for growth, how developed and emerging markets should prepare differently, and whether expectations for technology to fill the widening gap are realistic. As Javorcik notes in the report, “Meeting this challenge will require courage.”-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

America’s alliances - and the businesses that bind those partnerships - are recovering from the strain of this year’s trade tensions. Amid the rise of China, uncertainties remain over how best to pursue our immediate economic goals while also pursing less tangible, long-term strategic interests.  Jay Sapsford asks Ambassador Rahm Emanuel: As alliances evolve, can Washington and its friends effectively deter Beijing? -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Traffic at America’s ports is one of the most underappreciated indicators of economic prospects - and at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest, traffic is slowing. That begs a question: Is the slowing port traffic a red flag? Few people see real-time demand, supply chain stress, and geopolitical pressure points as clearly as Gene Seroka, Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles. Jay Sapsford talks with Gene about what the slowdown means for trade and growth.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Seven years ago, economists at Capital Economics, an independent macro-economic consultancy, issued a paper entitled The Coming Slowdown in China. At a time when much of the world was convinced China would overtake the U.S., they argued that tailwinds were already turning into headwinds. Our guest on this episode of The Call is Mark Williams, Chief Asia Economist at Capital Economics, and co-author of the firm’s provocative report. We ask Williams to revisit his firm’s thesis today, seven years on, against a very different backdrop, including an escalating U.S.-China rivalry amid sluggish growth.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Adam Posen, in the most recent issue of Foreign Affairs, published a stark argument that has generated buzz here in DC: The U.S., in his telling, has leveraged its role as a ‘global insurer’ underwriting the risks of the world’s economic system, to extract ever richer premiums from allies, demanding more and more as the price of U.S.-led security. At a time when the world was already undergoing significant changes, Posen joins the Call to raise significant questions about the role of the U.S. in the years ahead: What will be the U.S. role in a chaotic new era? Will it continue to offer security and a financial haven? Or is the U.S. now a source of turmoil, leveraging uncertainty for economic gain?-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

From autonomous systems to AI-driven targeting, warfare is being redefined by innovation. This week’s guest, former Defense Under-Secretary Michèle Flournoy, argues that America’s ability to deter and win wars, now, depends less on troop strength and more on its capacity to out-innovate its rivals through cutting-edge research, skilled talent, and fast investment. She will outline how deterrence is shifting as defense innovation accelerates worldwide, and allies modernize their military -- and what policy changes, industrial partnerships, and investment priorities should come next.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

With the U.S. and Chinese leaders meeting on the sidelines of APEC this week, the stakes are high: renewed tariff threats, tighter tech and minerals controls, allies under pressure to align, and a security backdrop that refuses to stay quiet. Supply chains, investment plans, and boardroom risk maps all hang in the balance. The question on our mind this week: Can Trump and Xi Find a New Normal? The Chamber's own Charles Freeman joins The Call to explore what a “new normal” could look like: What are the needs of each side? Is there space for deal-making? Might we see more escalation of trade tensions?-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Japan has made history by electing Sanae Takaichi as its first female prime minister, but her Liberal Democratic Party was forced to shift rightward after centrists lost the premiership. Having just secured Japan’s top post, Takaichi has only days to prepare to meet with President Trump and will have to navigate a slew of difficult issues with a famously unpredictable U.S. leader.  David Boling, former Hill staffer, USTR trade negotiator, and currently Director, Japan and Asian Trade at Eurasia Group, helps us unpack a full Japan-U.S. agenda: Japanese defense spending, policy coordination with an increasingly assertive China, and – above all - Japan’s promised investments in the U.S. resulting from recent trade deal signed by Takaichi’s predecessor.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

As the dust of the IMF Annual Meetings settles, the world is now defined by uncertainty.  The weaponization of trade, the steep price of resilience, and debt levels set to reach 100% of global GDP by 2030 – all combine for difficult terrain to navigate.  This brings forward our question: Who leads in a fragmented world?    Robert Zoellick, Chairman of Americas, at Temasek, Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, former President of the World Bank, U.S. Trade Representative, and Deputy Secretary of State, joins The Call to unpack the next phase of our increasingly fragmented global economy and what it means for business strategy, resilience, and U.S. leadership.  -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas joins the Call live from the IMF meetings in Washington., which is happening amid surging public debt levels, growing trade restrictions, and technological advances that promise to reshape labor and productivity.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Gita Gopinath joins The Call just days before the IMF Annual Meetings, at a moment when the question for governments and businesses alike is clear: Can the global economy grow in a fragmented world? With debt levels surging, trade disputes escalating, and AI transforming labor markets, the stakes for CEOs and policymakers have rarely been higher.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Absolutely not, says this says this week’s guest. Mark Sobel, U.S. Chairman at OMFIF and former U.S. representative to the IMF, explained, “dollarization is not the answer. What Argentina needs is a flexible exchange rate, not a trap with no exit.” Sobel joins Jay Sapsford to explore why Argentina keeps stumbling into crisis, the risks of Washington’s latest bailout, and why the peso still matters for the country’s future.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

The UN General Assembly is convening next week, for the fourth time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—and once again, the war will be high on the agenda. As the conflict nears its fourth year with no end in sight, the war is contributing to a global military build up, which reached a record $2.7 trillion in 2024, a surge not seen since the Cold War. John Lough, Head of Foreign Policy at the New Eurasian Strategies Centre, joins this week’s episode as the conflict extends into a grinding war of attrition: disrupting Europe’s security order, straining defense stockpiles, reshaping trade and energy flows while its sparking debate among allies over how to support the resistance. For those of us on the Chamber’s Global Intelligence Desk, the central question is no longer about how this war ends, but rather, what if it drags on for years to come? What are the costs of an open-ended conflict for Ukraine, Europe, and the global economy?-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

With markets bracing for the Fed’s rate decision today, former Cleveland Fed President & CEO Loretta Mester joins Jay Sapsford on this week’s episode to weigh the risks: insurance cuts vs. the danger of reigniting inflation.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

Jeffrey Currie, Chief Strategy Officer of Carlyle’s Energy Pathways, joins the Call to unpack copper’s price whiplash, the coming U.S. tariffs, and why this ancient metal’s resurgence has become a heated subject matter in corporate boardrooms. Currie, widely known for calling copper the “new oil”, will explain its surging demand, driven by its growing role in semiconductors and EVs, in AI plans and data centers, electrical grids, and arms manufacturing. Meeting that demand won’t be easy. New mining projects face hurdles, ore grades are declining, and bottlenecks in refining and smelting persist. Meanwhile, news of tariffs on some copper imports, but not others, underscores the complicated strategic role of this commodity. Currie, who has warned of underinvestment in the physical economy, will break down what’s real, what’s policy-driven, and where copper fits into the roiling national security debate over the cost and supply of crucial commodities. As he puts it, “Wars are won with supply chains and capital.”-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

John Neuffer, President & CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association, joins host Jay Sapsford to provide the broad context of the cross-border tensions for perhaps the world’s most innovative sector, a $600 billion chips industry that supplies the brains embedded in everything from computers and cars to cell phones and refrigerators.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

The Fed is facing growing discontent among some – including the President – over Fed Chair Jay Powell’s failure to ease interest rates, as well as criticism from Congress over cost escalations in a Fed office renovation. Former CEO and President of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, James Bullard, and one of the earliest voices to warn of inflation risks joins the Call to discuss this tension. Currently the Dean of the Mitch Daniels School of Business at Purdue University, Bullard took over the regional Fed role just as the U.S. economy was entering a prolonged financial crisis in 2008 and held that role until 2023; he brings over a decade of insider knowledge into how the Fed thinks and acts.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

President Trump’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on Japanese auto imports has jolted the U.S.–Japan alliance days ahead of Japan’s July 20 upper-house elections. Despite repeated rounds of negotiations, a deal remains elusive, raising questions about the future of one of the world’s most important bilateral security relationships between Tokyo and Washington. This week’s guest, Dr. William Chou, a seasoned Japan analyst,  unpacks how trade tensions are shaping political dynamics in Tokyo, why Japan isn’t getting credit for its significant U.S. investments and military support, and the impact all this might have on supply chains, defense, technology – and Japan’s elections. -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

The U.S. will assume the presidency of the G20 in December, presenting a unique moment next year for Washington to demonstrate global leadership by hosting perhaps the most important multilateral forum, the G20’s annual summit. It is also a moment of consequence for the U.S. Chamber, as it convenes the B20 ahead of the G20 summit, providing the business community an opportunity to help shape the G20 agenda. Our guest, Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri, argues the summit is an opportunity for the U.S. to set the tenor on a slew of issues. As co-author of a recent piece in Foreign Affairs, Dr. Vinjamuri says the G20 presents a powerful vehicle for brokering deals and advancing shared agendas, such as sustainable development, digital connectivity and energy cooperation.   The U.S. remains the undisputed economic and military power of the world. But does the will in exists in Washington to broaden its definition of U.S. interests at a time of growing isolationism? We can think of no better guest to help us than Dr. Vinjamuri, who brings to The Call years of policy experience by way of Chatham House, the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs, SOAS University of London, Georgetown University, Harvard University, and the London School of Economics, among others.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

The U.S. dollar reigns supreme, but its role as the default global currency is increasingly under scrutiny. In his new book, Our Dollar, Your Problem, today's guest Ken Rogoff argues the greenback’s primacy might erode faster than expected. The biggest challenge might not be the status of the dollar as a reserve currency, but as the preferred unit of global exchange. Some of the U.S.’ biggest rivals, Rogoff argues, are increasingly uncomfortable with the U.S. controlling the rails of global finance through the dollar, and – from Russia to especially China – our adversaries are testing alternatives to dollar invoicing. That raises the question: Is China coming for the dollar? Rogoff joins Jay Sapsford to discuss China’s ambitions amid a weakened economy, why U.S. policies may make the dollar more vulnerable, and the implications of technology lowering the barriers to cross-border transactions.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

After U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, many expected oil prices to soar. But they didn’t. Why? This week’s guest, Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Prize and Vice Chairman of S&P Global, joins Jay Sapsford to explain how U.S. shale reshaped the oil market, and why America still defends flows it no longer relies on.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

The Pentagon is reviewing plans for the joint provision of nuclear submarines to Australia, a deal seen as the pillar of the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the U.K., and the U.S., or “AUKUS.” The review has sparked alarm in both Canberra and London and raises hard questions about U.S. shipbuilding capacity, defense readiness, and Washington’s long-term vision for deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.  Former Deputy Secretary of State Dr. Kurt Campbell, a driving force behind AUKUS and a key architect of U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, joins us to assess whether AUKUS is faltering, what this moment signals about U.S. global commitments, and whether the trilateral pact can still deliver on its promise of security and technological edge. -The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / 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 series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

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 questions for the business community:   * Can supply chains adapt to a new era of increasingly fragmented trade? * How will the disruption impact especially small businesses? * Will market forces help businesses find ways around new trade hurdles?   Ryan Petersen, CEO of Flexport, joins Jay to discuss this timely and important topic.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

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 regime could threaten confidence in the U.S. dollar and America’s role as the world’s financial safe haven.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

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 to be risk managers, not forecasters—and what’s at stake if confidence in U.S. markets continues to erode.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

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 most integrated trading relationships withstand this pressure?-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

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—and why speed, trust, and leverage are in short supply.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

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-reliance, what’s really driving decoupling, and, in a race against the clock, what both sides need to be doing to stabilize the relationship.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

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, not supply chains.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk  

“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, and why the neither side should assume it holds all the leverage.-The Call is a series of live video conversations featuring expert guests from the U.S. Chamber's Global Intelligence Desk. Live access to The Call is a benefit to the Chamber’s members; however, we are pleased to provide recordings of the calls for wider listening thereafter.Learn more about the Global Intelligence Desk: https://globalintelligencedesk.com/Join the conversation on LinkedIn:   / global-intelligence-desk