Independent Thinking

The US Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump on his first justification for tariffs, but he says he will push them through by other means.
On this week's Independent Thinking podcast, our experts analyse why Trump is wedded to tariffs as an economic and political tool, and what effect they will have on the US and global economies.
They also discuss whether tariffs have ended globalization for good even after the Trump era ends.
Joining regular host Bronwen Maddox are Creon Butler, director of the Global Economy and Finance programme at Chatham House, and down the line from Washington, Heather Hurlburt, a consulting fellow in our US and North America Programme.
 
Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sara Seth and Stephen Farrell.
 
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Negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war do not appear to have made significant progress. In the meantime, the focus of US President Donald Trump's 'lighthouse diplomacy' appears to have switched to Iran.
Chatham House analysts discuss the state of the talks, and whether Europe will step up to provide the weapons and military support that Ukraine needs. They also examine how the Russia-Ukraine conflict fits into the wider superpower competition between the US, Russia and China.
Joining host Bronwen Maddox are Grégoire Roos, director of Chatham House's Europe, Russia and Eurasia programmes; Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine Forum; and Natalie Sabanadze, Senior Research Fellow with the Russia and Eurasia Programme.
 
This episode comes as we look ahead to two major upcoming Chatham House events: a conversation with General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, marking four years since Russia's full-scale invasion, and our annual Security and Defence conference.
Both events are now fully booked for in-person attendance, but audiences will be able to watch General Zaluzhnyi's appearance and some of the defence conference events online.
Full details are available on our website: https://www.chathamhouse.org/events/upcoming
 
Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.
Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts.

In a special edition of Chatham House's Independent Thinking podcast recorded at the Munich Security Conference 2026 over the weekend, Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox and Grégoire Roos, Director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes, unpack the key issues that emerged from this year's forum.
The main speaker, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adopted a different tone from Vice President JD Vance, who shocked many in the audience last year when he delivered a verbal broadside against Europe at the same conference.
But does it signify a shift in the Trump administration's newly assertive stance, or was it the same message in a different wrapping?
In a recording session in a side room amid the hustle and flow of the conference, they also discuss innovations in defence technology and drone development, the resilience of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, what level of support Ukraine can expect from Europe, and whether European companies and policymakers will respond effectively in the face of increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers.
 
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Read our latest:
Comment | The West vs the West at the Munich Security Conference
Comment | Climate security should be a bigger priority at the Munich Security Conference
Comment | What should a more European NATO look like? The US and Europe disagree
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As Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer ploughs through crisis after crisis, his Labour Party faces multiple threats in upcoming local elections. Our Chatham House analysts examine whether having six prime ministers in a decade is a sign that Britain, like some of its neighbours, has more fundamental underlying problems that make it increasingly hard to govern.

Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by Olivia O'Sullivan, Director of the UK in the World Programme at Chatham House and Grégoire Roos, Director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes.
 
Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell and Sara Seth.
Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts
 
Read our latest:
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Comment | What recent developments in Syria mean for the Kurds
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After the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, our analysts discuss where in the Western Hemisphere US President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio may turn their attention to next.
Host Bronwen Maddox is joined by Laurel Rapp, director of Chatham House's US and North America Programme, and Dr Christopher Sabatini, Senior Fellow for Latin America. They dissect the so-called 'Donroe Doctrine', Marco Rubio's project to reform Cuba's regime, Haiti, and why oil is central to the MAGA playbook.
Read Dr Sabatini's full research paper 'A roadmap for security and governance reform in Haiti'.  
Read our latest:
Comment | Haiti's vicious circle: Funding is needed to end the violence. But the violence means funding doesn't come.
Event | The new threat? An imperial America
News release | Chatham House fellow gives evidence on Venezuela to UK Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee
 
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Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sara Seth and Stephen Farrell.
Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts.