Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Dominance on the global stage doesn’t look the same as it once did, and some nations are only figuring that out as others are rewriting the rules out from under them. Global trade has suffered under tariffs, but not always in the expected ways. China has locked down its emergent technology, but nations around the globe rely on its resources still. The Strait of Hormuz remains a very real structural chokepoint for the whole world, and efforts to leverage power around it have not guaranteed outcomes for anyone. Any tactic in a nation’s plans for navigating these seismic global shifts could have unintended consequences.
This episode features Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes, authors of the recently released How to Win a Trade War (Simon & Schuster, 2026). Chad is the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and an expert on political economy of international trade policy. Soumaya is an economics columnist at the Financial Times, and she's focused her research on the US economy and the trade policies of Donald Trump’s first presidency. They discuss the modern playing field of trade wars, policies and tactics that are shaping global operations today.
Mentioned:
• US imports from China fell in 2025: Peterson Institute for International Economics: piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2026/trump-china-trade-wars-five-takeaways-us-imports-2025
• Apple pivoting to Indian manufacturers for iPhones: reuters.com/world/china/apple-aims-source-all-us-iphones-india-pivot-away-china-ft-reports-2025-04-25
• Strait of Hormuz crisis: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis#:~:text=The%20largest%2Dever%20monthly%20increase,of%20the%20world%20oil%20market
• China restricting technology exports: reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-toughens-rules-outbound-investment-after-meta-manus-contention-2026-06-01
• China’s rare earth mineral export restrictions: csis.org/analysis/rare-earth-export-restrictions-one-year-later
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP): international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/cptpp-ptpgp/index.aspx?lang=eng
• Liberation Day: Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_Day_tariffs
• Chinese electric vehicles in the EU: cepa.org/article/europe-embraces-chinese-evs
• US tariffs on Canadian aluminum: pwc.com/ca/en/services/tax/publications/tax-insights/us-impose-tariffs-steel-aluminum-imports-2025.html
Further Reading:
• Chad P. Bown biography: piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/chad-p-bown
• Soumaya Keynes biography: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soumaya_Keynes
• How to Win a Trade War (Simon & Schuster, 2026): simonandschuster.com/books/How-to-Win-a-Trade-War/Soumaya-Keynes/9781668221310
• Timeline of US tariffs and their impacts: taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/trump-tariffs-trade-war
Credits:
Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi.
Original music by Joshua Snethlage.
Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault.
Be sure to follow us on social media.
• X: @_policyprompt (https://x.com/_policyprompt)
• IG: @cigionline (instagram.com/cigionline/?hl=en)
Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at info@policyprompt.io
Dominance on the global stage doesn’t look the same as it once did, and some nations are only figuring that out as others are rewriting the rules out from under them. Global trade has suffered under tariffs, but not always in the expected ways. China has locked down its emergent technology, but nations around the globe rely on its resources still. The Strait of Hormuz remains a very real structural chokepoint for the whole world, and efforts to leverage power around it have not guaranteed outcomes for anyone. Any tactic in a nation’s plans for navigating these seismic global shifts could have unintended consequences.
This episode features Chad P. Bown and Soumaya Keynes, authors of the recently released How to Win a Trade War (Simon & Schuster, 2026). Chad is the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and an expert on political economy of international trade policy. Soumaya is an economics columnist at the Financial Times, and she's focused her research on the US economy and the trade policies of Donald Trump’s first presidency. They discuss the modern playing field of trade wars, policies and tactics that are shaping global operations today.
Mentioned:
• US imports from China fell in 2025: Peterson Institute for International Economics: piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2026/trump-china-trade-wars-five-takeaways-us-imports-2025
• Apple pivoting to Indian manufacturers for iPhones: reuters.com/world/china/apple-aims-source-all-us-iphones-india-pivot-away-china-ft-reports-2025-04-25
• Strait of Hormuz crisis: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis#:~:text=The%20largest%2Dever%20monthly%20increase,of%20the%20world%20oil%20market
• China restricting technology exports: reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-toughens-rules-outbound-investment-after-meta-manus-contention-2026-06-01
• China’s rare earth mineral export restrictions: csis.org/analysis/rare-earth-export-restrictions-one-year-later
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP): international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/cptpp-ptpgp/index.aspx?lang=eng
• Liberation Day: Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_Day_tariffs
• Chinese electric vehicles in the EU: cepa.org/article/europe-embraces-chinese-evs
• US tariffs on Canadian aluminum: pwc.com/ca/en/services/tax/publications/tax-insights/us-impose-tariffs-steel-aluminum-imports-2025.html
Further Reading:
• Chad P. Bown biography: piie.com/experts/senior-research-staff/chad-p-bown
• Soumaya Keynes biography: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soumaya_Keynes
• How to Win a Trade War (Simon & Schuster, 2026): simonandschuster.com/books/How-to-Win-a-Trade-War/Soumaya-Keynes/9781668221310
• Timeline of US tariffs and their impacts: taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/trump-tariffs-trade-war
Credits:
Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi.
Original music by Joshua Snethlage.
Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault.
Be sure to follow us on social media.
• X: @_policyprompt (https://x.com/_policyprompt)
• IG: @cigionline (instagram.com/cigionline/?hl=en)
Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at info@policyprompt.io
