Is Europe heading for a trade war with China? | The Economist

2026-04-29

Support for NATO is growing more partisan under President Trump, with Republicans increasingly souring on the alliance.
On the latest Inside Defence show, Rachel Ellehuus, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute, joins The Economist’s defence editor, Shashank Joshi, to unpack what’s really driving the shift and what Europeans can do to convince an unpredictable American partner of NATO’s value.

#NATO #Trump #Europe #America

00:00 – Why Republicans have soured on NATO
01:23 – Why America’s commitment to Europe Is changing
03:07 – Where the Democrats stand on NATO
04:00 – What will the midterms mean for NATO?

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/4wePhoX
Sign up to the Insider newsletter: https://econ.st/4nOyzIb

Subscribe to The Economist:

2026-04-27

Why does political violence seem to be getting worse in America? The Economist’s US editor, John Prideaux and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss what a gunman’s attack on Donald Trump’s dinner with the press reveals about the limits of presidential security, whether political violence is on the rise and how will the assassination attempt affect Trump’s popularity

00:00 – What happened during the assassination attempt?
01:20 – Did the Secret Service fail?
02:51 – Is political violence increasing in America?
04:35 – Will this impact Trump’s popularity rating?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/3Qxu8Wy
A gunman storms Donald Trump’s dinner with the press: https://econ.st/3QyXSlV
Subscribe: https://www.economist.com/subscribe
Download the App:

2026-04-24

Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with America is under strain. From Trump’s digs at Starmer to a widening rift in values, the transatlantic bond is fraying. On the latest Insider show, our editors discuss why this rupture may be different.

#Trump #Starmer #America #Britain

00:00 – The history of the "special relationship"
02:11 – What’s so special about it
03:09 – Past ruptures in the relationship
04:41 – Is this time different?

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/4w22u4i
Sign up to the Insider newsletter: https://econ.st/4nOyzIb

Subscribe to The Economist: https://www.economist.com/subscribe
Download our app: https://www.economist.com/get-the-app

Follow The Economist on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeconomist/
Follow The Economist on Facebook:

2026-03-09

For eight decades the US dollar has been the linchpin of global trade and finance, but today confidence in it is faltering. Are there any alternatives?

Video supported by @mishcondereya

#dollar #euro #economy #economics #finance

00:00 – Could the dollar lose its dominance?
00:52 – Donald’s Trump impact on the dollar
01:25 – Why it’s hard to stop using dollars
02:16 – What could be an alternative?
04:01 – A basket of currencies

Read more: https://econ.st/4tMBtAI
Subscribe to The Economist: https://econ.st/3Mia0pz
Download The Economist app: https://econ.st/4qdVVaA

Follow us on X: https://x.com/TheEconomist
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeconomist
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist

How a dollar crisis would unfold:

2026-01-16

The exiled son of Iran’s former shah says citizens are getting “butchered” by the regime and explains how he would plan to lead the country during a transition period.

In an interview with The Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Reza Pahlavi said his role would be to act as a neutral arbiter, oversee free elections and then transfer power to an elected parliament.

Watch our latest Insider show on Iran here: econ.st/49YL67h

What the collapse of Iran would mean: econ.st/49EBmh5
America’s options in Iran: econ.st/49TaDib
Bereft of legitimacy, the reeling regime in Iran massacres its own people: econ.st/4sFufxX

Sign up to our weekly newsletter: https://econ.st/3J0xzBr

2026-01-13

Has Trump’s Venezuela raid helped China plan military strikes? Jeremy Page and Sarah Wu, co-hosts of the Drum Tower podcast, discuss whether the US assault and extraction of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro could offer lessons for a possible future attack on Taiwan.

00:00 – What lessons will Beijing draw from the US strike?
01:05 – How is China’s military preparing for decapitation strikes?
02:28 – Is the PLA talking more about decapitation operations?
04:25 – How capable is China of carrying out a decapitation strike?
05:20 – How concerned is China about its military technology?
06:30 – How might the raid affect China’s future actions?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4qPXBrp
China and Taiwan both see lessons in America’s raid on Venezuela: https://econ.st/4pD75p4
Sign

2025-11-27

Is Britain’s budget a failure? Tom Carter, our Britain economics correspondent, and Jason Palmer, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss why this is a missed opportunity for the Labour Party and why the government’s new policies are anti-growth.

#theeconomist #budget2025 #labour

2025-11-25

Is raising the minimum wage a good thing? Callum Williams, our Senior economics writer, and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss whether raising wage floors or the welfare state is better at reducing poverty.

00:00 – Why are people talking about the minimum wage right now?
00:20– Isn’t raising the minimum wage a good thing?
01:54 – What does the research on minimum wage suggest?
02:57 – Is raising the minimum wage the best way to fight poverty?
04:35 – So the idea that “work pays” actually isn’t good for overcoming inequality?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/3KjDbYl
Why governments should stop raising the minimum wage: https://econ.st/4ocF4Ux
Sign up to our weekly newsletter: https://econ.st/3J0xzBr

#TheEconomist #budget2025 #RachelReeves