The Munk Debates Podcast

To listen to the full episode consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. Rudyard and Andrew try to make sense of the Canada-US trade chaos of the past 72 hours. Andrew offers two interpretations: either Trump was looking for a reason to walk away from the table as a negotiating ploy, or he is a genuinely needy child who cannot tolerate criticism. Canada is not the unreasonable party here. Is there a point to negotiating at all if we can't have confidence that the agreement will be respected? Trump is ratcheting up turmoil on a weekly basis to the point where the public is being numbed into submission. What will happen if the U.S. Supreme Court strips Trump of his trade powers? Rudyard and Andrew then turn to the upcoming Canadian federal budget. What are Mark Carney's priorities? As the leader of a minority government will he attempt the bold action required to address our productivity and trade crisis? And if he fails, are we headed for a spring election? 

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice start the show with the big news stories coming out of Gaza this week: the public executions Hamas is conducting in the Gaza strip in order to terrorize and intimidate civilians, and the Israeli government's growing concern that Hamas is breaking the ceasefire deal by not returning all of the dead hostages as agreed upon. How will rival Gaza clans thwart Hamas's attempt to cling to power? Could Gaza be on the verge of a civil war? How fast can you get a rudimentary police force to make Hamas pull back? And perhaps most importantly, who would want to go in there? Janice is optimistic that this time, at least, the Arab world is taking ownership over this problem in a way they never have before. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to an important phone call that took place this week between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin just ahead of Zelensky's visit today to Washington, where the Ukrainian President intends to make the case for long-range Tomahawk missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia. The transfer of these weapons, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned this week, could lead to nuclear war. Meanwhile, Europeans have never been more scared, interpreting Russia's drone excursions into NATO territory as preparation for a larger war with the continent. Are weak European governments using the bogeyman of Russia to rally their public to distract from domestic problems and rising populism? Everybody is rolling the dice here, and when you do that there is always a chance that someone will miscalculate, and everyone will pay the heavy price. To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

To listen to the full episode consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. Rudyard and Andrew begin with the war in Ukraine and Trump denying Zelensky's request for Tomahawk long range missiles. Russia has suffered mass casualties - more than 400,000 dead and many more wounded - and shows no signs of weakening Ukraine's resolve, and yet all it takes is one phone call from Putin for Trump to reverse track and breathe new life into Russia's war effort. Trump's fickle support begs an important question: What can we do to strengthen ties with allies and even adversaries to protect ourselves from instability south of the border? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Andrew turn to a bombshell accusation from Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre that the RCMP covered up crimes committed by Justin Trudeau. This is an irresponsible accusation that suggests Poilievre is not leadership material. And while his behaviour plays well to the party's base, it spooks moderate Conservatives. How can any leader straddle this cultural divide?

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice start the show with the big news stories coming out of Gaza this week: the public executions Hamas is conducting in the Gaza strip in order to terrorize and intimidate civilians, and the Israeli government's growing concern that Hamas is breaking the ceasefire deal by not returning all of the dead hostages as agreed upon. How will rival Gaza clans thwart Hamas's attempt to cling to power? Could Gaza be on the verge of a civil war? How fast can you get a rudimentary police force to make Hamas pull back? And perhaps most importantly, who would want to go in there? Janice is optimistic that this time, at least, the Arab world is taking ownership over this problem in a way they never have before. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to an important phone call that took place this week between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin just ahead of Zelensky's visit today to Washington, where the Ukrainian President intends to make the case for long-range Tomahawk missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia. The transfer of these weapons, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned this week, could lead to nuclear war. Meanwhile, Europeans have never been more scared, interpreting Russia's drone excursions into NATO territory as preparation for a larger war with the continent. Are weak European governments using the bogeyman of Russia to rally their public to distract from domestic problems and rising populism? Everybody is rolling the dice here, and when you do that there is always a chance that someone will miscalculate, and everyone will pay the heavy price. To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

To listen to the full episode consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. Should Donald Trump win the Nobel Peace Prize? Andrew thinks we should wait to see how this ceasefire unfolds before heaping praise on the US President. The current cessation of hostilities has more to do with Netanyahu and Israel's extremely aggressive war policy that has redrawn the map in the Middle East. Does Trump's brand of diplomacy work better in that part of the world? Or did Trump have the benefit of coming after Biden and two years of fighting that exhausted both sides? And finally has the media been fair in their overall coverage of Trump since he started his second term? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Andrew turn to ongoing trade negotiations between the US and Canada, and specifically Trump's hostility towards our auto industry. Is it time to let the sector go instead of pouring millions of dollars of subsidies into propping it up? Do we put tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to protect our industry? And why aren't we supporting industries that are not subsidized and excelling on their own in the new economy? Rudyard and Andrew agree that trade has now become intermingled with climate change and security issues, and we need to take those factors into account as we negotiate new agreements for Canada.     This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue.

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. Rudyard and Janice dedicate today's show to the monumental Gaza ceasefire deal which includes a commitment by both Hamas and Israel to end the war. Many of the details still need to be worked out which will inform how successful this deal really is. But make no mistake, Netanyahu has accomplished a stunning victory, guaranteeing the return of all the hostages while still occupying over 50% of the Gaza strip and the option to resume fighting if Hamas does not follow through on its commitments. Yet many important questions remain: what will the post-war government in Gaza look like? What is the UN's role in this transition period? How far does Israel pull back? And perhaps, most importantly, is there a political figure who can unite all the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and usher in a new, hopeful future for this beleaguered population? Rudyard and Janice agree that the entire region is being redrawn; Iran's influence is waning and Turkey and Qatar are emerging as power players with different objectives. Can they be trusted as western allies? And finally, Rudyard asks Janice: does Trump deserve his long coveted Nobel Peace Prize for bringing this war to a conclusion? To support the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Rudyard and Andrew react to the deployment of U.S. National Guard troops to American cities, specifically guards from red states being sent into blue states. This is a watershed moment, speeding up America's worrying slide into authoritarianism. Is it fair to separate Trump's ego-driven action from his handlers like Stephen Miller and Russell Vought who have more concrete designs on America? And what are the chances there will be free and fair elections in next year's midterms? Rudyard and Andrew then turn to Mark Carney's trip to Washington to meet with Donald Trump. The two leaders seem to have a reasonably good personal relationship. Why does Trump like Carney better than his predecessor? And what kind of trade overtures can Carney come home with that would be acceptable to the Canadian public?

In a thought-provoking discussion, the hosts delve into Trump's ultimatum to Hamas, dissecting the sticking points and the roles of regional powers like Qatar and Egypt. Janice expresses optimism about a potential ceasefire, despite the complexities involved. The conversation then shifts to the phenomenon of 'AI slop', examining how hastily produced AI content is impacting education, critical thinking, and productivity at work. This exploration highlights the paradox of rapid technological advancement leading to subpar outcomes.

Andrew Coyne, a longtime political columnist at The Globe and Mail, joins Rudyard to dissect alarming U.S. military rhetoric. They explore Trump’s suggestion of using American cities as military training grounds, raising concerns about the implications for dissent. The duo grapples with the dilemma facing military officers on obeying unlawful commands and analyzes Trump’s repeated musings about making Canada the 51st state, questioning the economic and sovereignty impacts. They conclude by discussing how Canada can enhance its attractiveness for investment amidst rising U.S. pressures.

The discussion kicks off with Trump's provocative remarks at the UN, warning European countries about the pitfalls of mass migration. Janice highlights the need for a delicate balance in immigration to support economic growth while maintaining social cohesion. They analyze Canada's approach to integration compared to Europe, cautioning against rapid changes that could spark populism. The duo also explores generational shifts in immigrant communities and the economic necessity of immigration, alongside the risks of sudden influxes and cultural concerns.