It’s the annual event that no major businessman or policy-maker dares to miss. Among the famous attendees of the most recent World Economic Forum in Davos were the CEO’s of Amazon, BlackRock, Pfizer, JPMorgan Chase, the head of the FBI, publisher of The New York Times, and heads of states from all corners of the earth.  This exclusive get together of the world’s elite has a noble mission statement: to improve the state of the world through public-private participation. Critics of the forum, however, argue that the annual event has become a rich person’s playground where out of touch corporate elites meet in private to make important decisions about global policy without scrutiny or consultation. While chief executives meet under the noble pretense of solving poverty and climate change, most attendees use the forum to further their business interests and make themselves richer. Davos’s supporters argue that the annual forum is more important now than ever before. From climate change, to food and energy inflation, to geopolitical instability, the global crises we face require collective action through cooperation and interdependence. Relationships and collaborations forged in Davos have and continue to bring about real world solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. Davos might be elite, its supporters concede, but its also effective in working towards global prosperity and peace. Arguing for the motion is Don Tapscott, CEO of the Tapscott Group and the co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Blockchain Research Institute Arguing against the motion is Peter S. Goodman, the global economic correspondent for The New York Times and the author of DAVOS MAN: How the Billionaires Devoured the World     The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

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.  The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.   On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard start the program with a catch-up on an action-packed week of news on the Ukraine War. Heavy tanks are now on their way to Kiev. Could this be a turning point in the war? The second half of the show features a discussion about kids and how the trend of programming children’s schedules down to the hour is impacting young people.   To access full-length editions of 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.

2023 is here, and with it come new year's resolutions, a new congress, and the unofficial start date for 2024 primary campaigning.  Joe Biden’s first two years in office have certainly been a bit of a mixed bag.  He has passed some monumental, bipartisan legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Bill, and COVID aid.  But he’s also had quite a few bobbles.  Afghanistan, Student Debt Relief, and a bleak economic landscape.  All of this begs the question, is Biden really the best person to lead Democrats into the 2024 election? Some beltway insiders and political pundits argue that in spite of Biden’s weaknesses, he has a track record to point to that will appeal to voters. His record of bipartisan accomplishments will help hold together the coalition that delivered him the White House in 2020, including moderate suburban and independent swing voters.  And the results of the midterms show, the democrats are in the driver’s seat.  Why fix something that isn’t broken? But others argue it’s time for Biden to pass the baton and bow out of the race.  Biden is too old to run let alone govern, and his approval rating is marred in the low 40s.  There is a new crop of democratic talent that has emerged since 2020, and given Biden’s political baggage, each of them has a better chance of securing the presidency in 2024. Arguing for the motion is Allan Lichtman, Former chair and distinguished professor in History at American University in Washington, DC.  He is the author of several award winning books on American and presidential history, and his prediction system, the Keys to the White House, has correctly predicted the outcomes of all US presidential elections since 1984. Arguing against the motion is Ross Barkan, an independent journalist whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and New York Magazine. Speaker Quotes  Allan Lichtman: “Substantively and politically, he should run again. The unheralded Joe Biden has achieved the greatest record of domestic accomplishments since the 1960s”. Ross Barkan:  Joe Biden is going to be the nominee if he runs. No one is going to challenge Joe Biden. The party has coalesced around Biden, but parties don't always make the right decision”. The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Jacob Lewis Editor: Adam Karch   

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.  The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.   On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard start the program with a discussion of the debate this week that raged between NATO powers about sending heavy tanks to Ukraine. Why is Germany ragging the puck on its tanks? And, what is at stake in terms of the next chapter in Europe’s biggest conflict since WWII? The second half of the program dissects a wild week in Canadian healthcare with Ontario announcing new private clinics and Ottawa leaking that a major federal bailout of provincial health systems may be close to fruition. The show concludes with a half-serious discussion of the week’s Davos summit and whether this elite confab has a future or not. To access the full-length editions of 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

One might assume, based on the film depictions of famous drug lords like Pablo Escobar and El Chapo, that the heyday of cocaine and its production in Latin America was during the 1980’s and 1990’s. According to journalist and author Toby Muse, those assumptions are dead wrong. South America, he argues, is producing more cocaine than ever before, reaching corners of the earth previously untouched by the deadly drug. Toby joins us for a fascinating discussion about how this dangerous and illegal industry transforms entire towns and surrenders them to criminal organizations on a scale that is unprecedented.   The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz  

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.  The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.   On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard start the program with a discussion of Japan’s recent lobbying of the G8 for deeper trade, military and technology cooperation. What is Japan up to? Why is China being seen as a regional threat by Asian powers like Japan? The second half of the program for Munk donors explores Brazil’s copycat riots of the January 6 insurrection in the U.S. and whether Canadian real estate is headed for a hard landing thanks to new lending regulations. To access the full-length editions of 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

Mark Cuban, one of America’s most famous and successful entrepreneurs, recently launched a new drug company - Cost Plus Drugs - that is disrupting the healthcare industry and significantly reducing the cost of prescription drugs for millions of Americans. In this episode, he extols the virtues of a capitalist system that is able to identify and provide real world solutions to problems that are often ignored by government agencies. Mark also shares his thoughts on the risk of a recession in 2023, how AI and ChatGPT could displace millions of knowledge workers, Elon Musk’s takeover of twitter, and why billionaires like himself are often demonized by politicians like Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.   The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

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.  The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.   On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard answer listener questions submitted over the holidays. From the fate and future of healthcare to whether Putin is a “madman” or not, the Friday Focus’ first-ever Ask Me Anything explores a host of fascinating topics. To access the full-length editions of 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

Israel - a country founded on secular, European principles - just voted into power the most right wing, religious government in its history. How does Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister, keep getting elected? Will this new right-wing religious coalition affect Israeli pluralism and uphold its commitment to democratic principles? And how might this incoming government change the nature of the Israeli-Palestianian conflict? Canadian-Israeli journalist, author, and op-ed contributor for the New York Times Matti Friedman joins us for an in-depth discussion about the Middle East’s only democracy - and why western assumptions about Israel are nearly always wrong.   The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

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.  The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.   On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard look at the trends from 2022 to make predictions about the year ahead. From geopolitics to Canadian national affairs to the economy and technology, Janice and Rudyard chart out the big events and issues that could combine to make 2023 one for the history books. To access the full-length editions of 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.