GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Remember when the US midterms were boring? As the dust settles on the most surprising US midterm elections in decades, ‘what’ happened is becoming clearer, but ‘why’ it happened is a harder question to answer.   On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer tries to make sense of the outcome with NPR's White House correspondent, Tamara Keith. They break down the reasons for the election results that no one predicted and analyze the issues that led more voters to support Democrats. They discuss the power struggles in the GOP and look at the road ahead to 2024 for both parties.   Host: Ian Bremmer Guest: Tamara Keith Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

Europe is bracing for a tough winter ahead. An escalating Russia/Ukraine war has mobilized much of Europe to Kyiv’s cause, but it’s also rocked the region, bringing a plethora of economic, political, and social challenges that will last long after the war is over. How will the continent make it out of what looks to be a particularly bleak winter? On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer discusses all that and more with German diplomat Christoph Heusgen, who served as his country’s Ambassador to the United Nations and is now the Chairman of the Munich Security Conference. Host: Ian Bremmer Guest: Christoph Heusgen Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to China’s vision for a new global order, there’s plenty keeping President Joe Biden’s national security officials up at night. On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer and New York Times national security correspondent David Sanger break down the top foreign and domestic threats outlined in the Biden administration's recently released National Security Strategy document.   According to the report, the No. 1 external danger is not Russia but rather China. Sanger explains why he believes Taiwan's status as a semiconductor superpower may be staving off a Chinese invasion. As for the Russia-Ukraine war, Sanger talks about the "Ukraine paradox" - the better Ukraine gets at resisting Russia, the more likely Vladimir Putin might launch a tactical nuke (and, Sanger notes, he might just get away with it.) But the biggest threat to America's national security could well be at home —an “insider threat" to the stability of the election system coming from Americans willing to engage in political violence. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

As China's leader Xi Jinping begins an unprecedented third term in office, it's fair to ask: how much will China's future affect the whole world? On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer speaks to global markets expert and investor Antoine van Agtmael, who believes this will be the "Chinese century." They discuss the future of globalization and whether the term “emerging markets”— a term coined by Agtmael himself to describe nations transitioning to developed economies – still applies to much of the world. Some of those economies are in decline, but some like China have gone beyond that category. In fact, China is now the second largest economy in the world and is set to surpass the largest, that of the United States. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

Whatever the US midterm elections are about this time around, one thing is clear: the results will have global ripple effects on US relations with Russia, China, and the state of democracy itself. Ian Bremmer speaks to two of Washington’s top reporters: DC power couple and co-authors Susan Glasser, Washington columnist for The New Yorker, and Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, in a GZERO World podcast recorded in front of a live audience in New York City. They discuss their bestselling new book on former president Trump “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021," the upcoming US midterms, Russia, and the state of American democracy in 2022. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

Inflation is on the rise, at a rate we haven't seen in through in decades. Is a global recession inevitable? Ian Bremmer speaks to Kristina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and David Malpass, President of the World Bank, on the GZERO World podcast. Both guests are leading global efforts to get inflation under control, lift millions out of extreme poverty and prevent the next global recession. Whether they’ll succeed is very much an open question.   Malpass says the chances of a global recession in 2023 are 50/50, though he is more worried that the middle-income and poorest countries are moving backward in education, health, food insecurity, and capital flows. He also clarifies his views on climate change.   Georgieva says the risk of a global recession has gone up due to three major reasons: the big global economies are slowing down, inflation is speeding up, and the world’s global order is fragmenting. She also explains how Europe should brace itself for a dark winter, even though the next one will be even harder. The silver lining, however, is that Europe is going to accelerate its green transition. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

In the span of just 48 hours in early September, the United Kingdom got a new prime minister, Liz Truss, and a new monarch, King Charles III. Both face big challenges in their new roles. For Truss, the Tory leader: a range of issues from inflation to the ongoing fallout of Brexit. For Charles: the relevance of the monarchy itself, now that Britain's longest-serving and much-beloved queen is gone. The United Kingdom also faces staggering inflation and a looming energy crunch. On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer talks with a man who occupied 10 Downing Street for a decade - former prime minister Tony Blair - about the road ahead for his country. Blair believes there will be a lot of uncertainty over the next year or two if Truss insists on big tax cuts and big borrowing. He also looks back at the queen's legacy and the future of the monarchy, explains why Brexit will hurt - but probably not fragment - the UK, and argues that we need to return to his comfort zone of the political center to fix today's problems. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

The UN's blueprint for making the world a better place is on life support. The pandemic wiped out years of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and right now there's no way they'll be met by 2030. On the GZERO World podcast, Ian speaks with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the United Nations headquarters just ahead of this year’s General Assembly. Their one-on-one conversation ranges from rescuing the SDGs, the war in Ukraine to global food insecurity, climate change, and authoritarianism on the rise; but Guterres sees signs of hope amid these converging crises. Guterres is known for bluntly stating the dangers we’re facing—and the need for immediate action. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

The Biden administration has pushed through the single largest climate spending package in US history. US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to discuss how the new law could help the United States and the world respond to climate change. The Inflation Reduction Act is Biden's biggest legislative win since the American Rescue Act early in his term in office. It is intended to fight climate change by slashing carbon emissions from power generation and transport. According to Granholm, it will help by giving Americans incentives to use renewable energy in their cars and homes. And that, in turn, will lower the cost of energy prices at home. She also shares her perspective on Europe's current energy woes and hopes for an opening on climate cooperation with China. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

The anniversary of the end of America’s war in Afghanistan is a reminder of what many see as a staggering US defeat. It was also a victory for a long-time US adversary, the Taliban, who remain in control as the country faces a humanitarian crisis and a crumbling economy. Their brutal rule has also led to worsening conditions for women and girls in the country. Ian Bremmer speaks to former Marine and author Elliot Ackerman on the GZERO World podcast about his view of the war and his new book “The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan.”   Ackerman believes the US military could have done a much better job at leaving the country, without leaving so many Afghans allies behind. The war, he explained, had come to define our military thinking and intelligence capability because the US was involved there for such a long time. And that long involvement clouded American judgment as it left. He also shares his thoughts on leaving no man behind honor code and whether an all-volunteer military is what America needs amid deeply dysfunctional domestic politics. Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.