In the last Friday Focus of 2025 Rudyard and Janice share their picks on the biggest newsmakers and events of the year and offer some geopolitical predictions for 2026 that could shake up an already volatile period.

In the last Friday Focus of 2025 Rudyard and Janice share their picks on the biggest newsmakers and events of the year and offer some geopolitical predictions for 2026 that could shake up an already volatile period.

The Munk Debates podcast is an extension of the main stage events - in subject, speaker selection, tone and format. It will introduce the iconic brand - and its engaging debates about significant issues of our time. Audiences will hear strong and passionate arguments from both sides of an issue so they will have enough information to make up their own minds about where they stand.

The Munk Debates podcast is an extension of the main stage events - in subject, speaker selection, tone and format. It will introduce the iconic brand - and its engaging debates about significant issues of our time. Audiences will hear strong and passionate arguments from both sides of an issue so they will have enough information to make up their own minds about where they stand.

The Munk Debates Podcast

The Munk Debates Podcast is dedicated to convening civil and substantive debates and dialogues on the big issues of the day. 

 

The podcast is an extension of the charitable Munk Debates' commitment to pushing back against the political polarization and restoring the art of public debate in our time. For more information about the Munk Debates visit www.munkdebates.com/podcast

The Munk Debates Podcast is dedicated to convening civil and substantive debates and dialogues on the big issues of the day.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The podcast is an extension of the charitable Munk Debates' commitment to pushing back against the political polarization and restoring the art of public debate in our time. For more information about the Munk Debates visit www.munkdebates.com/podcast

Munk Debates Podcast

Friday Focus: the people and events that changed the world in 2025

Tickets to our May 20th Munk Debate on Foreign Wars taking place in Toronto and featuring Mike Pompeo, Victoria Nuland, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, are almost sold out. Visit https://munkdebates.com/debates/foreign-wars-debate/ to purchase tickets.

Rudyard and Janice start today’s show by taking stock of how intolerable the situation in the Middle East is becoming. Iran is asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz, while surging inflation threatens to send shockwaves through the global supply chain. Tehran believes it can withstand Trump’s blockade longer than he can withstand its grip over the flow of energy. The missing piece of this story is just how dire conditions have become inside Iran, with massive unemployment and the hollowing out of the middle class. How long can the regime survive under these conditions?

In the second half of the show, Rudyard and Janice turn to Trump’s visit to China this week and Xi Jinping’s striking invocation of the “Thucydides Trap” to warn of the dangers of escalating strategic rivalry between the U.S. and China. Yet despite the symbolism and spectacle, the visit produced no major breakthroughs or concrete agreements. Meanwhile, European leaders and much of the Global South are increasingly viewing Xi as a more predictable and stable actor amid the constant disruption and volatility associated with Donald Trump. Checkmate China?

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Tickets to our May 20th Munk Debate on Foreign Wars taking place in Toronto and featuring Mike Pompeo, Victoria Nuland, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, are almost sold out. Visit https://munkdebates.com/debates/foreign-wars-debate/ to purchase tickets.
Rudyard and Janice start today&rsquo;s show by taking stock of how intolerable the situation in the Middle East is becoming. Iran is asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz, while surging inflation threatens to send shockwaves through the global supply chain. Tehran believes it can withstand Trump&rsquo;s blockade longer than he can withstand its grip over the flow of energy. The missing piece of this story is just how dire conditions have become inside Iran, with massive unemployment and the hollowing out of the middle class. How long can the regime survive under these conditions?
In the second half of the show, Rudyard and Janice turn to Trump&rsquo;s visit to China this week and Xi Jinping&rsquo;s striking invocation of the &ldquo;Thucydides Trap&rdquo; to warn of the dangers of escalating strategic rivalry between the U.S. and China. Yet despite the symbolism and spectacle, the visit produced no major breakthroughs or concrete agreements. Meanwhile, European leaders and much of the Global South are increasingly viewing Xi as a more predictable and stable actor amid the constant disruption and volatility associated with Donald Trump. Checkmate China?
Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Friday Focus: No winners in the Middle East — and Xi warns Trump against falling into the Thucydides Trap

As the Strait of Hormuz grinds to a halt, gas prices soar, and inflation threatens to spike, Trump arrives at his meeting with Xi Jinping looking wounded and weak. He will be looking for help from China’s dictator, but help never comes for free. What will he concede to Xi?

In the second half of the show, Rudyard and Janice turn to a major new government appointment in Canada: Louise Arbour as our new Governor General. Andrew argues that despite widespread criticism, she is highly qualified for the position, with a long record of achievement and a deep understanding of the country’s history. Serious jobs require serious people with real experience. Rudyard, however, is concerned that Ottawa keeps recycling and reappointing Boomers to important government positions, and argues it is high time for a generational transition and the passing of the baton to the next generation.

 

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to full episodes of Munk Dialogues with Andrew Coyne. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

As the Strait of Hormuz grinds to a halt, gas prices soar, and inflation threatens to spike, Trump arrives at his meeting with Xi Jinping looking wounded and weak. He will be looking for help from China&rsquo;s dictator, but help never comes for free. What will he concede to Xi?
In the second half of the show, Rudyard and Janice turn to a major new government appointment in Canada: Louise Arbour as our new Governor General. Andrew argues that despite widespread criticism, she is highly qualified for the position, with a long record of achievement and a deep understanding of the country&rsquo;s history. Serious jobs require serious people with real experience. Rudyard, however, is concerned that Ottawa keeps recycling and reappointing Boomers to important government positions, and argues it is high time for a generational transition and the passing of the baton to the next generation.
&nbsp;
Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to full episodes of Munk Dialogues with Andrew Coyne. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: A weakened President needs China's help and a debate over the new Governor General

Tickets to our May 20th Munk Debate on Foreign Wars taking place in Toronto and featuring Mike Pompeo, Victoria Nuland, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, are now on sale. Visit https://munkdebates.com/debates/foreign-wars-debate/ to purchase tickets.

 

Trump's pause on escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz has less to do with pressure from Iran and more to do with pressure from Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile the U.S. has not done anything to protect the UAE which is under sustained attack from Iran. What happened to the US security guarantee to the Gulf States? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to two previous Munk Debaters - Louise Arbour and Nigel Farage - who were in the news this week for different reasons. Nigel had a great night in Britain with his Reform Party trouncing Labour in local council elections. The rise of populism in Britain, on both the left and right, is due to the failure of governance and the political ineptness of their Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In Canada former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour was appointed as the country's new Governor General. Why is Ottawa unwilling—or incapable—of promoting talent beyond the Laurentian elite circle? And is it time for the Boomer careerists to step aside, bow out, and make room for a younger generation to inhabit these institutions? Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Tickets to our May 20th Munk Debate on Foreign Wars taking place in Toronto and featuring Mike Pompeo, Victoria Nuland, John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, are now on sale. Visit https://munkdebates.com/debates/foreign-wars-debate/ to purchase tickets.
&nbsp;
Trump's pause on escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz has less to do with pressure from Iran and more to do with pressure from Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile the U.S. has not done anything to protect the UAE which is under sustained attack from Iran. What happened to the US security guarantee to the Gulf States? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to two previous Munk Debaters - Louise Arbour and Nigel Farage - who were in the news this week for different reasons. Nigel had a great night in Britain with his Reform Party trouncing Labour in local council elections. The rise of populism in Britain, on both the left and right, is due to the failure of governance and the political ineptness of their Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In Canada former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour was appointed as the country's new Governor General. Why is Ottawa unwilling&mdash;or incapable&mdash;of promoting talent beyond the Laurentian elite circle? And is it time for the Boomer careerists to step aside, bow out, and make room for a younger generation to inhabit these institutions? Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Friday Focus: the people and events that changed the world in 2025

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