Friday Focus: A historic week in geopolitics signals the unravelling of America's global dominance

Janice and Rudyard believe this war was a strategic defeat for the U.S. with Iran now in control of a chokepoint through which 25% of the world's energy flows. Is this the end of freedom of navigation in international waters? Iran is proposing a toll for passing through the Strait of Hormuz using c…

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: the end of Pax Americana and the Liberals are one seat closer to a majority government

Can the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran hold? In the span of twenty-four hours Trump went from threatening to end their civilization to considering a joint venture to toll the Strait of Hormuz. America's inability to open the strait without a ceasefire is a confession of weakness, one t…

Friday Focus: Trump has no good options in Iran and the NDP leans into left-wing populism

While Trump made public statements this week about bringing the war to an end soon, there is significant troop movement in the Middle East suggesting the opposite. There is no telling what comes next, and there is no path to opening up the Strait of Hormuz without a huge escalation. Iran now has co…

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump's mixed messages on Iran and the NDP elects a new leader

Rudyard and Andrew reflect on Trump's mixed messaging about the war with Iran. Troop deployment to the region would suggest he is escalating this conflict which could throw the world economy into a recession. What happens when Trump leaves office? Does America snap back to normalcy or does another …

Friday Focus: Is Trump about to TACO out of this war?

Trump extended his deadline on striking Iran's power plants, but no one really knows if there is progress on peace talks. Mediators report a vibe that despite the rhetoric coming out of Iran there is interest in ending this war. Meanwhile Trump's public attempts to calm the markets won't work, and …

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: at this point, what is Iran's incentive to negotiate?

The Trump administration finds itself in a trap. They can't declare victory and go home unless the Iranians agree to conclude this war, and the Iranians at this point have no incentive to strike a deal. Trump and the American public don't have the stomach for a long war, and thus Iran can win by no…

Friday Focus: a regional war with global consequences

Rudyard and Janice believe we have entered into a critcial moment in this war and it is playing out in the Strait of Hormuz. This conflict is now about energy: who controls the flow of energy and who can better withstand the pain of higher energy prices. We are going to see a turning point this wee…

Friday Focus: Trump is learning that Iran is not Venezuela

Rudyard and Janice unpack the big surprises in the war from this week, specifically Iran's escalating attacks against Gulf States beyond their military bases, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz which is disrupting the world's oil supply. Did the U.S. fundamentally misunderstand their opponent …

Friday Focus: What is the U.S. trying to accomplish in Iran?

Rudyard and Janice start today's show with the big surprise from this week: Iran striking its Gulf neighbours in an effort to get them to persuade Donald Trump to end this war, which was a serious miscalculation on their part. In fact, the lasting consequences from this conflict will be a rupture b…

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump strikes Iran without a strategy

Rudyard and Andrew try to make sense of Trump's decision to start a war with Iran so contrary to the premise that created the MAGA movement and opposition to America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. How did we end up at this point? And how will this war affect the upcoming midterm elections? Andrew …