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The United States will no longer play global policeman, and no one else wants the job. This is not a G-7 or a G-20 world. Welcome to the GZERO, a world made volatile by an intensifying international battle for power and influence. Every week on this podcast, Ian Bremmer will interview the world leaders and the thought leaders shaping our GZERO World.

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A photo of President Donald Trump standing at a podium with the GZERO World Podcast logo superimposed on top.

Trump's second term–one year in, with Stephen Walt

President Trump has transformed the presidency—and the world—in 12 short months. Harvard’s Stephen Walt joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast.


It’s been a year since President Trump returned to office, this time with fewer constraints, a better understanding of how government works, and a much more muscular view of US foreign policy. This week on the GZERO World Podcast, Harvard’s Stephen Walt joins Ian Bremmer to help answer a simple question with complicated answers: what kind of presidency is he building this time around?

Over the past year, we’ve seen a dramatic expansion of presidential power and a rewriting of America's role in the world. There’s been a retreat from multilateral institutions, targeting of long-standing allies, and a view of global politics where great powers dominate, and weaker ones fall in line. It’s a big departure from 80 years of the postwar order America spent building and leading. How much more will change by the time he leaves office?

“A lot of the things that Trump has done are not surprising in terms of where he's trying to take things. People knew he was going to get tough on tariffs. They knew he was going to be harsh on Europe,” Walt says, “I'm surprised not by the direction things have gone, but by the speed and scope by which things have changed.”

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Assessing the Iran War's "structural damage" with Harvard economist Gita Gopinath

Rising energy prices, higher inflation, and growing economic uncertainty — a Harvard economist says the fallout from the Iran war is already being felt.

On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Harvard economist and former IMF Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath to unpack how the conflict is rippling through the global economy. As oil and gas prices surge, inflation is climbing, adding new costs for households and businesses and putting pressure on growth worldwide.

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On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Harvard economist and former IMF Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath to unpack how the conflict is rippling through the global economy. As... More >

Viktor Orbán's last stand, and the future of Europe's far right with Ivan Krastev

For sixteen years, Viktor Orbán has dominated Hungarian politics, rewriting rules, consolidating power, and positioning himself as Europe's leading nationalist and Donald Trump's closest ally on the continent. But with parliamentary elections approaching on April 12th, his aura of invincibility is finally cracking. Opposition candidate Péter Magyar, a conservative former Orbán insider, is polling ahead by double digits, and the Trump administration is scrambling to help keep its favorite European in office.

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Ian Bremmer sits down with Ivan Krastev, Chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies and political scientist, to discuss Hungary's consequential upcoming election and what it means for the far... More >

Rahm Emanuel on Trump's Iran war “of choice” and Midterm implications

Listen: Ian Bremmer and Rahm Emanuel discuss the deepening conflict in the Middle East, US foreign policy under Trump, and the upcoming midterms.

Emanuel argues that this is a war of choice, one President Trump made himself, not one driven by external pressures like Israel’s influence. While Benjamin Netanyahu has long pushed for military action, Emanuel stresses that the responsibility for war ultimately lies with the US president, not foreign actors. He also highlights how America’s fractured political system has complicated decision-making, making it harder for the US to act with a unified voice on the world stage.

Emanuel argues that Trump’s actions have eroded relationships with critical allies, particularly in Europe and the Gulf. “The price of belittling your allies is now coming home to roost,” Emanuel warns, pointing to the growing isolation the US faces at a time when global cooperation is needed most. He also discusses the broader implications of US military deployments in the region and the rising threat of Iran's growing influence.

Emanuel also addresses the internal division within the US, explaining how China is carefully watching America’s internal dysfunction. “Nothing China does scares me,” he says. “It’s what we don’t do here at home that scares me.”


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Ian Bremmer and Rahm Emanuel discuss the deepening conflict in the Middle East, US foreign policy under Trump, and the upcoming midterms.... More >

Unpacking Iran’s competing endgames with Brookings Institution’s Thomas Wright

Listen: Ian Bremmer sits down with Thomas Wright, Brookings Institution fellow and former Senior Director at the US National Security Council, to unpack the deepening war in Iran and the divergent strategies shaping it.

What are the possible outcomes for the widening conflict in Iran? What began as a dramatic opening strike has evolved into a far more complex war, with Washington, Jerusalem, and Tehran all pursuing different aims. Wright argues this isn’t simply about degrading military capability; it’s about competing endgames that may pull the region in unpredictable directions.

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Ian Bremmer sits down with Thomas Wright, Brookings Institution fellow and former Senior Director at the US National Security Council, to unpack the deepening war in Iran and the divergent strategies... More >

GZERO Podcasts

On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with Harvard economist and former IMF Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath to unpack how the conflict is rippling through the global economy. As... More >

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