Chatham House

As the IMF Spring Meetings unfold in Washington DC, asks whether we are witnessing the twilight of the US dollar’s global dominance. Amid political shocks and shifting financial allegiances, could the world be inching towards a post-dollar era?  Bronwen is joined by , chief economist at BNP Paribas, and from Chatham House’s Global Economy and Finance Programme to explore the dollar’s uncertain future, the rise of digital and alternative currencies, and what it all means for global power and stability. Find out more: Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by . 'Independent Thinking' is an production for Chatham House. 🎧  🎧 Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.

Increasingly severe climate change impacts are wreaking destruction across the world, with disastrous implications for human health, wellbeing, livelihoods, culture and security. How to deal with ‘loss and damage’ caused by climate change was for long a controversial topic within the UN climate negotiations, but at COP27 in 2022 governments agreed to establish a dedicated fund to assist developing countries in responding to the challenge.   In this episode of the Climate Briefing, Anna Aberg and Nina Jeffs (standing in for Ruth Townend) speak to , the Executive Director of the , about what progress that has been made in operationalizing the fund, what lies ahead, what some of the main challenges are and how the fund interacts with the wider economic architecture.   To learn more about how loss and damage finance has featured in the climate negotiations, please see the Chatham House research paper ‘Loss and damage finance in the climate negotiations: key challenges and next steps’ (available ) and the expert comment ‘The historic loss and damage fund’ (available ).

In this episode of Independent Thinking, we explore the root causes of corruption in Nigeria, its impact on everyday life, and potential solutions for change.

Bronwen Maddox speaks with Leena Koni Hoffmann about her in-depth report on the issue, as well as insights from speakers at a Chatham House conference focused on Nigeria’s ongoing fight against corruption.

This week on Independent Thinking, we explore the growing battle for influence in Latin America between the U.S. and China. In just two decades, China has gone from a minor player in the region to a dominant force—challenging the US.

How is President Trump’s government responding and could his policies actually give Beijing more room to expand? Guest host Chris Sabatini is joined by Yu Jie, Robert Evan Ellis, and Bruno Binetti to discuss the shifting power dynamics and what they could mean for the global balance of power.

Critical raw materials - like rare earths, cobalt and lithium - play a central role in the energy transition and profoundly influence geopolitical dynamics. Their extraction may also amplify conflict and fragility risks in host countries. In this episode of the Climate Briefing, Ruth and Anna speak to (Fellow at Carnegie Europe) and (Global Distinguished Professor, Environmental Studies and Public Policy, NYU Abu Dhabi) about the interlinkages between critical raw materials and geopolitics, the challenges associated with extraction, and what a ‘good’ strategy for securing future access might look like.

President Trump has unveiled sweeping new trade tariffs—but what happens next? Bronwen Maddox explores the global reaction, the economic fallout, and whether this marks the beginning of the end for globalization.

She’s joined by Jason Furman, former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Barack Obama, alongside Dame DeAnne Julius and David Lubin from Chatham House’s Global Economy and Finance Programme.

In this week’s episode of Independent Thinking, Bronwen Maddox discusses whether Europe can take up the mantle of the US, and lead the world as an economic and political powerhouse. Can Europe can fill the vacuum caused by America’s shifting foreign policy, and in doing so, become more of an economic force?

Bronwen explores this topic with three Chatham House experts: Creon Butler, director of the Global Economy and Finance Programme, Olivia O’Sullivan, director of the UK in the World Programme, and Nicolai von Ondarza, an associate fellow in our Europe Programme.

Brazil is presiding over the next UN climate change conference, COP30. In this episode, Anna and Ruth are joined by the Chief Executive Officer of COP30, Ana Toni, to discuss what the aims of the conference are, what Brazil’s COP30 diplomatic strategy looks like, and what the UNFCCC's post-negotiation phase’ means.

This week on Independent Thinking, three Chatham House experts look at the view from China now that Donald Trump is in charge.

Ben Bland speaks to Yu Jie, William Matthews and David Lubin about how China is repositioning itself on the world stage, viewing its own security and preparing for a potential trade war.

We will also explore what the Communist Party of China is really thinking, what harm tariffs are doing and what the AI battle could mean for the world.

About Independent Thinking

Independent Thinking is a weekly international affairs podcast hosted by our director Bronwen Maddox, in conversation with leading policymakers, journalists, and Chatham House experts providing insight on the latest international issues.

China is the world’s largest emitter and dominates the production of low-carbon technologies worldwide. It thus plays a key role in global efforts to address the climate crisis.   How has China obtained its leading position in the production of green technologies? What role does China play in international climate negotiations? How important has the US-China relationship been in global efforts to reduce emissions, and what will happen now when Donald Trump is back in the White House?   To discuss this and more, Ruth and Anna are joined by (Director of China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute) and (Research Fellow at the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House).   To read Chris Aylett’s report on UK-China cooperation on climate, please click