LSE Podcasts

The last two decades have seen significant growth in the relationship between China and the EU. Now, China is the EU’s biggest import and third-largest export partner. But this relationship is becoming increasingly one sided, with China’s industrial policy and economic protections making it increasingly difficult for Europe to sell its products there. And at the same time, there are fears that new high-value manufacturing competition from China could lead to deindustrialization in Europe, with Germany potentially most at risk. These challenges are further complicated by the unpredictability of the United States under the Trump administration and internal divides on China between EU member states.

To discuss these issues in March 2026 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Noah Barkin, a Senior Advisor at the Rhodium Group. His work focuses on Europe-China relations and transatlantic China policy.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Avan Fata.

Further reading and resources

• Watching China in Europe. Weekly newsletter from Noah Barkin. https://www.gmfus.org/watching-china-europe

• Noah Barkin and Gregor Williams: “Germany’s ‘China Shock’ Revisited.” 2026. February 10, 2026. https://rhg.com/research/germanys-china-shock-revisited/.

• Germany between U.S. and China: Who is the better partner? – DW panel discussion – 26 February 2026. https://www.dw.com/en/germany-between-us-and-china-who-is-the-better-partner/video-76129759

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While Trump’s foreign policy record has not been very successful elsewhere as wars continue to rage in Ukraine and in the Middle East, the exception is Europe which Trump seems to want to divide and weaken. To discuss the discordant relationship between Donald Trump and Europe, and how it can start to build relationships beyond the US, in March 2026 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Nathalie Tocci. She is Professor of Practice at John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and Director of the Institute for International Affairs in Rome.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Avan Fata.

Further reading and resources

• Power and Purpose podcast, hosted by Amanda Sloat and Nathalie Tocci - https://www.ie.edu/insights/podcast-power-and-purpose/

• Nathalie Tocci’s articles in The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/profile/nathalie-tocci

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From the pets we love to the animals we rarely see, our relationship with non-human life is full of contradictions. In this episode, we explore what it really means to protect animals and whether welfare is enough, or if rights are the way forward.

Beginning with a simple question inspired by my own dog, Pip, this episode moves from the personal to the global. Through conversations with experts including Jeff Sebo, Jonathan Birch, Jo-Anne McArthur and Carrie Friese, we examine how ideas about sentience, law, and ethics are shaping the future of animal protection.

In this episode of LSE iQ, Mike Wilkerson asks: Should animals have rights?

Jonathan Birch, Director of the Jeremy Collier Centre, LSE

“What we need, I think, at minimum, is to see really egregiously cruel practices like dropping crabs and lobsters into pans of boiling water, banned in a really clear, unambiguous way.

I think there should be a first step to much more detailed, meaningful guidance on how to treat them.”

Jeff Sebo, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, NYU

“And if all we aspire to do is protect animal welfare and ensure humane, compassionate treatment of animals, then people will conveniently interpret that in ways that are compatible with ongoing exploitation of animals for food and research and other human purposes.”

Jo-Anne McArthur, Photographer, Founder of We Animals

“I see animal photojournalism as a piece of the puzzle. It's an essential contribution to what animal advocacy as a whole is doing.

We need to see. We need the law. We need the research. We need the grassroots. We need the people pounding the pavement, talking to people, educating people. We need the humane educators and and all of these are vital components.”

The last decade has seen a period of prolonged competition between the US and China with China continuing to grow economically and pursue technological self-reliance while the US attempts to hinder this growth through measures like export controls.

In this episode of The Ballpark, we speak with Dr Yu Jie, Senior research fellow on China with Chatham House. She argues that this relationship has led to a sense of besiegement by leaders in Beijing as the United States seeks to prevent China from becoming a global power.

The conversation looks at how this concern about US encirclement has impacted US-China trade relations, including China’s efforts to diversify its trading partners and supply chains and its focus on domestic economic resilience. They also discuss what China has learned from the US about how to act as a global power, and its willingness to become one – or not.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Avan Fata.

Further reading and resources

• “China’s new scientists”, Chatham House, , Dr Yu Jie, 24 July 2023 - https://www.chathamhouse.org/2023/07/chinas-new-scientists

• “How China is Preparing for America’s Next President”, Project Syndicate, Dr Yu Jie, 20 September 2024 - https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/china-prepares-next-us-president-trump-harris-by-yu-jie-2024-09

• “What China Wants”, Project Syndicate, Dr Yu Jie, 18 July 2025 - https://www.project-syndicate.org/onpoint/china-will-pursue-own-interests-not-american-style-global-leadership-by-yu-jie-2025-07

• “3 Lessons China Learned From the United States”, Foreign Policy, Dr Yu Jie, 11 December 2025 - https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/11/lessons-china-learned-superpower/

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Donald Trump’s first presidential term meant that many allies, including in the EU and Europe, were forced to consider the possibility that the United States could no longer be a reliable partner in global affairs. With Trump’s return to the White House last year and the resurgence of his “America First” agenda, Europe has had to return to that way of thinking as it reconsiders its own economic and military security.

And Europe has not been unified in its response to Trump, with divisions over the ongoing war in Ukraine and the US conflict with Iran. Trump’s tariff policies have also further complicated the EU’s relationship with the US and other global trading partners.

To discuss the EU’s turbulent relationship with the United States, in March 2026, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Kathleen McNamara, Professor of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a Visiting Professor at the Phelan US Centre for March and April 2026.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Avan Fata.

Further reading and resources

• Fears about the US are leading to a new world of balancing for the EU and middle powers - Kathleen R. McNamara – LSE USAPP – 20 April 2026

• McNamara, K. R. (2026). A market for war? the reinforcing logics of Europe’s security turn1. Journal of European Integration, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2026.2614539

• McNamara, K.R. and Steinberg, F. (2026) ‘Can Europe Sustain a New Rules-Based Geopolitical Order?’ JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.70089.

• The EU in a new geopolitical world order - Kathleen R. McNamara - Royal Institute Elcano – 28 April 2025

• The E.U. is turning geopolitical. Is Venus becoming Mars? - Kathleen R. McNamara – Monkey Cage, The Washington Post – 17 October 2022

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We’ve all had rough days at work. But none of us have been fired by a sitting President after just 11 days in the job. That’s what happened to American financier and LSE alumnus Anthony Scaramucci, whose brief and explosive stint as White House Communications Director in 2017 became global news.

But instead of letting the experience define him, Anthony rebuilt his career, returned to his investment firm SkyBridge Capital, and has since become a prominent political commentator — including co‑hosting The Rest Is Politics: US podcast with the BBC’s Katty Kay.

How do we keep going when life delivers an unexpected blow? How do we protect our mental health, rebuild after setbacks, and strengthen our resilience reserves?

In this episode of LSE iQ, Sue Windebank asks: How can we be more resilient? She speaks to Anthony Scaramucci about what it takes to ‘bounce back’ after public failure. She also speaks to Dr Grace Lordan, economist and founding director of the Inclusion Initiative at LSE, and hears about key behavioural insights that can help build resilience — from managing our inner critic to taking practical steps that boost our capacity to recover and thrive.

Contributors

Grace Lordan

Anthony Scaramucci

Research

Think Big, Take small steps and build the future you want by Grace Lordan.

From Wall Street to the White House and back, The Scaramucci guide to unbreakable resilience by Anthony Scaramucci.

To talk about Donald Trump’s foreign policy, in February 2026 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Walter Russell Mead, the Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship at the Hudson Institute, the Alexander Hamilton Professor of Strategy and Statecraft with the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida, and the “Global View” columnist at the Wall Street Journal.

Their discussion covered Trump’s highly activist foreign policy and his approach to the western hemisphere as a strategic foundation for American power as well as the performative politics of his “America First” rhetoric. Professor Mead also puts President Trump in historical context, drawing draws parallels with Andrew Jackson and James Polk. They also talked about the major challenges ahead for Donald Trump, including the US-China relationship and US domestic politics after the 2026 midterms and on how other countries can navigate his transactional approach.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Avan Fata.

Further reading and resources

The Rise of the Tech Hamiltonians – The Atlantic – 24 January 2026 - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/tech-hamiltonian-jacksonian-comparison/685681/

Walter Russell Mead’s Global View column at The Wall Street Journal - https://www.wsj.com/news/author/walter-russell-mead

Walter Russell Mead’s columns at Tablet - https://www.tabletmag.com/contributors/walter-russell-mead

What Really Matters podcast - https://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/what-really-matters

Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World, Walter Russell Mead, (Routledge, 2002) - https://books.google.com.vc/books?id=Bd62-KSG400C

American foreign policy in the age of Trump (for video and event podcast recording) – Phelan US Centre Event with Walter Russell Mead, 19 February 2026 - https://www.lse.ac.uk/united-states/events/2026-events/american-foreign-policy-in-the-age-of-trump

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The Ballpark will be ten years old in 2026, and we want to hear from you to make the podcast even better, so we’re running a listener survey.

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From the rise of Donald Trump in the US, Brexit in the United Kingdom and Victor Orban in Hungary and National Rally in France, anti-system populists have seen a resurgence in many western democracies in the last decade. In his new book, “After the Fall: From the End of History to the Crisis of Democracy, How Politicians Broke Our World” Professor Ian Shapiro of Yale University and Visiting Professor at the Phelan US Centre, looks at why voters in these countries have become disaffected and how the policies adopted by elites following the end of the Cold War have allowed populism to flourish.

In January 2026 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Shapiro about his new book. The conversation covered how the 2008 financial crisis and the collapse of inclusive economic growth has led to the growth of populism and a crisis of democracy. They also discussed the US’ turn away from democracy promotion and Trump’s “America First” policies and how political and economic elites must prioritise inclusive growth which can help to restore democratic legitimacy.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Avan Fata.

Further reading and resources:

• After the Fall: From the End of History to the Crisis of Democracy, How Politicians Broke Our World, Ian Shapiro (Basic Books, 2026)

• The Wolf at the Door: The Menace of Economic Insecurity and How to Fight It, Michael J. Graetz and Ian Shapiro (Harvard University Press, 2020)

• The Real World of Democratic Theory, Ian Shapiro, (Princeton University Press, 2010)

• Working papers by Ian Shapiro: https://shapiro.macmillan.yale.edu/publications/working-papers

• Leitner Program on Effective Democratic Governance at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs: https://jackson.yale.edu/leitner-program-on-effective-democratic-governance/

Take the Ballpark Listener survey and enter the prize draw for £250 in vouchers!

The Ballpark will be ten years old in 2026, and we want to hear from you to make the podcast even better, so we’re running a listener survey.

• Fill in our listener survey – it only takes a few minutes – here: https://forms.office.com/e/Vcj8V8uGM1

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From China’s growing influence in Europe to deepening Russia–China cooperation and the ripple effects of Trump’s America First policies, Eurasia has emerged as a single, highly contested geopolitical space. These shifts are forcing countries — including India — to rethink old assumptions about alliances, security, and the global balance of power.

To discuss these issues, in November 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr C Raja Mohan, distinguished fellow at the Council on Strategic and Defence Research in Delhi and a visiting professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore

Their conversation covers how Eurasia has become strategically integrated, what Trump’s return means for US allies and partners, and how India is navigating a more volatile environment as a rising middle power. They also discussed the future of regional orders in Asia and the pressures reshaping maritime and continental geopolitics.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Avan Fata.

Further reading and resources

• Ball, D, Béraud-Sudreau L, Huxley, T, Mohan, R & Taylor, B 2021, Asia's New Geopolitics: Military Power and Regional Order. Adelphi books, vol. 1, 1st edn, Routledge, London.

• C Raja Mohan: The West vs the Rest, a fiction, The Indian Express, 30 July 2025

• Mohan, R 2025, India and the Rebalancing of Asia, Adelphi books, vol. 1, 1st edn, Routledge, London.

Take the Ballpark Listener survey and enter the prize draw for £250 in vouchers!

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Fertility rates are at record lows around the world, reshaping communities and even forcing some schools to close. In 1950, the global average was around five live births per woman. Today, that number has more than halved to 2.2, and in England and Wales, it’s closer to 1.4. The UK’s falling birth rate reflects what the United Nations has described as ‘a global fertility slump’.

In this episode of LSE iQ, Anna Bevan asks: Why are we having fewer children?

From a closed down primary school in South London to demographic shifts unfolding across the globe, this episode explores the profound social, economic and personal forces behind declining fertility.

Professor Berkay Ozcan explains how countries from Turkey to Chile have experienced some of the steepest drops in modern history, and why the timing of relationships, women’s careers, the economy and uncertainty about the future all play a role.

Professor Emily Jackson, an expert in law and reproductive rights, examines the limits of governmental policies - from baby bonuses to China’s new tax on condoms - and explains why restrictive reproductive laws often have unintended consequences.

Zoe Noble, the founder of We Are Childfree, discusses the growing global community of people choosing not to have children. She shares how one intrusive taxi ride helped spark a movement, and why blaming childfree women for falling birth rates misses the real issues.

Is a shrinking population a problem or simply part of the natural ebb and flow of society? And what would it take to create a world people want to bring children into?

Join us as we dig into the data, the politics and the personal choices behind one of the most important demographic stories of our time.

Contributors:

Berkay Ozcan, Emily Jackson and Zoe Noble

Associated research

The effects of unemployment on fertility (2021)