Doug McHoney (PwC’s International Tax Services Global Leader) is joined by Anja Manuel, co-founder and principal at Rice, Hadley, Gates, and Manuel LLC, a strategic consulting firm, and a former diplomat, author, and foreign policy advisor. Doug and Anja discuss the geopolitical forces reshaping cross-border business, including the Iran conflict and its implications for oil, shipping, Gulf investment, and AI infrastructure; China’s internal trajectory, tariffs, critical minerals, Taiwan, and supply-chain strategy; the growth outlook for Southeast Asia and India; Europe’s competitiveness challenges and the war in Ukraine; Venezuela’s political and investment risks; the effect of possible US midterm shifts on foreign policy; and whether international institutions, alliances, and the broader global economy still offer reasons for optimism despite a highly unstable backdrop.