Chicago Council on Global Affairs

As global competition intensifies, the United States and United Kingdom have a unique opportunity to reimagine their historic partnership. How can the two countries maintain a special relationship in an era of heightened economic nationalism? How can they collaborate on breakthrough technologies such as AI, and what could such a partnership accomplish? Join us on Thursday, August 14, as British Ambassador Peter Mandelson visits the Council to discuss how both countries can work together to meet the demands of a transforming world. Register for in-person or virtual tickets here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.pbrnw.ch/21wUuxJ

"If you just have a crude system whereby you just say it's 20% tariff on everything, you are, in effect, making it harder to make things in the US," David Henig of the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) told Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri on our Deep Dish podcast. "You are making it easier to make things outside the US and just send the final product into the US because if you don't know how much you're going to pay for your intermediates on a day-to-day basis, how can you plan in that way?" Listen to the full episode ⤵️

As the Trump administration's new tariffs go into effect, where do everyday Americans stand on trade? Recent Chicago Council-Ipsos polling finds a majority say Washington should pursue a policy of global free trade (55%), and most view international trade as good for their standard of living (84%), consumers like them (83%), the US economy (79%), and creating jobs in the United States (70%). Explore more survey results 📊👇

"It's no different—the logic, in my view—from saying that we in our personal lives should aim to have balanced trade with all the businesses we interact with . . . that I should have a balanced trade with the neighborhood dry cleaner or grocery store or restaurant,” The University of Chicago Booth School of Business' Brent Neiman told Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri on our Deep Dish #podcast. "The idea that it should be a goal of US trade policy to have balanced trade with every country . . . I think is really faulty." 🎧 Listen to the full episode, "Trump’s Tariffs: Can Global Trade Survive the Shock?" ➡️ https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.pbrnw.ch/21wUKoj

This week on the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Deep Dish podcast I spoke with two leading economists -- one American and one European (UK) about Trump's tariffs. Brent Neiman of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Brent served from 2022-2025 at the U.S. Treasury as Counselor to the Secretary and as the Deputy Undersecretary for International Finance. David Henig runs the UK Trade Policy Project of the European Centre for International Political Economy and is a leading thinker on trade policy in Europe We discussed how nations, markets and consumers are reacting, and what’s at stake for the global economy. Listen to the full episode at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts. https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.pbrnw.ch/21wUK3F

Global #trade is under pressure as President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs go into effect. What makes these #tariffs different? And how are nations, markets, and consumers reacting? Brent Neiman of the The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and David Henig of the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)join Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri on our Deep Dish podcast to unpack the implications. Listen to the full episode at the link below or wherever you get your #podcasts. ⤵️

Our Council community enjoyed a special event earlier this week with Illinois Congressmen Darin LaHood (R-IL 16) and Mike Quigley (D-IL 5), as the two lawmakers visited for a bipartisan conversation on how issues around the world are affecting Chicago and Illinois. In a wide-ranging discussion moderated by Mary Ann Ahern of NBC5 Chicago, they analyzed the current state of global affairs and dug into their local implications, covering everything from geopolitical conflicts and economic uncertainty to their future plans in state government. Watch the full conversation ⤵️ https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.pbrnw.ch/21wUINN

Are you interested in joining a community of changemakers shaping Chicago and the world? The application for the Emerging Leaders Class of 2026 is open through September 10. This year-long program provides you with opportunities to deepen global fluency, sharpen leadership skills, and connect you with a powerful network shaping the future of foreign policy, business, and civic life. If you’re curious about what an EL alum called “one of the best experiences of my career,” learn more about the program and submit your application here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.pbrnw.ch/21wUIMm

"When you're focused on just your own country, it sometimes can blind you to the fact that interconnection matters to solve all of our world's problems," Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL 5) told a Council audience. Quigley Congressman Darin Lahood (R-IL 16) for a conversation on how international conflicts—from Ukraine to Gaza—affect communities here in #Illinois, and why foreign policy isn’t just a Washington issue. 📹 Watch the full conversation with Reps. Quigley and LaHood: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.pbrnw.ch/21wUGP7

"About 40% of the corn and soybeans that are grown in my district go somewhere else around the world. They get loaded up on barges on the Illinois and the Mississippi River, they go down to New Orleans, they get offloaded on huge shipping containers and they go all around the globe," Congressman Darin Lahood (R-IL 16) told a Council audience last night. "So you don't always think about Central Illinois or Northern Illinois as being connected to the world, but we definitely are." 📹 Watch the full conversation with LaHood and Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL 5) on the current state of global affairs and their local implications, moderated by Mary Ann Ahern of NBC5 Chicago: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.pbrnw.ch/21wUGE4