Global Insights
Network 20/20’s Global Insights is a series of moderated conversations that brings together a curious global audience to dig deeper into macro-level and region-specific trends shaping our world.
Episodes
132 episodes
Cuba’s Future and U.S. Interests
Visit us at Network2020.org. Cuba is at a strategic crossroads as the near collapse of its national energy system reshapes the island’s political landscape. Intense U.S. sanctions and the lo...
Beyond Tariffs: The New Multipolar Trade Web
Visit us at Network2020.org. It has been just over a year since President Trump’s “Liberation Day” global tariff announcement. Since then, the global trade landscape has shifted as countries...
How Russia Weaponized a Thousand Ships
Visit us at Network2020.org. In response to the unprecedented economic sanctions put on Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow spent over $10 billion on building a “shadow fle...
Recap: What's Next for the Global Order?
Visit us at Network2020.org. Three weeks into 2026, the United States removed a foreign head of state by force, threatened to take territory from a NATO ally, and backed a crackdown in Iran....
Global Insights Goes Biweekly (For Now)
Visit us at Network2020.org. Over the past several months, Global Insights has covered some of the biggest stories shaping the world, from the war in Iran to U.S. action in Venezuela to the ...
U.S. Strategy in the Western Hemisphere
Visit us at Network2020.org. With the 2025 National Security Strategy placing renewed emphasis on the Western Hemisphere, Washington appears poised to engage more actively in Latin America t...
Transatlantic Relations Under Trump: Challenges and Options
Visit us at Network2020.org. The alarm bells have been ringing in Europe over the past few years, signaling that Europe’s traditional reliance on the American security umbrella has passed it...
Recap: Iran After Khamenei, a Conversation with Dr. Arash Azizi
Visit us at Network2020.org. The killing of Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes has thrust Iran into uncharted territory. With its supreme leader gone, dozens of senior officials dead...
Crude Power: The U.S. Pivot to Oil and the Future Energy Mix
Visit us at Network2020.org. The year 2026 kicked off with a massive shake-up in U.S. foreign and energy policy. Through bold action, the Trump administration is signaling its conviction tha...
Peace in Ukraine: Deal or Deadlock?
Visit us at Network2020.org. Four years after Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine and its ensuing war, new attempts are being made to end the conflict. This past January, Ukrainian President...
The Future of the United Nations
Visit us at Network2020.org. Geopolitical tensions, combined with shifting priorities in Washington, are pushing the United Nations into a moment of severe institutional uncertainty. A serio...
What Iranians Want, From Trump and Their Future
Visit us at Network2020.org. The recent wave of protests and the subsequent crackdown in Iran have left a new round of scars on the beleaguered Islamic Republic. The broad-based upheaval has...
U.S. Action in Venezuela: Assessing Strategic Implications
Visit us at Network2020.org. The U.S. military’s recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has fundamentally altered the geopolitical landscape of the Western Hemisphere. This un...
The Global Order in Crisis: What Comes Next?
Visit us at Network2020.org. Since the end of World War II, the global order has been shaped largely by a Western liberal system led by the United States. Yet, recent developments, from the ...
Dollar Strength, Dollar Strain: Navigating a New Global Monetary Order
Visit us at Network2020.org. The U.S. dollar has long anchored global trade, investment, and financial stability. Yet, in recent years, forces both within and outside of the United States ar...
Martin Wolf on The Economy in an Age of Uncertainty
Visit us at Network2020.org. The global economy has entered an age of confusion, roiled by trade wars and technology as it gained its post-pandemic footing. The global rise of populism and a...
From Collapse to Confrontation: The U.S.–Venezuela Standoff
Visit us at Network2020.org. On January 3rd, U.S. forces launched a military strike on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and flying him to New York to face federal narco-terroris...
Critical Minerals, Critical Choices: Africa’s Role in a Transitioning World
Visit us at Network2020.org. Africa sits at the center of the global energy transition. From cobalt and copper in the Democratic Republic of Congo to major infrastructure initiatives like th...
The New Arctic Order: Geopolitics at the Top of the World
Visit us at Network2020.org. The Arctic is rapidly moving to the center of global politics. Melting ice is opening new shipping lanes and granting access to vast, untapped natural resources....
Sudan: The Role of Technology in the Forgotten Conflict
For the context of this conflict, see our earlier episode here: Revisiting Sudan’s Conflict: Context and ImplicationsSudan is in the midst ...
Recalibrating Diplomacy: The Global Role of Cities
Visit us at Network2020.org. The architecture of international engagement is shifting, and subnational diplomacy is taking center stage. As federal governments scale back traditional f...
Power, Policing, and Politics: The Rise of Authoritarianism in Central America
Visit us at Network2020.org. Over the past decade, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras have experienced a resurgence of authoritarian practices. Leaders have expanded executive power, under...
The Geopolitics of U.S. Higher Education
Visit us at Network2020.org.U.S. higher education is more than just a domestic institution— it is a pillar of the country’s foreign policy and global engagement. By attracting students, scholars,...
