Trump vs Carney at Davos - One summit, two visions

Trump vs Carney at Davos - One summit, two visions

Author: Chatham House January 23, 2026 Duration: 35:13

Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox joins the Independent Thinking podcast from the World Economic Forum in Davos. In London are guest host David Lubin, a Senior Research Fellow in Chatham House's Global Economy and Finance Programme; and Grégoire Roos, Director of the Europe and Russia and Eurasia Programmes. 

They examine the implications of President Trump's speech for Greenland, NATO, Europe, China and others after Trump pulled back from using force in Greenland, but left allies with a loss of trust in US intentions. Our analysts also discuss the impact of the address by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, a former President of Chatham House, who laid out his alternative vision for middle powers to cooperate when faced with what he called 'a rupture' in the world order. 

Read our latest:

Trump's Davos speech backed off escalation in Greenland. That will not prevent an EU rush for strategic autonomy

Trump, Diego Garcia and the 'Donroe Doctrine' in the Indian Ocean

Trump's Greenland tariffs show the UK must prepare for a new era of economic coercion

A roadmap for security and governance reform in Haiti

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Stephen Farrell.

Read the Winter issue of The World Today 

Listen to The Climate Briefing podcast 🎧 

Listen to Africa Aware podcast 🎧

Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts - please listen, review, and subscribe.


Hosted by Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox, Independent Thinking brings the institute’s private deliberations into the public ear. This isn’t a rehearsed lecture series, but a direct channel into candid, high-level discussions typically held behind closed doors. Maddox guides conversations with a carefully selected mix of leading policymakers, frontline journalists, and Chatham House’s own deep bench of experts, focusing on the international political issues that are shaping headlines and rewriting global strategies. The tone is analytical yet accessible, privileging substance and nuance over soundbites. Each episode feels like a privileged seat at a crucial roundtable, where complex topics-from shifting alliances and economic sanctions to climate diplomacy and conflict-are unpacked with clarity and intellectual rigor. Listeners gain a clearer understanding of the forces driving world events, hearing diverse perspectives clash and converge in real time. For anyone looking to move beyond the superficial news cycle and engage with the substantive arguments defining our geopolitics, this podcast offers an essential and thoughtful resource. It’s where informed opinion meets the pressing questions of our moment, fostering a deeper kind of political literacy.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Independent Thinking
Podcast Episodes
In UK politics is Reform now the party to beat? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:15
It's party conference season in Britain. Both ruling Labour and opposition Conservatives are nervous about the rise of Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK, successor to the Brexit Party. Pollster Joe Twyman and Olivia O'…
The UN must adapt to the Trump era. How? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:34
The United Nations is a guardian of international law, its leader assured member states this week. But President Trump questioned the point of the UN. Marc Weller and Christopher Phillips join Bronwen Maddox to assess ch…
Trump's UK state visit sealed deals, but at what cost? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:17
President Donald Trump brought AI and tech CEOs on his second state visit for a deal pledging £31 billion in investment for the UK. Olivia O'Sullivan and Laurel Rapp join host Bronwen Maddox to discuss the politics and d…
Will China lead a post-American world? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:40
Are we moving into a post-American world and if so will China try to lead and set the rules for it? In the face of American withdrawal, China senses an opportunity to shape a new world order. This week on Independent Thi…
Trump's tools – Tariffs and sanctions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:45
How much of Donald Trump's sanctions strategy is substance — and how much is performance? In this episode of Independent Thinking, Chatham House experts unpack whether sanctions work. And at Trump's shifting use of sanct…
Will Trump deliver for Ukraine? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:50
What does President Donald Trump's promise of Patriot missiles for Ukraine — and a 50-day tariff ultimatum to Putin — really mean for Ukraine and Russia? Chatham House experts Jaroslava Barbieri, John Lough and Samir Pur…
Gaza: What next after Trump-Netanyahu talks? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:02
What does Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the White House mean for the likelihood of a Gaza ceasefire? Bronwen Maddox is joined by Stephen Farrell, Yossi Mekelberg, Sanam Vakil and Max Yoeli to examine the state of negotia…
One year hard Labour: Why is the UK so difficult to govern? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:55
After a crisis week for Britain's ruling Labour Party, host Bronwen Maddox and Chatham House's Olivia Sullivan are joined by economist Professor Stephen Millard and pollster Joe Twyman to look at the foreign and domestic…
Iran's nuclear programme: destroyed, damaged or intact? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:26
Did US strikes cripple Iran's nuclear programme — or just set the stage for the next crisis? Bronwen Maddox hosts from Jordan, joined by international security expert Marion Messmer and Middle East associate fellow Lina…
What does the Iran-Israel war mean for the region and the world? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:59
Following Israel's strikes on Iran on 13 June, and the subsequent sequence of retaliation and counter retaliation, fears are rising that the conflict could escalate. In this special episode of Independent Thinking (an ed…