Podcasts · Angry Planet

If You Must Fight a Trade War, Fight to Win

3 Jul 2026 · 55 min

The world I grew up in no longer exists. The decades after World War II were boom times for free trade lovers. During the Pax Americana it seemed that most diplomatic problems could be solved by exporting blue jeans and lowering the cost of consumer goods for everyone. But in 2026 trade is a serious weapon and economic policy seems less a path to prosperity and more a weapon for waging war.

On this episode of Angry Planet, Chad P Bown is here to talk about his new book How to Win a Trade War. Bown is a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and co-authored the book with journalist Soumaya Keynes. The book is a brisk walk through a history of economic conflict full of humor and history.

• The world according to nerd trade economists • If we must fight, fight this way • “It’s a China story” • Rare earth minerals, magnets, and the weaponization of trade • What’s the goal of our trade war? • The Hormuz of it all • The trade war against China isn’t going great • China’s delicate dance • Trade war as precursor to kinetic war • Some thoughts on robotics and AI

Buy How to Win a Trade War

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• https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-win-a-trade-war-an-optimistic-guide-to-an-anxious-global-economy-chad-p-bown/df89f988b3879e2a?ean=9781668221310&next=t
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The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)