Category: Briefings

Briefings

Background Briefing: April 1, 2025

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Thanks to Musk, the US is Not Helping the Victims of the Earthquake in Myanmar Because There Are Only 15 Employees Left at USAID

We begin with the shameful reality that thanks to Elon Musk, the US is not sending humanitarian aid to Myanmar following a deadly earthquake that devastated the country’s second largest city Mandalay because USAID has been gutted and now only has 15 employees left. Joining us is Michael Martin, who has had a career of more than 30 years focusing on political and economic developments in Asia, especially in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Burma (Myanmar). He has taught economics at Colby College, Doshisha University, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Tufts University. From 1994 to 1998, he was an assistant chief economist for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and, from 2006 to 2021, he was a specialist in Asian affairs at the Congressional Research Service, keeping the U.S. Congress informed about the situations in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Burma.

Who Will be Freed on Trump’s “Liberation Day” Tomorrow When We’ll All Be Paying More?

Then we discuss Trump’s declaration that tomorrow will be “Liberation Day” when he will impose additional tariffs on top of the 25% tariffs on automobiles and parts from Europe, South Korea and Japan. Already the Europeans have said these tariffs will be met with “a strong plan to retaliate” while China, South Korea and Japan are being driven together by Trump’s stupidity to make plans for their own free trade agreement. Joining us is Matthew Klein, the founder and publisher of The Overshoot, a research service focused on the global economy, financial markets, and public policy. He was previously the Economics Commentator at Barron’s, and has also written for the Financial Times, Bloomberg View, and the Economist. He is the co-author of Trade Wars Are Class Wars: How Rising Inequality Distorts the Global Economy and Threatens International Peace, and we will discuss his recent article at Politico, “Trump’s Tariffs May Not Do What He Thinks.”

More Nuclear Proliferation as Europeans Plan to Develop Their Own Nuclear Deterrent and Tactical Battlefield Nukes

Then finally, as Trump and Vance insult and abandon Europe and NATO, we examine plans underway for the Europeans to develop their own nuclear deterrent against Russia as well as tactical battlefield nuclear weapons which the French and British do not have while Russia has thousands. Joining us is Michael John Williams, a professor of international affairs at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States. His research and writing focuses on international security and regionally on Europe-Russia and NATO. The author of three books, his most recent is Science, Law and Liberalism in the American Way of War: The Quest for Humanity in Conflict and we discuss his article at Foreign Policy, “Europe Should Dust Off Multilateral Nuclear Plans.”