The Munk Debates Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: how far is Carney willing to bend for Trump? Aug 21, 2026

Show notes

Rudyard and Andrew unpack leaks from ongoing U.S.-Canada trade talks, which are focused only on the immediate threat of 50% tariffs on Canadian goods rather than negotiating a long-term deal. Even if Canada averts some of these tariffs, CUSMA negotiations lie ahead—and the leaks suggest we may not get full tariff relief on the issues that matter most, including steel, autos, software and lumber, while facing additional concessions on dairy supply management and digital policy.

How are these concessions consistent with Carney’s “elbows up” message? Andrew argues that trying to appease Trump risks feeding his appetite for further concessions. This isn’t a negotiation; it’s extortion. If the Trump administration continues to approach trade this way, Canada needs to mitigate this ongoing threat by becoming a more competitive market and diversifying trade.

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

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Be it resolved, anti-Zionism is antisemitism Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

On this special edition of the Munk Debates podcast we are sharing the full Munk Debate on anti-Zionism, which took place in June 2024 in front of a sold out crowd of 3,000 people at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall.

The debate resolution was: Be it resolved, anti-Zionism is antisemitism

Arguing for the motion was award winning journalist, best-selling author, and former Munk Debater Douglas Murray. His debate partner was Natasha Hausdorff. She’s an attorney, international law expert, and legal director for the UK Lawyer for Israel Charitable Trust.

Opposing the resolution was Mehdi Hasan. Mehdi is a best-selling author, former NS Now anchor, and the CEO and editor-in-chief of the media company Zeteo. He was joined on stage by the award winning Israeli journalist and Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy.

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: the Canada-US trade deadline looms and Iran calls Trump's bluff Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

August 19 is fast approaching, and despite efforts to reach a deal, there is a real possibility that negotiations could collapse altogether. Do Canadian concessions actually reduce threats from Trump, or simply invite more demands? And if Trump agrees to a deal, will he renege later and demand more? Andrew argues that “ragging the puck”—stretching negotiations out as long as possible—may be Canada’s best strategy. The discussion also turns to Canada’s dairy subsidy and protection system: does protecting domestic dairy producers actually serve Canadian farmers, when it leaves Canadian consumers paying up to twice as much for dairy products?

In the second half of the show, Rudyard and Andrew turn to the continuing standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. How long can the crisis last? The United States appears trapped in a conflict it cannot easily walk away from. Iran is now the side issuing demands, while making a mockery of Trump’s threats and exposing the limits of American power. The damage isn’t just military—it has undermined the credibility of U.S. threats and security guarantees to its allies, which may prove even more consequential.

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Be it Resolved, let’s engineer better human beings Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

This special episode features the Munk Debate on the Gene Editing, held before a live audience of 800 students and faculty at Deerfield Academy in April 2026.

Arguing in favour of the motion was the biophysicist, best-selling author, biotechnology entrepreneur, and the former director of the Program on Medicine, Technology and Society at UCLA School of Medicine, Gregory Stock. His debate partner was the internationally acclaimed strategic philosopher and pioneering transhumanist Max More.

Arguing against the motion was the prominent American bioethicist Ezekiel Emanuel, Special Advisor to the Director General of the WHO and a former founding chair of the Department of Bioethics at the NIH. His debate partner wass the award-winning educator, author, and Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London, Joyce Harper.

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Carney considers concessions to Trump as U.S. power wanes abroad Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

What is the point of negotiating with Donald Trump when experience suggests that agreements may not be binding, concessions may not be reciprocal, and terms may not be honoured? Reports now suggest the Canadian government is preparing to make significant concessions, including allowing more American dairy into the Canadian market. But in this climate, and with this president, any Canadian concession should come with a concession of equal value from Washington. So what exactly is Ottawa’s strategy? Are its conflicting signals a deliberate effort at strategic ambiguity—or evidence that the government itself is divided? And how might Trump’s negotiating posture change if Republicans lose the U.S. midterms in November and he becomes a lame-duck president?

In the second half of the show, Rudyard and Andrew turn to the emerging Oman-Iran agreement over control of the Strait of Hormuz, asking whether it signals a retreat from freedom of navigation and another step in the decline of American power abroad. They argue that Trump fundamentally misunderstood the Iranian regime he was confronting and the retaliatory tools at its disposal. The result, they contend, is more than a strategic defeat: it is a humiliation for the United States.

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Be it Resolved, liberalism gets the big questions right Aug 04, 2026

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This special episode features the full Munk Debate on the Crisis of Liberalism, held before a live audience of 3,000 at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall in November 2023.

Arguing for the motion was the controversial British M.P. and former cabinet minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg. He was joined by the American writer and columnist who has shaped a generation’s thinking on the important issues of our time: George F. Will.

Opposing the motion was U.K. journalist, self-avowed communist and popular leftist thinker, Ash Sarkar. Her debating partner was the disruptive and thought-provoking American social conservative, Sohrab Ahmari, author of the bestseller Tyranny Inc.: How Private Power Crushed American Liberty.

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Canada's two competing priorities and the new U.S. Fed Chair signals compliance to Trump Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

Andrew and Rudyard open the show by examining the competing priorities confronting Prime Minister Carney's government. On one hand is the immediate geopolitical imperative: reducing Canada's dependence on a U.S. trading partner that President Trump has shown a willingness to weaponize, making export diversification an urgent national priority. On the other is the growing threat of climate change, underscored by devastating wildfires in Canada and across Europe. Carney appears to have concluded that geopolitical security must come first, pushing climate policy down the agenda. But can he do so without alienating a significant portion of the Liberal coalition, for whom climate action remains a defining issue?

In the second half of the show, Andrew and Rudyard turn to new U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's first significant decision: keeping interest rates unchanged for a seventh consecutive month. Markets reacted sharply, with investors selling off 30-year Treasury bonds and pushing yields to a 19-year high. While former Fed Chair Jerome Powell won praise for defending the Fed's independence in the face of pressure from President Trump, Warsh's decision has reinforced critics' fears that he is too closely aligned with the White House. Has the Federal Reserve begun to sacrifice its independence—or is Wall Street overreacting?

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Be it Resolved, don't trust mainstream media Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

This special episode features the full Munk Debate on Mainstream Media, held before a live audience of 3,000 at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall in the fall of 2022.

Arguing for the resolution Be it Resolved, don't trust mainstream media, was the associate editor of The Spectator magazine, Fox News contributor, and bestselling author of The War on the West, Douglas Murray. He was be joined by Substack publishing sensation, former Rolling Stone contributing editor, and investigative journalist, Matt Taibbi.

Arguing against the motion was the internationally acclaimed author, podcaster and veteran New Yorker staff writer, Malcolm Gladwell. His debate partner was Michelle Goldberg, New York Times columnist, MS Now contributor, former American Prospect senior correspondent and senior writer for The Nation.

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump doubles down on the Iran war and tariffs, and an AI model escapes the lab Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

Rudyard and Andrew begin by unpacking the latest escalation in the U.S.–Iran conflict. Andrew argues that Trump cannot simply walk away if he wants to prevent Iran from gaining leverage over the global economy—but where does escalation lead? Will striking power plants and bridges bring him any closer to his objectives? They then examine Trump's latest round of tariffs, including a new 50% tariff on Canadian goods announced this week. What does the global economy look like under the twin pressures of tariffs and war with Iran?

In the second half of the show, Rudyard and Andrew turn to a startling development in artificial intelligence: reports that an OpenAI model circumvented its constraints and sabotaged another AI system during testing—without its engineers' knowledge. They argue that this is far more alarming than fears of job displacement, suggesting it reveals that AI companies may no longer fully understand or control their own creations. As AI capabilities accelerate at a breathtaking pace, they ask whether we're approaching a point where the consequences become impossible to predict—or contain.

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Be it Resolved, this is America's golden age Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

This special episode features the full Munk Debate on Trump's America, held before a live audience of 3,000 at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall in May 2025.

The debate resolution was: Be it Resolved, this is America's golden age

Arguing in favour of the motion was the political consultant, pollster and senior counselor to President Trump during his first term in office, Kellyanne Conway. Her debate partner was the President of the right-wing think tank the Heritage Foundation, and the architect of Project 2025, Kevin Roberts. Arguing against the motion was the New York Times columnist, podcaster, bestselling author, and one of America’s most influential commentators, Ezra Klein. His debate partner was Ben Rhodes, who served as President Obama’s senior advisor and is the co-host of the popular current affairs podcast Pod Save the World.

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus and Munk Dialogues. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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