How to Win a Trade War

An essential guide to our new era of economic competition. From Soumaya Keynes, podcaster and columnist at the Financial Times and Chad Bown, former Chief Economist at the US State Department under President Biden.

We used to take trade for granted. Trillions of dollars of goods and services crossed borders each year. Nobody paid too much attention: it just worked.

Now, surging oil prices can hit your mortgage. Trump’s latest tariff announcement can crash markets and ruin your pension. Brexit can sever Britain from its closest trading partners. Chinese restrictions can bring the West’s car production to a crashing halt. Curbs on trade in cutting-edge chips could determine who wins the AI race. The stakes couldn't be higher.

In this irreverent guide, Keynes and Bown explore the history, players, and rules of trade, asking how we prepare for what the future might hold. Could trade wars lead to hot wars? What can the West learn from China? How should countries defend their economies?

Timely, funny and informative, How to Win a Trade War argues that the old system is dead. But what will emerge in its place? And ultimately, what is at stake for you, your country, and your company?