Sep 30, 2026 · 46 min · 11 segments
Donald Trump’s return to the White House has raised questions about the future of American democracy and US power. In this episode, Zoe Swanwich speaks to Ryan Henson, CEO of the Coalition for Global…
Jackson van UdenGuestRyan HensonGuest
Zoe SwanwickHost
I think what you said there about Americans looking at China as the enemy, I think that's partially down to personalities.
We know that Trump has a very close relationship with Putin and does admire the power that all the clans have across the world.
And I think this conflict isn't so much about nations and the rise of different nations.
The borders of Eastern Europe onwards, we have this idea of Western liberal democracy.
We have different styles of democracies in Asia, but we also have communist regimes.
Now, they don't see themselves... as autocratic or proletarian regimes, but they are.
They're committing genocides, they're having moments of terror across their countries, and you have this axis of autocracy from Iran, China, Putin, Russia, you have Azerbaijan, other nations like that, who are in this battle against democracy.
So I don't think this is kind of so much a rise of the multipolar world or bipolar world.
I actually think it's, again, this moment of democracy versus authoritarianism because that's how these nations are really pitching themselves.
The battle in Ukraine isn't just a battle of democracy versus oligarchy or authoritarianism with Putin.
It's about that expansionism, him trying to show that this is the style of government, which I think does best.
And then China does the same where they pitch this as, you know, this is the way to be.
with their ideology through debt traps in South America, through debt traps in the Pacific, the debt traps in Africa.
It's this battle of the more authoritarian regimes trying to flex this stuff and gotten them over.
I think what you said there about Americans looking at China as the enemy, I think that's partially down to personalities.
We know that Trump has a very close relationship with Putin and does admire the power that all the clans have across the world.
And I think this conflict isn't so much about nations and the rise of different nations.
The borders of Eastern Europe onwards, we have this idea of Western liberal democracy.
We have different styles of democracies in Asia, but we also have communist regimes.
Now, they don't see themselves... as autocratic or proletarian regimes, but they are.
They're committing genocides, they're having moments of terror across their countries, and you have this axis of autocracy from Iran, China, Putin, Russia, you have Azerbaijan, other nations like that, who are in this battle against democracy.
So I don't think this is kind of so much a rise of the multipolar world or bipolar world.
I actually think it's, again, this moment of democracy versus authoritarianism because that's how these nations are really pitching themselves.
The battle in Ukraine isn't just a battle of democracy versus oligarchy or authoritarianism with Putin.
It's about that expansionism, him trying to show that this is the style of government, which I think does best.
And then China does the same where they pitch this as, you know, this is the way to be.
with their ideology through debt traps in South America, through debt traps in the Pacific, the debt traps in Africa.
It's this battle of the more authoritarian regimes trying to flex this stuff and gotten them over.
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