Showdown in Trump's world? / The Berlin Summit 2025 starting Wednesday

Dear friends and colleagues, 

What Dani Rodrik predicted weeks ago now seems to be coming true: there is a showdown in Trump’s world – at least between the president and Elon Musk. Is this the beginning of the end of the Trump whirlwind? It’s unlikely. And even if it were, it wouldn’t fix what caused so many people to vote for Trump in the first place.

This makes it all the more important what leading international experts will explore at the second Berlin Summit starting in the middle of next week – beginning with the question of what really are the reasons for the election of right-wing populists, whether in the US, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Italy, or almost everywhere else.

Is the finding that populists win mainly in regions where economic and social divisions cause a loss of control outdated? Or was it ultimately only the consequences of inflation shocks that led to Trump’s election and the rise of the AfD? What role does concern about migrants play – and does closing borders help in the fight against right-wing extremists? What can we learn from all this about what kind of policies should be implemented to get people back on board and actually benefit the vast majority?

This will be discussed at the summit starting on Wednesday in initial small expert panels featuring historian Harold James, populism researcher Robert Gold, former Chilean finance minister Andrés Velasco, migration researcher Christian Dustmann, and sociologist Naika Foroutan. Saarland Finance Minister Jakob von Weizsäcker and Elga Bartsch, chief economist at the Federal Ministry of Economics, will explore what industrial and climate policies that engage people look like, together with leading US economists. And: Economist Paul de Grauwe (LSE) will discuss the lessons learned from dealing with financial turmoil in recent years with Jérôme Creel and Economist correspondent Carla Subirana Artus.

And what might globalization look like after tariff disputes and ego trips? Historically, what are the chances that crises will be followed by good times? Adam Tooze will discuss this at the start of the public part of the Berlin Summit on Friday, June 13—as will Brad Setser, Nancy Qian, Dalia Marin, Servaas Storm, Thiemo Fetzer, Holger Schmieding, and others. In the afternoon, renowned US economist James Galbraith and transformation researcher Maja Göpel will explore how much new economy is needed for better times. The event will conclude with a meet & greet with Adam Tooze – in midsummer temperatures under the open sky, if the current forecasts are correct.

Registration for the summit on June 13 is still open – here.

Winning back the future.

Have a great weekend

Thomas Fricke and the Forum Team

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