Blavatnik Book Talk: How to win a Trade War

Friday, 5 June 2026, 4pm to 5.30pm

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.

Join authors Soumaya Keynes and Chad Bown, in conversation with Professor Emily Jones, as they discuss their new book How To Win a Trade War: A Friendly Guide to an Unfriendly World.

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?

The event is followed by a drinks reception.

Speaker(s): Soumaya Keynes, Chad Bown, Emily Jones (Blavatnik School of Government)

Venue: Blavatnik School of Government - Blavatnik School of Government Radcliffe Observatory Quarter Oxford Oxfordshire OX2 6GG United Kingdom

Department: Blavatnik School of Government (Department)

Host: Blavatnik School of Government

Register here: https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/events/blavatnik-book-talk-how-win-trade-war