How Melting Ice Is Redrawing the Global Order | Rana Foroohar

In Episode 501 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Rana Foroohar about her book, Sea Change, and her argument that, as polar ice melts and new sea routes open, the Arctic has become the most consequential and least understood geopolitical theater in the world, with the great powers competing over trade routes, resources, and military dominance. They discuss: The strategic logic behind agreements like the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort between the US, Finland, and Canada Why China has spent two decades quietly ring-fencing the world's maritime chokepoints The Trump administration's approach to Greenland, NATO, and the Western Hemisphere The reversal of forty years of market-knows-best trade economics in favor of more state-directed, national security-focused trade and industrial policy They close with a conversation about domestic politics, including the fight over the future of economic nationalism, the populist backlash against AI and corporate concentration, and what, if anything, could rebuild a shared sense of civic responsibility and shared sacrifice in America. Subscribe to our premium content—including our premium feed, episode transcripts, and Intelligence Report…