We are joined in our latest edition of BM Talks by Alex Patelis, who served as Chief Economic Adviser to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis between 2019-2024. Alex also worked in investment banks including as Managing Director of Global Research at Merrill Lynch and studied under Ben Bernanke for his PhD from Princeton.

We asked:

• Ten years ago, Greece voted No in a referendum to a bailout, only for the new Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to perform the exact opposite three weeks later. What happened?
• Greece is now running a primary budget surplus with investment grade debt. How was this achieved?
• What lessons can the rest of the world take from this?
• What does the German "Zeitenwende" mean for the EU?
• Is this the end for the dominance of the US Dollar?
• What advice do you have for Scott Bessent, who also moved from the world of finance into politics?
• What do you think of populism?

We are joined in our latest edition of BM Talks by Rachel Ziemba, founder of Ziemba Insights. She is an expert in sanctions and trade policy with a focus on oil markets in the Middle East. Her substack has the ever-more relevant name of "Weaponized Economy".

We asked:

• What happens to the oil price given the Iran/Israel conflict?
• What will be the response of the GCC countries and China?
• How will Trump's trade policies affect GDP?
• Can sanctions ever really work?
• Would China dump US Treasuries?
• Will Russia come back into the fold?
• Is Trump the strongest strongman?

We are joined in our latest edition of BM Talks by Dr Nigel Bowles, who taught American politics and history at Oxford and Edinburgh universities, along with authoring many books such as "Government and Politics of the United States".

We asked:

• Does the US Constitution prevent an authoritarian President?
• Can the US President remove the Federal Reserve Chair?
• Are tariffs the exclusive power of the executive branch?
• Is Trump a genuine threat to the rule of law?
• Are Americans more polarised than at any time in history?