Robert Guest

As deputy editor of The Economist, this is the biggest question Robert Guest is tackling this year.  It is the one question he asks CEOs and cabinet ministers in every country he visits, and their answers suggest they think it matters more than any recent election. Robert Guest understands that audiences are likely to include a wide range of political views, so any speech is scrupulously factual and courteous.

Robert tailors his speech to the specific audience, which may be most interested in a particular industry or region. The questions he addresses could include:  

1. How the US election looks from a multinational boardroom. Among many policies that have grabbed the world's attention, Trump suggests he might impose a blanket 10% tariff. Biden, meanwhile, would double down on green industrial policy. Either leader's approach would have big effects on the US economy and how it interlinks with the rest of the world. Multinational businesses are already reviewing their investment plans and reshaping their supply chains. Robert Guest explores the nuances, based on economic analysis and his own recent reporting from the US, India, China, Vietnam, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.

2. How the US election looks from Europe. The two candidates would take a very different approach to Ukraine and Russia. Robert Guest explores how Europeans are preparing for a Trump victory, and what the effect of an end to US military aid to Ukraine might be on geopolitics and commodity markets, based on reporting from Ukraine, London and Brussels, with added colour from the European backlash against high energy prices and the parts of North Africa that suffered bread riots when the Ukraine war pushed up the price of wheat.  

3. How the US election looks from Beijing. The surprising reasons why some of Xi Jinping's advisers favour a Trump victory, and others fear it. 

4. How the US election looks from Taiwan. One small, vulnerable island produces 85% of the global supply of top-of-the-line semiconductors. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan, if it happens, would thus send shockwaves through the world economy. Since the main thing deterring China from attacking Taiwan is America's unwritten and ambiguous promise to defend the island, it matters enormously who the US commander-in-chief is. Robert could explore how the US election might affect the odds of a war over Taiwan, and how global supply chains are shifting to reduce the risk to the entire high-tech sector.

5. How the US election looks from the rest of Asia. India's government would be happy to see a Trump victory. Japan is quietly dreading it. Vietnam figures it will do well regardless. Robert can explore the nuances of how Asia is adapting to the turbulence of American politics. 

6. How the US election looks from the Middle East. With Iran-backed terrorists in Yemen shooting missiles at cargo ships in the Red Sea, some in the Middle East yearn for a return to Trump's transactional approach to diplomacy; others are eager to work with Biden to put out the region's fires and safeguard the booming economies of the Gulf. 

This is just a sampling of the most popular questions he can cover. Robert works with you ahead of time to learn about your audience event and to customize his presentation.