Smart Talks. Cold Drinks.

Presenting THINK & DRINK – where the curious gather. This ongoing lecture series delivers a wide array of topics that generate fresh perspectives, ideas, and discussion. These community-driven events are powered by a collaboration between UMKC, Linda Hall Library, The Third Place Historian, and Casual Animal Brewing Company. 

Your RSVP is appreciated to help us preset the room and accommodate as many seats as possible for interested attendees. You will also receive at least 1 reminder email about the event when you RSVP.

august 6 - The Forever Trade War and What It Means for Kansas City

Speaker: Jack Zhang, Director of the Trade War Lab, University of Kansas

The trade war has become the new normal. Drawing on original Trade War Lab survey research, attendees will learn how businesses in our region are navigating tariffs, uncertainty, supply chain shifts, and the politics of U.S.-China competition. Data from the Trade War Lab 2025 Tariff Impact Survey shows that many firms say tariffs hurt them, but relatively few take political action in response. Is the securitization of trade policy why costly and ineffective trade policies persist in this country? Come and see how the KU Trade War Lab conducts timely, regionally relevant research to help Kansas City businesses, associations, and policymakers make sense of a complex and rapidly changing trade landscape.

Jack Zhang is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Trade War Lab at the University of Kansas (KU). He is a Council on Foreign Relations Term Member and a Public Intellectual Fellow with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Princeton University prior to joining the faculty at KU. His research explores the political economy of trade and conflict in East Asia.