GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution

The Age of Empire Strikes Back: Stephen Kotkin on Trump, Wrestling, and the Use of American Power | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

Three weeks into the nascent Trump presidency, the question of “power” arises: how the leader of the free world uses unique words, deeds, and threats to advance America’s interests globally, through a blend of grandiose promises (rebuilding Gaza), economic saber-rattling (tariffs on imported goods), and a “vibe shift” (woke bureaucracy under attack). Hoover Kleinheinz Senior Fellow Stephen Kotkin joins GoodFellows regulars Niall Ferguson and John Cochrane to discuss what such expressions of American power portend for a republic/empire showing signs of wear and tear—potentially crippling debt, a military perhaps unable to engage in multiple-theater conflicts, and more.   

Recorded on February 10, 2025. 

Big Deal: Davos Man Returns; Colombia’s Social Media Smackdown; Is DeepSink AI’s “Sputnik Moment”? | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

A week into Donald Trump’s “second first term,” the GoodFellows drink from the proverbial fire hose trying to keep up with the news: a flurry of presidential executive orders; a freezing of US foreign aid; policy spats with multiple nations; at Davos, the world’s globalists contending with MAGA; a Chinese advancement in artificial intelligence that prompted a market selloff and evokes memories of the Cold War’s space race.

Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster discuss the significance of the aid freeze; what Colombia’s agreement to accept deportees after threats of a tariff war portends for Trump-brand foreign policy; how the times have changed at Davos’s annual World Economic Forum; plus whether the emergence of China’s DeepSeek app will trigger a modern-day “moonshot” within the AI sector. Next, the fellows discuss matters they deem neglected (are Russia and Iran’s regimes on the ropes?), a DEI executive order, whether Trump’s revoking of security clearances and dignitary protection was justified or vindictive, plus the three fellows’ Super Bowl plans.

Recorded on January 28, 2025.

Vibe Shifts: Enter Trump, Exit Biden, the Politics of Fires, “Silly Walking and Flying Eagles” | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

Donald Trump’s “second first term”—an oddity of winning nonconsecutive presidential elections—begins with talk of dramatic policy shifts at home and abroad. 

Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson and “Trump 45” veteran H.R. McMaster discuss the odds of a successful second Trump presidency; whether the man himself has changed; the most salient questions to ask Pentagon and State Department secretary-designates; whether Elon Musk’s government reform will be more DOGE or dog; what America’s allies and adversaries are thinking; plus the seriousness of acquiring Greenland or other Trump-speculated land grabs (Canada, the Panama Canal). 

After that: the fellows opine on where the Biden presidency went off the rails (are historians to blame?), followed by a look at LA’s devastating wildfires and California’s shifting political landscape (the conflagration straight out of the pages of Niall’s 2021 book Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe), plus what prompted Mark Zuckerberg to abandon Meta’s fact-checking and DEI programs.

Recorded on January 15, 2025.

2024 in Review: Standards and Norms with the WSJ’s Kimberley Strassel | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

An eventful election year concludes with the curtain soon to rise on a second Trump presidency and the possibility of dramatic changes to how Washington conducts itself.

Kimberley Strassel, the Wall Street Journal’s “Potomac Watch” columnist, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster for a temperature check on Trump’s comeback: the odds of his ending lawfare and weeding out recalcitrant bureaucracy while also extending his 2017 tax cuts; plus whether Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative will indeed make the federal government more efficient. Later, the fellows offer their choices of 2024’s winners and losers, and what they got right and wrong this past year, as well as something big to expect in 2025. Finally, Sir Niall reflects on the emotional pull of knighthood, having recently been on the kneeling side of his investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

The Mailbag Show: The GoodFellows Answer Your Questions

In a special “mailbag” episode, Hoover senior fellows Sir Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster answer audience questions ranging from current geopolitics quandaries and viable economic models to career and parenting advice, plus their personal choices of dream guests.

Among the topics: a neglected African continent; Russia’s military and economic sustainability and related policy options that the incoming Trump administration will face; parallels between Taiwan and pre–World War I Europe; rating Javier Milei’s performance in Argentina; job options for aspiring PhD candidates; plus the panel’s recommendations for foundational books to instill honor and patriotism in children (spoiler alert: Niall talking Tolkien). 

Submit your questions for our next mailbag episode at Hoover.org/AskGoodFellows and see if your question gets selected and answered!

Focus on the Mission, with Mike Pompeo | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

After a “change” election that returned Donald Trump to the presidency, what can Americans expect in the way of foreign policy and national security departures from the current administration?

Former US secretary of state and CIA director Mike Pompeo joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss possible new directions for America’s national security apparatus. Also discussed: the Biden administration’s allowing Ukraine to fire long-range missiles into Russia; how to counter Chinese threats to Taiwan’s independence; Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s being declared a “war criminal” subject to arrest; plus the likelihood that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency can reshape the federal government. 

Recorded on November 22, 2024.

The Comeback: The NYT’s Bret Stephens and the GoodFellows Recap the ’24 Election | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

Donald Trump will return to the Oval Office in a manner few saw coming – he won America’s popular vote; his coattails may lead to Republican control of Congress – while progressive institutions (legacy media, Hollywood, wokeism, and a tired Democratic playbook) take a beating.

New York Times opinion columnist Bret Stephens joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss an American election that defied conventional wisdom – and how Trump should proceed in the weeks ahead (key cabinet appointments, foreign and economic policies) given the surprise gift of an Election Night mandate.

Recorded on November 7, 2024.

Butterfly Wings & Hurricanes: The GoodFellows & Andrew Roberts Revisit Historical Counterfactuals | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

Imagine an alternate universe in which the American Revolution fails or where Russia rejects Leninism in its infant stage.

Live from the Hoover Institution’s Fall Retreat, Lord Andrew Roberts, renowned historian and the Hoover Institution’s Bonnie and Tom McCloskey Distinguished Visiting Fellow, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss various historical counterfactuals, including British forces winning the pivotal Battle of Saratoga in 1777; Vladimir Lenin being assassinated before Communism takes root in Russia; John F. Kennedy surviving his motorcade through Dallas; plus China rejecting economic reforms and instead refashioning itself as a second North Korea.  

Recorded on October 17, 2024.

Hope for Peace, Prepare for War, with Walter Russell Mead | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

Why has Israel repeatedly disregarded and gone the opposite way from the White House’s entreaties regarding the Middle East? And does the West fully fathom that Ukraine is losing its war of attrition with Russia?

Walter Russell Mead, “Global View” columnist for the Wall Street Journal, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss the latest developments in those two combat theaters. Next, the fellows choose policies they feel have gone neglected in America’s presidential election, weigh in on one pundit’s assessment that the US is headed for “the greatest mental health crisis in the history of the country” should Donald Trump prevail, and reflect on the passing of Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh. 

Recorded on October 28, 2024.

OK Boomers: Victor Davis Hanson, Pagers, Zelenskyy, and the Fellows “Talkin’ ‘Bout Their Generation” | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

Hot-wiring pagers and walkie-talkies to take out Hezbollah operatives: Was Israel’s tactic—like something from an Ian Fleming novel—a justifiable act of national security or a violation of international law?

Victor Davis Hanson, the Hoover Institution’s Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow and a military historian and classicist, joins GoodFellows regulars John Cochrane and H.R. McMaster to discuss the latest in the Middle East, as well as whether it was wise for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to tour a munitions factory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on the verge of America’s national election. Next, the three Baby Boomer panelists reflect on their generation’s legacy, plus which singer deserves a statue in the US Capitol alongside country music legend Johnny Cash.    

Recorded on September 24, 2024.

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