GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution - podcast cover

GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution

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In uncertain times what’s needed is not just clarity about today’s pandemic, but insight into the challenges that lie ahead as America recovers and returns to normal. GoodFellows, a weekly Hoover Institution broadcast, features senior fellows John Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, and H.R. McMaster discussing the social, economic, and geostrategic ramifications of this changed world.

Episodes

Peace Through Strength: The Good Fellows on Harvard, Europe, Warfare & Niall Gets Busted

Harvard University and the Trump administration do battle over civil rights, funding, and tax status. Europe confronts unpleasant realities as it honors the 80th anniversary of VE Day. And the Pentagon contemplates how new weaponry and technology will change the future of warfare. It’s all part of a special “bring your own topic” episode of GoodFellows, which also examines the recent White House national security shakeup; the merits of a June 14 parade to celebrate the US Army’s 250th anniversar...

May 08, 20251 hr 10 minEp. 153

Tangled Up in Blue with Rep. Ro Khanna: Tariffs, Trump, and Progressive Capitalism

Rejected by voters last November, the Democratic Party is perhaps afforded new life given President Trump’s decline in popularity and economic uncertainty ahead. What is the party’s message? Rep. Ro Khanna, a prominent progressive voice whose California district includes parts of Silicon Valley, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss tariffs and the use of executive power, “blue state” mismanagement, the feasibility of a “Marshall Plan” for econom...

Apr 29, 20251 hr 3 minEp. 152

Viewer Mail: The GoodFellows Answer Your Questions

What are the economic and geopolitical effects of President Trump's imposition of tariffs on America's trading friends and foes? In an episode devoted solely to viewers' questions, Hoover senior fellows Sir Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster delve into the certain volatility (and uncertain logic) of Trump's tariff maneuvers, what the future holds for the European Union, institutional decline within the U.S., plus what if any parallels between historical periods past and pr...

Apr 11, 20251 hr 8 minEp. 151

Mixed Signals and Emerging Technology with Amy Zegart

Does America have a plan for winning the competition of the future—mastering artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and space, plus other material and developmental sciences? Amy Zegart, the Hoover Institution’s Morris Arnold and Nona Cox Senior Fellow and cochair of the Stanford Emerging Technology Review (SETR) , explains how this one-of-a-kind partnership between the Hoover Institution and Stanford University’s School of Engineering gives policymakers the tools they need to better address th...

Mar 27, 20251 hr 5 minEp. 150

Evil Empire 2.0: Tom Cotton on Europe’s Path to Peace and China’s Dangerous Hegemony

US and Ukrainian officials will meet on March 12 to talk peace in Eastern Europe; a new US approach to China may or may not be in the works; and the Trump administration’s gas-brake approach to imposing tariffs on trade partners has a Hoover economist baffled. Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and author of Seven Things You Can’t Say About China , joins Hoover senior fellows John Cochrane and H.R. McMaster to discuss the latest in Ukraine and his concerns ov...

Mar 08, 20251 hr 6 minEp. 149

The Great X Debate, with Matt Continetti: Vance v. Ferguson, Trump Diplomacy, DOGE, and Hackman

A one-week window into the Trump administration’s worldview—the president blaming Ukraine for Russia’s invasion; his vice president taking to social media to accuse a Hoover scholar of “historical illiteracy”; the US then refusing to join other UN members in condemning Russian aggression—raises the question: Is the Trump brand of confusion and controversy mere happenstance or a calculated means to an end? American Enterprise Institute scholar, author, and columnist Matthew Continetti joins Hoove...

Feb 28, 202557 minEp. 148

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 Amer...

Feb 14, 20251 hr 8 minEp. 147

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 di...

Jan 30, 202557 minEp. 146

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 an...

Jan 16, 20251 hr 1 minEp. 145

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...

Dec 18, 202451 minEp. 144

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 Eu...

Dec 04, 20241 hr 12 minEp. 143

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 R...

Nov 22, 202457 minEp. 142

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 ...

Nov 08, 20241 hr 3 minEp. 141

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; Vladim...

Nov 01, 202458 minEp. 139

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 Amer...

Oct 29, 20241 hr 4 minEp. 140

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...

Sep 25, 20241 hr 8 minEp. 138

Cruel Summer: McMaster’s Tour of Duty, the Debate, TSwift, and Yes, Churchill Was a Good Guy | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

What was it like to navigate America’s national security apparatus all the while coping with a mercurial commander-in-chief? Hoover senior fellow H.R. McMaster tells all in his new best-seller At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the White House – with additional insights provided by Hoover senior fellow Niall Ferguson, whose forthcoming biography of Henry Kissinger likewise will touch on national security and White House intrigue. After that: Niall and H.R. dissect the previous night’s pre...

Sep 12, 202456 minEp. 137

So It Goes: Niall Ferguson on Good Books, Bad Screens, a 1968 Redux, and Hobbits | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

In a topsy-turvy election year, does America’s 2024 presidential contest summon ghosts from 1968 — or, is a late-breaking 1980-style landslide in the cards? Historian Niall Ferguson, the Hoover Institution’s Milbank Family Senior Fellow, appears solo on this “mini” edition of GoodFellows (or is it GoodFellow?) to discuss the current political landscape, what roles an aging electorate and the “gender gap” will play in America’s election, plus a fondness for tariffs shared by two very different Re...

Aug 26, 202448 minEp. 136

Gettin’ Grumpy with It: John Cochrane on the Fed, Tariffs, and Why Dogs Rule | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

John Cochrane, the Hoover Institution’s Rose-Marie and Jack Anderson Senior Fellow and the author of The Fiscal Theory of Price Level (2023), discusses misconceptions around how the Federal Reserve goes about its business; why economic policy factors into the great-power competition with China; his fascination with Calvin Coolidge; plus why (in John’s opinion) Portuguese Water Dogs are the kings of all canines....

Aug 19, 202444 minEp. 135

Generally Speaking: McMaster on Trump Foreign Policy and Technology Warfare | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution

In a special mini version of GoodFellows (just one wise man, not the usual three), Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the Hoover Institution’s Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow and author of the soon-to-be-released At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House , discusses a possible sea change in American foreign policy and the view from other world capitals. On the 40th anniversary of his commissioning as a US Army second lieutenant, McMaster reflects on the challenges that tested h...

Aug 12, 202444 minEp. 134

We Win, They Lose, with Matthew Kroenig | GoodFellows: John H. Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Is a regional war across the Middle East about to erupt? And what to make of a Venezuelan regime that doesn’t honor election results? Matthew Kroenig, Vice President and Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security and coauthor of the book We Win They Lose: Republican Foreign Policy and the New Cold War, joins Hoover senior fellows John Cochrane and H.R. McMaster to discuss lessons from deterrence (or a lack thereof) past, present, and future. Next, John e...

Aug 07, 20241 hr 8 minEp. 133

Unburdened By What Has Been | GoodFellows: John H. Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

An already surreal political year becomes all the more quizzical as former president Donald Trump literally dodges an assassin’s bullet soon before making a surprise pick of Ohio senator J. D. Vance as his running mate; followed by President Biden unexpectedly ending his reelection bid and Vice President Kamala Harris swiftly becoming the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee. Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster do their best to make sense of thes...

Jul 25, 20241 hr 1 minEp. 132

A GoodFellows Special: A Guide to Summer | GoodFellows: John H. Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

How do a historian, an economist, and a geostrategist make the best use of their summers? In an abbreviated GoodFellows, Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster reveal a few of their summertime preferences: favorite leisurely pursuits (land, air, and sea), their go-to foods and drinks, family gatherings (all three are grandparents), recommended books and movies, plus what research and writing lies ahead (plenty of writing and travel). Among the revelations: summer ...

Jun 20, 202420 minEp. 130

The Axis of Chaos, with Matt Pottinger | GoodFellows: John H. Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

A new “cold war” presents a familiar challenge for America: how to curb a rival great power’s ambitions. Matt Pottinger, a Hoover Institution visiting fellow and editor of the forthcoming book The Boiling Moat: Urgent Steps to Defend Taiwan , joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss how best to discourage China from moving on its island neighbor. After that: the fellows debate the wisdom of the UK’s fast-tracked national election; plus what, if anyt...

May 31, 202448 minEp. 129

The Counterfactual Show: Reimagining History, with Stephen Kotkin | GoodFellows: John H. Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Historians differ over the need to explore “counterfactuals”—the study of scenarios that never happened—and what they can tell us about historical causation. Stephen Kotkin, the Hoover Institution’s Kleinheinz Senior Fellow and noted historian of Russia, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson and John Cochrane to discuss alternative historical outcomes: Stalin not surviving a two-front invasion in World War II and Churchill dying well beforehand; the American Revolution failing; the Beatles ...

May 16, 20241 hr 6 minEp. 128

TikTok’s Ticking Clock: National Security Vs. Free Speech; Dr. Evil And James Bond | GoodFellows: John H. Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, Amy Zegart, and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Did Israel’s failure to anticipate Hamas’s surprise attack in October 2023 stem from an overreliance on technical rather than human intelligence gathering? And is TikTok really a national security threat to America? Amy Zegart, the Hoover Institution’s Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow and author of Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence , joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss Israel’s intel failu...

May 03, 202458 minEp. 127

America’s Immigration Puzzle, Iran Strikes (Out) – And 60 Is The New 40 | GoodFellows: John H. Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, Reihan Salam, and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Nearly 40 years since the nation last saw comprehensive reform on the matter, the consensus is that America’s immigration system is sorely in need of updating to 21st-century realities. Reihan Salam, Manhattan Institute president and author of the book Melting Pot or Civil War?, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss a smarter approach to welcoming newcomers to America. After that: the fellows discuss the ramifications of Iran’s not-so-surprise mi...

Apr 19, 202458 minEp. 126

NYT’s Bret Stephens on Israel, 4 Years of GoodFellows, and An Invite to JK Rowling | GoodFellows: John H. Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

As the six-month anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel approaches, what to expect next in that struggle—and is the American president and Israeli prime minister’s working relationship beyond repair? New York Times columnist Bret Stephens joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss the war’s possible expansion into southern Lebanon and Stephens’s vision of a rebuilt Gaza as a Mediterranean version of Dubai. After that, a celebration of four years sinc...

Apr 03, 202453 minEp. 125

China v. Ukraine with Elbridge Colby; TikTok's Clock; Election Meddling Is Cool Now? | GoodFellows: Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and Bill Whalen | Hoover Institution

Facing hot wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and a prolonged cold war in East Asia, how does America adapt its military strategy and resources—and in which direction? Elbridge Colby, former Defense Department assistant secretary and cofounder of the Marathon Initiative, which studies great-power competition, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson and H.R. McMaster to discuss his contention that rearming America’s military in anticipation of an eventual Chinese move on Taiwan takes p...

Mar 21, 202457 minEp. 124
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