Talks from the Hoover Institution

Hoover Institution
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Talks and interviews from Hoover Institution events.

  1. 3D AGO

    Alternative U.S. Grand Strategies: Past, Present, Future

    The Hoover Institution’s Global Policy and Strategy Initiative hosted a webinar to discuss Alternative U.S. Grand Strategies: Past, Present, Future on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.  In a new report for the Council on Foreign Relations, America Revived, Ambassador Blackwill argues that the United States faces the most dangerous international environment since World War II. He defines U.S. vital national interests, summarizes the history of American grand strategy, outlines and critiques five grand strategy schools (primacy, liberal internationalism, restraint, American nationalism, and Trumpism), and advances a new grand strategy—resolute global leadership. This approach merges the military power and global presence of primacy with the alliance networks, institutional engagement, and focus on legitimacy emphasized by liberal internationalism. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Ambassador Robert Blackwill is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and Senior Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School. He served as deputy national security advisor, presidential envoy to Iraq, and ambassador to India under President George W. Bush. Blackwill’s latest book, coauthored with Richard Fontaine, is Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power (Oxford University Press, 2024). Admiral James O. Ellis Jr. is Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he oversees both the Global Policy and Strategy Initiative and the George P. Shultz Energy Policy Working Group. He retired from a 39-year career with the US Navy in 2004. He has also served in the private and nonprofit sectors in areas of energy and nuclear security. Philip Zelikow is the Botha-Chan Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. For 25 years he held a chaired professorship in history at the University of Virginia, where he also directed the nation's leading research center on the American presidency. For seven years before that, he was an associate professor at Harvard University.

    1 hr

  2. FEB 9

    The Declaration Of Independence: History, Meaning, And Modern Impact | Reimagining American Institutions

    The Hoover Institution Center for Revitalizing American Institutions webinar series features speakers who are developing innovative ideas, conducting groundbreaking research, and taking important actions to improve trust and efficacy in American institutions. Speaker expertise and topics span governmental institutions, civic organizations and practice, and the role of public opinion and culture in shaping our democracy. The webinar series builds awareness about how we can individually and collectively revitalize American institutions to ensure our country’s democracy delivers on its promise. The Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI) held The Declaration of Independence: History, Meaning, and Modern Impact with Michael Auslin, Jonathan Gienapp and Jane Kamensky on February 4, 2026, from 10:00-11:00 a.m. PT. As America observes the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Hoover Institution’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI) provided a renewed look at the origins and enduring influence of this defining national document. Expert speakers examined the Declaration’s cultural and physical history, its philosophical foundations and contested meanings, and its evolving role in shaping debates about rights, equality, and self-government. Participants gained insight into how the Declaration continues to inform national identity, animate civic discourse, and guide the ongoing effort to fulfill the promise of America’s democratic ideals. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Michael Auslin is the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution. A historian by training, Auslin is the author of the forthcoming National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America and The End of the Asian Century. He is a regular contributor to leading print and broadcast media and was a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Library of Congress’s John W. Kluge Center.  Jonathan Gienapp is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and a leading historian of the United States and its constitutional origins, with dual appointments in Stanford’s History Department and Law School. He is the author of two acclaimed books on American constitutional history and interpretation, and his scholarship on the Declaration and the nation’s founding informs lectures and public programs nationwide. A dedicated educator and award-winning teacher, he also works closely with institutions such as the National Constitution Center and the Brennan Center’s Historians Council to deepen public and legal understanding of constitutional issues. His public-facing writing, advisory work, and civics initiatives help connect historical insight to today’s constitutional debates. Jane Kamensky is president and CEO of Monticello/The Thomas Jefferson Foundation and a leading historian of early America and the United States. She earned her BA and PhD in history from Yale University and spent thirty years as a professor and higher education leader, most recently as the Jonathan Trumbull Professor of American History at Harvard University and director of the Schlesinger Library at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Kamensky is the author or editor of numerous acclaimed works. Her award-winning A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley earned multiple major prizes, and she coedited The Oxford Handbook of the American Revolution with the late Edward G. Gray. Her latest book, Candida Royalle and the Sexual Revolution, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. A dedicated public historian, she has served on boards and advisory councils, including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and More Perfect. Her work has been supported by NEH, Mellon, and Guggenheim fellowships, and she is an elected fellow of several distinguished historical societies. She also invites readers to explore Monticello’s vibrant online book club.

    1 hr

  3. FEB 4

    The 2026 Stanford Emerging Technology Review Debuts in the Nation’s Capital | Hoover Institution

    The Hoover Institution and the Stanford School of Engineering convened policymakers, scholars, and national leaders in Washington, DC, for the official launch of the 2026 Stanford Emerging Technology Review (SETR). This event features expert discussions on how emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, robotics, and energy systems—are reshaping economic competitiveness, national security, and global geopolitics. Speakers examine how the United States can strengthen its innovation ecosystem, mitigate technological risk, and maintain leadership amid intensifying global competition. Download the 2026 Stanford Emerging Technology Review report: https://setr.stanford.edu/.

    1h 27m

  4. FEB 3

    Insights From The 2025 US-China Economic And Security Review Commission Report: Findings And Recommendations

    The Hoover Institution Program on the US, China, and the World hosted, Insights from the 2025 US-China Economic and Security Review Commission Report: Findings and Recommendations, on Thursday, January 29, 2026.  This event features leading experts from the Hoover Institution and the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission for a discussion analyzing the key bilateral economic and security challenges faced by the US and China and their impacts on the broader international landscape. Congress created the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission to monitor, investigate, and report on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Its annual reports to Congress address and make recommendations about pressing issues such as trade practices, technological competition, military strategy, and human rights concerns, with far-reaching implications for policymakers and stakeholders around the world. The Commission’s 2025 Annual Report was released in November 2025. To view the report, click the following link: https://www.uscc.gov/annual-reports FEATURING Erin Baggott Carter is a Hoover Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California, a faculty affiliate at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute, and a nonresident scholar at the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego. She has previously held fellowships at the CDDRL and Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. She received a PhD in political science from Harvard University.  Drew Endy is a science fellow and senior fellow (courtesy) at the Hoover Institution. He leads Hoover’s Bio-Strategy and Leadership effort, which focuses on keeping increasingly biotic futures secure, flourishing, and democratic. Professor Endy also researches and teaches bioengineering at Stanford University, where he is the Martin Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, senior fellow (courtesy) of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and faculty codirector of degree programs for the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.  Mike Kuiken is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and serves as a Commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. He is an advisor to the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) and a member of Anthropic's National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council. He also consults with CEOs, boards, and senior leaders across investment, AI, defense, technology, and multinational firms globally.  The Honorable Randall G. Schriver is Chairman of the Board at The Institute for Indo-Pacific Security. In addition, Mr. Schriver is currently a partner at Pacific Solutions LLC. Most recently, Mr. Schriver served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs from 8 January 2018 to 31 December 2019. Prior to his confirmation as Assistant Secretary, Mr. Schriver was a founding partner of Armitage International LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in international business development and strategies. He was also a founder of the Project 2049 Institute and served as President and CEO. Previously, Mr. Schriver served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.  MODERATOR  Glenn Tiffert is a distinguished research fellow at the Hoover Institution and a historian of modern China. He co-chairs Hoover’s program on the  US, China, and the World, and also leads Stanford’s participation in the National Science Foundation’s SECURE program, a $67 million effort authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to enhance the security and integrity of the US research enterprise. He works extensively on the security and integrity of ecosystems of knowledge, particularly academic, corporate, and government research; science and technology policy; and malign foreign interference.

    1h 28m

  5. 12/10/2025

    Comparative Civics: Beyond Western Civ

    The Alliance for Civics in the Academy hosted "Comparative Civics: Beyond Western Civ" with Dongxian Jiang, Shadi Bartsch, Simon Sihang Luo, and Peter Levine on December 10, 2025, from 9:00-10:00 a.m. PT. There is broad agreement that effective citizenship requires a firm understanding of the history and principles of the American constitutional system. But what about the insights, lessons, and perspectives that can be drawn from foreign contexts? How might the study of other societies–including those with autocratic systems or markedly different cultural traditions–enhance one’s preparation for effective American citizenship? This webinar explores what global perspectives can teach us about citizenship and democracy at home. Panelists: Dongxian Jiang: Assistant Professor of Chinese Studies, Department of Languages and Cultures, Fordham University.  Shadi Bartsch: Helen A Regenstein Professor of Classics; Director Emerita, Institute on the Formation of Knowledge, University of Chicago Simon Sihang Luo: Nanyang Assistant Professor, Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Moderator: Peter Levine: Lincoln Filene Professor of Citizenship & Public Service, Tufts University; Executive Committee Members, Alliance for Civics in the Academy

    1 hr

  6. 12/03/2025

    Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump

    The Hoover Applied History Working Group hosted a special book-launch seminar: Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.  What happens when Americans lose faith in their religious institutions—and politicians fill the void? Please join us for a seminar that will discuss the forces that create leaders and hold their followers captive. Everyone feels it. Cultural and political life in America has become unrecognizable and strange. Firebrands and would-be sages have taken the place of reasonable and responsible leaders. Nuanced debates have given way to the smug confidence of yard signs. How did we get here? In Spellbound, Worthen argues that we will understand our present moment if we learn the story of charisma in America. From the Puritans and Andrew Jackson to Black nationalists and Donald Trump, the saga of American charisma stars figures who possess a dangerous and alluring power to move crowds. They invite followers into a cosmic drama that fulfills hopes and rectifies grievances—and these charismatic leaders insist that they alone plot the way. The story of charisma in America reveals that when traditional religious institutions fail to deliver on their promise of a meaningful life, people will get their spiritual needs met in a warped cultural and political landscape dominated by those who appear to have the power to bring order and meaning out of chaos. Charismatic leaders address spiritual needs, offering an alternate reality where people have knowledge, power, and heroic status, whether as divinely chosen instruments of God or those who will restore national glory. Worthen’s centuries-spanning historical research places a crucial religious lens on the cultural, economic, and political upheavals facing Americans today.

    1h 10m

  7. 12/03/2025

    Spellbound with Niall Ferguson and Molly Worthen | Hoover Institution

    After the Hoover Applied History Working Group book-launch seminar on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, Hoover Institution fellow Niall Ferguson interviewed Molly Worthen the author of Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump. Watch the full book-launch seminar here: https://youtu.be/bXkccTi7ZDE

    12 min

  8. 11/22/2025

    The Arsenal Of Democracy: Technology, Industry, And Deterrence In An Age Of Hard Choices

    The Hoover History Lab and its Applied History Working Group in close partnership with the Global Policy and Strategy Initiative held The Arsenal of Democracy Technology, Industry, and Deterrence in an Age of Hard Choices on Thursday, November 20, 2025, from 4:00 PM - 5:15 PM PT. The event featured the authors Eyck Freymann, Hoover Fellow, and Harry Halem, Senior Fellow at Yorktown Institute, in conversation with Stephen Kotkin, Kleinheinz Family Senior Fellow. The US military stands at a moment of profound risk and uncertainty. China and its authoritarian partners have pulled far ahead in defense industrial capacity. Meanwhile, emerging technologies are reshaping the character of air and naval warfare and putting key elements of the US force at risk. To prevent a devastating war with China, America must rally its allies to build a new arsenal of democracy. But achieving this goal swiftly and affordably involves hard choices. The Arsenal of Democracy is the first book to integrate military strategy, industrial capacity, and budget realities into a comprehensive deterrence framework. While other books explain why deterrence matters, this book provides the detailed roadmap for how America can actually sustain deterrence through the 2030s—requiring a whole-of-nation effort with coordinated action across Congress, industry, and allied governments. Rapidly maturing technologies are already reshaping the battlefield: unmanned systems on air, land, sea, and undersea; advanced electronic warfare; space-based sensing; and more. Yet China’s industrial strengths could give it advantages in a protracted conflict. The United States and its allies must both revitalize their industrial bases to achieve necessary production scale and adapt existing platforms to integrate new high-tech tools. FEATURING Eyck Freymann is a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University and a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the U.S. Naval War College, China Maritime Studies Institute. He works on strategies to preserve peace and protect U.S. interests and values in an era of systemic competition with China. He is the author of several books, including The Arsenal of Democracy: Technology, Industry, and Deterrence in an Age of Hard Choices, with Harry Halem, and One Belt One Road: Chinese Power Meets the World. His scholarly work has appeared in The China Quarterly and is forthcoming in International Security.  Harry Halem is a Senior Fellow at Yorktown Institute. He holds an MA (Hons) in Philosophy and International Relations from the University of St Andrews, and an MSc in Political Philosophy from the London School of Economics.  Mr. Halem worked for the Hudson Institute’s Seapower Center, along with multiple UK think-tanks.  He has published a variety of short-form pieces and monographs on various aspects of military affairs, in addition to a short book on Libyan political history. Stephen Kotkin is the Kleinheinz Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution as well as a senior fellow at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He is also the Birkelund Professor in History and International Affairs emeritus at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School), where he taught for 33 years. He earned his PhD at the University of California–Berkeley and has been conducting research in the Hoover Library & Archives for more than three decades. Kotkin’s research encompasses geopolitics and authoritarian regimes in history and in the present.

    1h 23m
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Talks and interviews from Hoover Institution events.

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  • Creator
    Hoover Institution
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University
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    Talks from the Hoover Institution

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