Post Archives

For our sixth episode of “History and our Current World,” Jeremi Suri joins Kelly to discuss how policymakers can effectively use historical analogies without falling into the trap of oversimplification. They discuss how examining multiple historical cases rather than relying on a single analogy like Munich or Vietnam can result in better policy outcomes. Guest speaker Jeremi holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, and is a Professor in UT Austin’s Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He is the author and editor of eleven…

Next up this Summer, Kelly talks with bestselling author Moisés Naím about the rise of authoritarianism around the world. Guest speaker Moisés Naím is an internationally syndicated columnist and best-selling author of several books, including most recently “The Revenge of Power: How Autocrats Are Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century,” published in 2023. In the early 1990s, Dr. Naím served as Venezuela’s Minister of Trade and Industry, as director of Venezuela’s Central Bank, and as executive director of the World Bank. He was previously a professor of business and economics and dean of IESA, Venezuela’s leading business school. He now…

This week is our third episode with Kelly’s new co-host, Tristen Naylor, a non-resident fellow at ISD. Kelly and Tristen give updates on renewed fighting in Gaza and how domestic Israeli politics led to the breakdown of the ceasefire. They also discuss JD Vance’s visit to Greenland and highlight some encouraging developments in India’s agricultural sector. Later, Kelly speaks with Carnegie’s Alper Coşkun about Türkiye’s escalating political turmoil. Coşkun traces the origins of the crisis and its implications for the future of Türkiye’s democracy. Guest speaker Alper is a senior fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for…

This week is our second episode with Kelly’s new co-host, Tristen Naylor, a non-resident fellow at ISD. Kelly and Tristen analyze the recent conflict in South Sudan and Canadian politics, as well as the latest developments in Ukraine. Kelly then turns to Nick Thompson for an update on threats to undersea cables, including recent sabotage incidents in the Baltic Sea. They discuss how nations are strengthening their naval defenses and the challenges of attributing attacks to specific actors. Guest speaker Nick Thompson is a former CIA Paramilitary Case Officer and Naval Special Warfare Development Group operator. With over 20 years…

For our fifth episode of “History and our Current World,” Daniel Immerwahr joins Kelly to uncover how U.S. foreign policy has been shaped by a hidden history of territorial expansion. They dive into the myths surrounding the U.S. “logo map” and overlooked overseas territories, and discuss how a selective understanding of this history impacts our foreign policy decisions today. Guest speaker Daniel is the Bergen Evans Professor in the Humanities and Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence in the History department at Northwestern University. He is the author of Thinking Small: The United States and the Lure of Community…

For our fourth episode of “History and our Current World,” Kelly welcomes author Jason Steinhauer to explore how social media has impacted historical narratives. They dive into the idea of “e-History” and how social media has made it harder for professional historians to cut through the noise in an age where misinformation is constantly competing for our attention. Guest speaker Jason formerly served as Founding Director of the Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest; as a Global Fellow at The Wilson Center and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute; and an adjunct professor at the…