This Friday, the New York Post reports on Condoleezza Rice’s analysis of American strikes on Iran’s hardened nuclear sites; a new Hoover news story shares highlights from the Hoover History Lab’s recent conference on the uses and misuses of history in policymaking; and Applied History Working Group contributor Rosa Freedman offers historical context for the United Nations’s treatment of Israel in the wake of the October 7, 2023 terror attacks.
US Foreign Policy
The New York Post reports on Hoover Institution Director and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s appearance yesterday afternoon on Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News. On the program, Rice said the United States and Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities are a significant moment for the Middle East and a sign of bolstered American credibility on the global stage. Rice praised the American military and Israeli forces for their accomplishments. “Credibility is not something that you establish one day and then you sort of dial it in and say it’s done. We have to keep establishing that the United States is going to try and shape the international system, not just be a victim of it,” Rice said. “But what’s happened in the last couple of days is very, very good for American credibility.” Read more here.
Revitalizing History
On May 19, 2025, the Hoover History Lab hosted the daylong conference “History and World Order: ‘Lessons’ of the Past for American Statecraft” at the Hoover Institution. Joseph Ledford, a Hoover fellow and assistant director of the Hoover History Lab, organized the conference in collaboration with Daniel Sargent, the Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of American History and American Citizenship at the University of California, Berkeley. The marquee event convened scholars and practitioners to examine how and why history influences the politics and statecraft of seven nations: the United States, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Israel, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia. The conference also included a special keynote discussion on the uses and misuses of history, covered by C-SPAN, featuring Senior Fellow Philip Zelikow and Drew Erdmann, a partner at McKinsey & Company. Read more here.
In a paper presented to the Hoover Applied History Working Group’s annual History Symposium, themed “Anti-Semitism: Past and Present,” Rosa Freedman contends that since October 7, 2023, the United Nations has been perhaps more politicized about Israel than almost any time in its nearly eighty-year existence. She argues that the way that Israel was treated from the day after the Hamas atrocities can only be understood within the historical context of how, throughout the UN’s history, the organization has been biased against Israel. Freedman makes the case that the UN treats the State of Israel, the one Jewish country in the world, as different from all other sovereign nations. This paper explores the legal and political history of the UN and Israel. It seeks to document and explain how the UN has treated Israel and how Israel has responded to the anti-Zionism that has dominated and politicized all parts of the UN. Read more here.
Answering Challenges to Advanced Economies
The Hoover Institution’s Banks and Beyond conference brought together scholars, industry leaders, and regulators to grapple with the question: What happens when lending, payments, and risk-taking migrate from tightly supervised banks to lightly regulated non-bank financial intermediaries? Over the course of two days, the program featured two keynote addresses, a high-level panel discussion, and five research papers that painted a vivid picture of the coevolution of the industry and regulation, as well as the opportunities and challenges arising from these dynamics. The conference was organized by Hoover Senior Fellows Stephen Haber, Ross Levine, and Amit Seru, who lead Hoover’s Program on the Foundations of Economic Prosperity and codirect the Financial Regulation Working Group. “The efficiency and stability of the financial system are essential for fostering economic growth, expanding opportunities, and enhancing the human condition,” noted Levine in introductory remarks. Read more here.
Reforming K-12 Education
A new episode of Policy Stories with Hoover Senior Fellow Paola Sapienza examines the impact of foreign-born students studying in American classrooms. Contrary to common assumptions that immigrant students may strain classroom resources or hinder learning, data shows that classrooms with more immigrant students tend to see improved academic performance among native-born peers. Sapienza argues that the presence of immigrant students contributes to stronger educational outcomes by fostering a culture of academic engagement. The findings challenge prevailing narratives around immigration and education policy and highlight how peer dynamics can shape long-term opportunity for every student. Watch here.
Related Commentary