This Friday, Michael Auslin shares the story of how he came to write a major new history of the Declaration of Independence; Rose Gottemoeller speaks with Bill Whalen about her experiences negotiating arms control treaties with Russia and serving in a senior post at NATO; and Andrew Roberts discusses the need to increase economic literacy and appreciation for the power of markets among young people with Daniel Hannan, a prominent British writer and politician.
Revitalizing History
Distinguished Research Fellow Michael Auslin has a new book out this week, National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America. In this interview for Defining Ideas, he spoke with Hoover’s Chris Herhalt about how his study of the history of the Declaration got started, the original document’s unique past, and what this foundational piece of writing has meant to Americans throughout history. “I wanted to write a book because I wanted to read a book on our history with the Declaration, our life story through it and with it, how it inspired us, how we reverenced it, how we protected it, and how we commoditized it,” Auslin says. “It’s really a history of America through the Declaration.” Auslin suggests that greater attention to the Declaration and its ideals can help to remedy “all the anger and the civil discord that we have in the country, especially with angry young people who have been radicalized by social media and radicalized to hear only the worst about America and not understand the historical perspective in which this country has achieved so much.”
Did you know that the Declaration spent part of World War II in storage at Fort Knox, Kentucky?
Hoover encourages students to engage with the Declaration’s ideals through our spoken word competition—learn more and submit your entry here!
Arms Control
On a new and special episode of Matters of Policy & Politics recorded in person, Research Fellow Rose Gottemoeller, a former deputy secretary general of NATO and Clinton and Obama administration national security aide, provides an insider’s view of nuclear arms control negotiations. Gottemoeller sets the record straight on the Clinton-Yeltsin summits, shares what she learned as the first American woman to lead nuclear arms talks, and explains why Vladimir Putin went from offering help in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to seeing America as a threat to Russia’s security. Whalen also asks Gottemoeller about the challenges she faced while serving as NATO’s deputy secretary general during the first Trump presidency. The conversation builds on Gottemoeller’s new book, Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and US-Russia Relations after the Cold War.
Hear why multiple “resets” of the US–Russia relationship in the post–Cold War period have not panned out as originally hoped.
Economic History
On the latest episode of Secrets of Statecraft, Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Roberts speaks with Daniel Hannan, a British writer, journalist, and politician. Hannan starts by announcing his appointment as the new director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a pioneering free market think tank founded in 1955. Hannan reflects on the intellectual legacy of the IEA and argues that the case for free markets, once broadly accepted, must now be made all over again in an age drifting back toward statism. The conversation ranges widely—from the resurgence of protectionism and the erosion of economic literacy to the failures of modern political leadership, the legacy of Brexit, and the cultural forces shaping today’s electorate. Along the way, Hannan explores the deep roots of conservatism, the challenges of defending free trade in an intuitively protectionist world, and the urgent need to reintroduce fundamental economic truths to a new generation.
Discover why the principles of free market economics must be re-explained to younger generations today.
In a new episode of Capitalism and Freedom in the 21st Century, Policy Fellow Jon Hartley speaks with former US senator from Texas Phil Gramm, a trained economist who has had a long and distinguished career in public service, academia, and the private sector. Hartley and Gramm discuss the latter’s career as an academic economist at Texas A&M, his service in the US House of Representatives and in the US Senate, and his work on landmark legislation cutting government spending and reforming the US finance, banking, and insurance sectors. Graham also discusses his recent books on the role that economic freedom plays in economic growth and takes on various fallacies surrounding the rise of inequality in the US.
Learn how Senator Gramm helped to pass legislation modernizing banking, insurance, and securities laws.
War with Iran
With the war against Iran turning into a sea-based blockade and with the entire globe’s energy market hanging in the balance, Senior Fellow Niall Ferguson argues at The Free Press that a negotiated settlement that reopens the Strait of Hormuz is probably a long way off, and Iran can hold out for months at least. “Operation Economic Fury is certainly causing economic pain to Iran. But the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is an American-Iranian joint venture that is causing pain to everyone,” he writes. Calculating how long Iran could hold out depends on a range of factors, so he outlines three possible scenarios for the economic impact of the blockade. In short, the historian finds that anything less than an immediate, complete reopening of the strait is likely to bring severe economic pain to the United States and the world. Ferguson concludes by cautioning readers, “Wars take much less time to start than you think they will, and last much longer than you thought they could.”
See why Ferguson concludes that further disruptions to global commerce would likely carry significant costs for US consumers and businesses. [Subscription required.]
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