Today, Justice Samuel Alito of the United States Supreme Court joins Uncommon Knowledge to discuss the Constitution and his thoughts on American jurisprudence. The GoodFellows analyze Israel’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program and consider what the future holds for the Iranian regime. And Andrew Roberts, also examining the conflict, frames the Trump administration’s opportunity to strike the heavily fortified Fordow centrifuge site as a moment of “Churchillian choice” with profound implications for the future of the Middle East.
Revitalizing American Institutions
In this wide-ranging conversation, Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito discusses the principles that guide his judicial philosophy. From his majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson to his views on originalism, precedent, and the role of the courts in American democracy, Alito offers a candid defense of the Constitution as a fixed and enduring document. He explores the meaning of the Equal Protection Clause, the limits of judicial power, and the tensions surrounding race-conscious policies. Justice Alito also reflects on the practical realities of the Court and the deeper meaning of constitutional interpretation, speaking with clarity, conviction, and with an eye toward the long view of American jurisprudence. Watch or listen here.
Determining America’s Role in the World
Israel launches air attacks intended to destroy Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, Iran retaliates with missile strikes on Israeli cities, and the world waits to see what comes next—a return to the status quo, neighboring countries drawn into the conflict, or an end to the Iranian theocracy? GoodFellows regulars and Hoover Senior Fellows Sir Niall Ferguson and former White House National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster discuss whether the Israeli goal of ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions is possible without US assistance, how President Trump might respond if asked to directly engage, and if the conflict will expand beyond the present bilateral exchanges. The panelists also consider the likely outcome of regime change in a culturally diverse Iran (a peaceful transition or Libya 2.0?). After that: in honor of the 250th birthday of the United States Army, McMaster shares the thoughts of a fellow American general tasked with winning a war for liberty. Watch or listen here.
Writing in The Free Press, Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Roberts reflects on moments in history when preemptive military strikes proved to be worthwhile. Like the British bombing of the French fleet in Algeria in 1940, or the Israeli bombing of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981, Roberts argues that President Trump now faces a “Churchillian” decision-making moment. Only the US Air Force possesses the massive munitions that can destroy Iran’s underground centrifuges. “The United States has never had such an opportunity to rid the world of a specter that has haunted the Middle East for decades, and possibly might not again,” Roberts writes. Read more here.
In a post to Substack, Research Fellow Rose Gottemoeller shares the text of remarks she gave to graduates of the Center for International Security and Cooperation Honors Class of 2025. Gottemoeller notes parallels between current turbulence in domestic and foreign policy and the era of her own college graduation from Georgetown in 1975. She proceeds to share some advice that served her well over her own distinguished career in arms control negotiation. First on her list is “never apologize,” because, if “you start by apologizing, everyone listening to you already doubts what you have to say.” Gottemoeller also counsels the class of 2025 to “take good risks,” since traditional career stability is on the decline. As Gottemoeller illustrates with reference to her own career, early jobs can lead to unexpected professional opportunities down the line. She closes by encouraging the class to remember that they can help advance just causes and, like friendly troll statues in a local museum exhibit, “save the humans.” Read more here.
Revitalizing History
Hoover Senior Fellow Josiah Ober has studied the period of ancient Greek “efflorescence,” the years (800–300 BCE) when Greek city-states experienced impressive economic growth. In an interview for Defining Ideas, Ober spoke with Hoover’s Chris Herhalt about what those centuries can tell us about today’s economic challenges. Ober notes that the development of free trade “requires both a willingness to trade and a background set of norms or laws so traders won’t get cheated.” Even though the period of Greek civilizational flourishing continued to feature inter-state conflict, “there are ongoing, booming trade networks. Even in times of large-scale warfare, trade continues, although surely it’s disrupted, and sometimes there are military strategies that try to put pressure on imports.” Ober also highlights the role of competition among trading states in keeping tariff duties low during this period, around 2 percent. Read more here.
Writing at his Substack History We Don’t Know, Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster responds to President Trump’s June 12, 2025, statement, “President Putin lost 51 million people [in World War II], and he did fight. Russia fought. Sort of interesting, isn’t it? He fought with us in World War II and everybody hates him. And Germany and Japan, they’re fine … Someday, somebody will explain that to me …” McMaster proceeds to share his account of when he, as national security advisor, “did explain to him that the idea that the Kremlin is a natural friend today because Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union was our ally in World War II is a false rationalization based on misunderstanding of history.” McMaster refers interested readers to Battlegrounds, pages 21–84, for more on the history of the United States dealing with the Kremlin’s aggression. Read more here.
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