The first thing I need to do is convince you something has changed. American politics offers the comforting illusion of stability. The Democratic and Republican Parties have dominated elections since 1864, grappling for power and popularity the whole time.

On the pleasantly warm but overcast afternoon of June 12, 1987, Ronald Reagan stood in front of the Berlin Wall and spoke six words that resonated deeply with millions who endured Soviet domination throughout Europe and among proponents of democracy around the world...

The path forward for the United States.

Republicans are becoming the party of disruptors. The Freedom Caucus in the House was successful at wearing out Speaker John Boehner and running off his likely successor Kevin McCarthy.  Meanwhile, in the presidential campaign, Republican disruptors are winning. The three outsiders—Trump, Carson and Fiorina—have a collective 54 percent in support, with all the rest who have been officeholders at 39 percent.

Trump is a catharsis for the electorate.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Professor Zegart discusses the US relationship with China and how she views that country’s aggressive stance toward Taiwan; why big tech companies are a potential threat not only to privacy, but also to our national security; and why the next war may well be fought with a keyboard rather than on a battlefield.

Yll Bajraktari and Anshu Roy in conversation with Amy Zegart on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 2:00 PM ET.

Security in the Age of Liberal Democratic Erosion will focus on the critical security challenges facing liberal democracies and examine the threats of external adversaries and how democracies can respond.

The Hoover Archives has recently acquired important new materials that document both the history of communism and the difficult transitions to democracy that took place in Russia, Latin America, and elsewhere once the Cold War was finally over. Hoover deputy director Charles Palm reports.