Shows
BookstackEpisode 105: Kim Sherwood on Her Double O NovelThe legendary 007 series continues with author Kim Sherwood’s novel, authorized by Ian Fleming’s estate. Sherwood, who as a child imagined herself as Bond, lives out a lifelong dream by writing the next act for the iconic character. She joins host Richard Aldous to discuss her new book, Double or Nothing: James Bond is Missing and Time Is Running Out. (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/double-or-nothing-kim-sherwood?variant=40616856944674) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2023-05-1729 min
BookstackEpisode 104: Blythe Roberson on Embracing the Open RoadEver fantasize about quitting your job and hitting the open road? Blythe Roberson did just that, embracing freedom and the natural beauty of America—with an agenda. She joins host Richard Aldous to speak about the fruits of her labor of love, America the Beautiful?: One Woman in a Borrowed Prius on the Road Most Traveled (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/america-the-beautiful-blythe-roberson?variant=40644692148258). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2023-05-1027 min
BookstackEpisode 103: Charles Dunst on Defeating the DictatorsThere has been plenty of ink spilled about democracies dying and populists rising. AP contributing editor Charles Dunst, deputy director of research and analytics at the Asia Group, takes the practical route. How can we shore up democracies to inoculate them against the tides of illiberalism, and remind those looking for a winning governance model that democracy can deliver? Dunst joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his new book, Defeating the Dictators: How Democracy Can Prevail in the Age of the Strong Man (https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/charles-dunst/defeating-the-dictators/9781399704434/). This is a public episode. If you'd...2023-05-0330 min
BookstackEpisode 102: Dana Sachs on Our Saviors at SeaIn 2015, as refugees poured into Greece from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere, the assistance delivered to desperate migrants at sea and on land was largely provided at the hand of individual volunteers. Dana Sachs joins host Richard Aldous to discuss the failure of the international aid community and heroism of those who stepped in as detailed in her new book, All Else Failed: The Unlikely Volunteers at the Heart of the Migrant Aid Crisis (https://blpress.org/books/all-else-failed/). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...2023-04-2626 min
BookstackEpisode 101: Ian Buruma on Three Legendary FakesIn an era of fake news and invented personalities, it’s worth looking back to a time when deception could mean the difference between life and death. In his new book, The Collaborators: Three Stories of Deception and Survival in World War II (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/659322/the-collaborators-by-ian-buruma/), Ian Buruma delves into three World War II-era characters whose lives blur the lines between good and evil. The former editor of the New York Review of Books rejoins host Richard Aldous to discuss history, myth, and morality. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this wi...2023-04-2026 min
BookstackEpisode 100: Robert D. Kaplan on Inescapable TragedyThe American tendency in foreign affairs to think in Manichaean terms is exemplified by the Biden Administration’s democracy-versus-autocracy lens. Yet such thinking can result in a failure of imagination, says Robert D. Kaplan, which he believes explains his own regretted support for the 2003 Iraq War. Kaplan joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his new book, The Tragic Mind: Fear, Fate, and the Burden of Power (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300263862/the-tragic-mind/), an exploration of why the Greeks believed anarchy to be worse than tyranny. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other su...2023-04-1225 min
BookstackEpisode 99: Meredith Bagby on A New Kind of AstronautWhen NASA accepted its first class of civilian astronauts in 1978, it welcomed a historic group marked by many firsts: the first American woman, the first African American, the first Jewish person, the first Asian American, the first gay person, and the first mother. This week, Meredith Bagby, author of The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Trave (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-new-guys-meredith-bagby?variant=40424020279330)l, spoke with Richard Aldous about this landmark class of astronauts who propelled the Space Shuttle era and defined a generation of space travel. ...2023-04-0624 min
BookstackEpisode 98: Derek Leebaert on FDR’s Circle of FourSuch was the prestige of cabinet members during the Roosevelt Administration that a 19-gun salute accompanied their arrival to a city. Joining Richard Aldous this week is author of Unlikely Heroes: Franklin Roosevelt, His Four Lieutenants, and the World They Made (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250274694/unlikelyheroes), Derek Leebaert, who shines a new light on FDR’s inner circle of four—Harry Hopkins, Harold Ickes, Frances Perkins, and Henry Wallace—and FDR himself, who together helped usher the nation through the Great Depression and the Second World War. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this wit...2023-03-2927 min
BookstackEpisode 97: Adam Kirsch on Imagining Earth without HumansFrom climate change to the potential of artificial intelligence, there are plenty of reasons to doubt the viability of human life on Earth. Adam Kirsch, author of The Revolt Against Humanity: Imagining a Future Without Us (https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/the-revolt-against-humanity/), spoke with a diverse array of people who all agree on one thing: The future of the planet may not lie in the hands of humans. Kirsch joins host Richard Aldous to share the perspectives of those who believe in—and even embrace—just such a future. This is a public episode. If you'd like to disc...2023-03-2028 min
BookstackEpisode 96: Van Jackson on America’s Paradoxical Role in AsiaAmerican statesmen often argue that the U.S. role in Asia is indispensable to maintaining peace on the continent. Van Jackson, author of Pacific Power Paradox: American Statecraft and the Fate of the Asian Peace (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300257281/pacific-power-paradox/), counters that America has just as often been Asia’s arsonist as its savior. He joins host Richard Aldous to discuss the complex role America plays on both sides of Asian stability. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2023-03-1530 min
BookstackEpisode 95: James E. Cronin on the Reinvention of the Liberal Democratic OrderFrom the Cold War and collapse of communism to the rise of globalization and recent financial crises, James E. Cronin, author of Fragile Victory: The Making and Unmaking of Liberal Order (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300247855/fragile-victory/), posits that these events have caused a constant reinvention of a liberal order that once seemed unshakeable. Cronin joins Richard Aldous for a discussion on the emergence of a new international order in the face of the election of Trump, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Brexit, and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other s...2023-03-0131 min
BookstackEpisode 94: Shana Kushner Gadarian on Politics and the PandemicTo mask or not to mask? U.S. citizens received different messaging about the degree of the Covid-19 threat and how to respond to it depending on who they were listening to. In the end, the different choices people made largely cleaved to partisan positions. In Pandemic Politics: The Deadly Toll of Partisanship in the Age of Covid (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691218991/pandemic-politics), lead author Shana Kushner Gadarian (with Sara Wallace Goodman and Thomas B. Pepinsky) joins Richard Aldous to discuss how U.S. politics intertwined with pandemic approaches from the very beginning. This is a...2023-02-2128 min
BookstackEpisode 92: Tom Dunkel on the Germans Sabotaging the Third ReichA number of stories of individual acts of German resistance to the Nazis have come to light over the years. What is little known is that a network of individuals — from average civilians to those within the highest reaches of government and the military — coordinated efforts in a sustained attempt to undermine the Third Reich. Tom Dunkel, author of White Knights in the Black Orchestra: The Extraordinary Story of the Germans Who Resisted Hitler (https://www.hachettebooks.com/titles/tom-dunkel/white-knights-in-the-black-orchestra/9780306922176/), joins host Richard Aldous to share the stories of those risking it all in an attempt to destroy a regim...2023-02-0627 min
BookstackEpisode 91: Dan Akst on the WWII Pacifists Who Revolutionized ResistanceIn War by Other Means: The Pacifists of the Greatest Generation (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676744/war-by-other-means-by-daniel-akst/) Who Revolutionized Resistance, author Daniel Akst traces the founding of the American progressive movement back to when the United States was on the brink of war. Akst joins Richard Aldous to discuss how four unlikely real-life characters in the time of World War II—David Dellinger, Dorothy Day, Dwight MacDonald, and Bayard Rustin—created the spark that ignited the modern progressive movement This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epis...2023-01-3032 min
BookstackEpisode 90: John Lahr on How Arthur Miller Captured American LifeCatapulted into the spotlight with his marriage to Marilyn Monroe, American playwright Arthur Miller’s life had more complexity and nuance than his claim to pop culture fame. Theatre critic and author John Lahr joins Richard Aldous to talk about Miller, the subject of his latest book—the man behind 20th century masterpieces like The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, and All My Sons. Do Miller’s plays offer an exploration of timeless themes or are they just time capsules that reflect the era in which he wrote them? Lahr and Aldous explore this question and more in discussing the new bo...2023-01-2335 min
BookstackEpisode 89: William Inboden on How Reagan Kept the Cold War ColdBased on newly declassified material, The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink by William Inboden plunges readers into the uncertainty of the late Cold War when the Soviet Union’s fate was far from a fait accompli. In conversation with Richard Aldous, Inboden explores Reagan’s thinking in trying to achieve a negotiated surrender that saw both a nuclear drawdown and a peaceful end to the Soviet system. The Peacemaker avoids a hagiographic retelling of the Reagan years and asks the question–is the Republican party still the party of Reagan? This is a public...2023-01-1727 min
BookstackEpisode 88: Megan Walsh on China’s Lively Literary SceneIn The Subplot (https://www.meganwalsh.co.uk/book), Megan Walsh explores China’s diverse literary landscape, which ranges from underground comics and surrealist works to migrant-worker poetry and the less-regulated world of online fiction. She joined Richard Aldous to discuss how China’s modern literary culture offers a window into the lives of its citizens and a country grappling with shifting norms. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-12-1923 min
BookstackEpisode 87: Jacob Soll on the Ever-Changing Free MarketTo meet today’s economic challenges, a reappraisal of America’s free-market ideology might be in order. Jacob Soll, author of Free Market: The History of an Idea (https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/jacob-soll/free-market/9780465049707/), spoke with Richard Aldous about the world’s constantly evolving free-market ideologies and how they have functioned throughout different eras, from ancient Rome to today. In a work that took eight years of research to assemble, Free Market offers a lesson in history as much as critical thought. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get ac...2022-12-1230 min
BookstackEpisode 86: John A. Farrell on Ted Kennedy’s Epic, Turbulent LifeTed Kennedy’s life was buffeted by heartbreak: the violent deaths of his three older brothers, his own terrible plane crash, his children’s bouts with cancer, the hideous self-inflicted wounds of Chappaquiddick. Those wounds scarred Ted deeply but also tempered his character, and, eventually, he embarked on a run as legislator that would change America for the better. John A. Farrell joins Richard Aldous to discuss his new biography, Ted Kennedy: A Life. (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/565873/ted-kennedy-by-john-a-farrell/) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonu...2022-12-0528 min
BookstackEpisode 85: Gautam Mukunda on Choosing a Presidential CandidateWhat’s the best way to determine whether a presidential candidate is truly up to the task? Former Harvard Business School professor Gautam Mukunda joins Richard Aldous to discuss his new book, Picking Presidents: How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World. Mukunda outlines his non-partisan set of criteria for how we can evaluate if a presidential candidate would be an effective leader and why some of the worst—and best—leaders are of the “unfiltered” variety. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes...2022-11-1831 min
BookstackEpisode 84: Rita Katz on Internet-Age TerrorismMany of today’s terrorist groups don’t just use the internet, they exist almost entirely on it. What do the online origins of these movements reveal about how to stop them? Counterterrorism expert Rita Katz joined Richard Aldous to talk about her new book, Saints and Soldiers: Inside Internet-Age Terrorism, From Syria to the Capitol Siege (https://www.saintsandsoldiersbook.com), and how the online cultures of these movements—far more than their ideologies and leaders—create today’s terrorists and shape how they commit “real world” violence. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with othe...2022-11-1132 min
BookstackEpisode 80: Walter Russell Mead on the American-Israeli RelationshipWhy has Israel played such a foundational role not only in American foreign policy, but in how America sees the world? Walter Russell Mead joins host Richard Aldous to talk about his new book The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People. (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=arc+of+a+covenant&language=en_US&crid=1ZGOQGY4UEW8S&linkCode=sl2&linkId=3286f711151c99dc51d3db999dfbac32&sprefix=arc+of+a+covenant%2Caps%2C74&tag=americanpurpo-20&ref=as_li_ss_tl) This is a public episode. If you'd like...2022-09-2733 min
BookstackEpisode 79: Eleanor Herman and the Demonization of Women in PowerMisogyny in politics is as old as politics itself. But is there hope for progress? Eleanor Herman, author of Off With Her Head: Three Thousand Years of Demonizing Women in Power, joins host Richard Aldous to talk about her new book. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-09-1622 min
BookstackEpisode 78: Francesca Tripodi on Right-Wing Narratives and their Internet SuccessWhy do rightwing narratives do so well on the internet? Francesca Bolla Tripodi, assistant professor at the School of Information and Library Science at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill joins host Richard Aldous to discuss her new book, The Propagandists’ Playbook: How Conservative Elites Manipulate Search and Threaten Democracy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-09-1230 min
BookstackEpisode 77: Michael Mandelbaum on American Foreign PolicyWhat’s the future of American power look like? To answer the question, Richard Aldous asked Michael Mandelbaum, author of the new book The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy, to look at how America came to be the power it is today. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-08-2736 min
BookstackEpisode 76: Mary Ziegler on the Anti-Abortion MovementWhat’s the relationship between the fight over abortion, campaign finance reform, and the rise of Trump? Historian Mary Ziegler joins host Richard Aldous to talk about her new book Dollars for Life: The Anti-Abortion Movement and the Fall of the Republican Establishment. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-07-3033 min
BookstackEpisode 75: Jonathan Pelson on China's Dangerous Domination of 5GHow big is the threat from China really in the telecommunications space? Jonathan Pelson warns host Richard Aldous that we should not underestimate it. Read his new book Wireless Wars: China’s Dangerous Domination of 5G and How We’re Fighting Back. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-07-2232 min
BookstackEpisode 74: Ezrachi and Stucke on Big Tech’s threat to innovationIs all innovation the same? Is there such a thing as toxic disruption? And is there any cause for optimism even as tech has failed to deliver us a utopia? Ariel Ezrachi and Maurice E. Stucke join host Richard Aldous to talk about their new book, How Big Tech Barons Smash Innovation—and How To Strike Back. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-07-1539 min
BookstackEpisode 73: James Kirchick on the Hidden History of Gay WashingtonNational security, secrecy, paranoia, suicide, and the rise of modern civil rights—James Kirchick joins host Richard Aldous to talk about the untold story of the nation’s capital, and his new book Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-07-0830 min
BookstackEpisode 72: Thomas S. Kidd on Thomas JeffersonOn this Fourth of July weekend, historian Thomas S. Kidd joins host Richard Aldous to talk about the contradictions of Thomas Jefferson, as detailed in his new book Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-07-0131 min
BookstackEpisode 71: Aaron Friedberg on Getting China WrongWhat we have been doing with China has clearly not been working. How can we course-correct? Renowned Asia scholar Aaron L. Friedberg joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his excellent new book Getting China Wrong. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-06-2433 min
BookstackEpisode 70: Lev Menand on the Federal ReserveWith the Federal Reserve making bold moves this week, Lev Menand, author of the new book The Fed Unbound: Central Banking in a Time of Crisis, joins host Richard Aldous to talk about how the makers of monetary policy still need to adapt to the uncertain future. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-06-1733 min
BookstackEpisode 69: Frederic C. Hof on Obama and SyriaThis week, Ambassador Frederic C. Hof joins host Richard Aldous to talk about his wrenching experience of almost negotiating a lasting Israeli-Syrian peace, as detailed in his new book Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-06-1332 min
BookstackEpisode 68: Nelly Lahoud on the Bin Laden PapersA look into the inner life of a notorious murderer—Nelly Lahoud joins host Richard Aldous to talk about her new book, The Bin Laden Papers: How the Abbottabad Raid Revealed the Truth about Al-Qaeda, Its Leader, and His Family. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-06-0330 min
BookstackEpisode 67: Jimmy Soni on PayPal's EntrepreneursWith Elon Musk in the news, it’s a good time to look back at some recent history. Jimmy Soni joins host Richard Aldous to talk about his book The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-05-2029 min
BookstackEpisode 66: Zubok on the USSR's collapseWas the Soviet Union’s demise inevitable, and was Gorbachev the heroic reformer we remember him to have been? Vladislav M. Zubok joins host Richard Aldous to discuss the complicated legacy of the end of the Cold War, as well as his new book Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-05-1635 min
BookstackEpisode 65: Matthew Continetti on American ConservatismHow did the Republican Party end up resembling a nationalist populist movement? Matthew Continetti joins host Richard Aldous to talk through the rise and development of modern conservatism, and to discuss his new book, The Right: The Hundred Year War for American. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-05-0631 min
BookstackEpisode 64: Christine Emba on Sexual EthicsToday’s sexual ethics, meant to be liberating, seem to be instead driving a wave of dissatisfaction and unease among young people. Washington Post columnist Christine Emba joins host Richard Aldous to unpack what’s going on, and discuss her new book Rethinking Sex: A Provocation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-05-0327 min
BookstackEpisode 63: Garrett Graff's New Watergate HistoryWhy another book on Watergate? Garrett M. Graff joins host Richard Aldous to tell a wilder, weirder, darker version of the incident than we are accustomed to hearing—as detailed in his new book Watergate: A New History. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-04-2531 min
BookstackEpisode 62: Lee Siegel on Why Argument MattersWhat is the nature and value of disagreement, especially in today’s social media-infused landscape? Lee Siegel joins host Richard Aldous to talk about all this, and his new book, Why Argument Matters. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-04-0828 min
BookstackEpisode 61: Guriev and Treisman on the Tools of Today's TyrantsHow does modern authoritarianism work? Daniel Treisman joins host Richard Aldous to talk Putin, Xi, Lee Kwan Yew, and the tools of modern state control—all discussed in his new book, co-authored with Sergei Guriev, Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-04-0136 min
BookstackEpisode 60: Christopher Smith on Ukraine’s Westward EvolutionWith the Ukraine War heading into its fifth week, Christopher M. Smith joins host Richard Aldous to talk about the roots of Ukraine’s turn to the West, American policymaking at the State Department, and his new book Ukraine’s Revolt, Russia’s Revenge. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-03-2531 min
BookstackEpisode 59: Chris Armstrong on Our Vital OceansChris Armstrong joins our host Richard Aldous to talk about how existing governing institutions are failing to address one of our most important natural resources: the oceans. Listen to the conversation, and read Armstrong’s new book, A Blue New Deal: Why We Need a New Politics for the Oceans. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-03-1828 min
BookstackEpisode 58: Sebastian Mallaby on the Venture CapitalistsElon Musk once said that the future cannot be predicted, it can only be discovered. This week, Sebastian Mallaby joins host Richard Aldous to talk about innovation, technology, markets, and his new book The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-03-1425 min
BookstackEpisode 57: Dwight Chapin on the Nixon White HouseWhat’s it like to be a part of history? With the 50th anniversary of Nixon’s famous trip to China taking place this year, Dwight Chapin joins host Richard Aldous to talk about his new book, The President’s Man: Memoirs of Nixon’s Trusted Aide. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-03-0835 min
BookstackEpisode 56: A. J. Baime on Walter F. WhiteWalter F. White led two lives: one as a leader of the NAACP in the early twentieth century, and the other as a white newspaperman who covered lynching crimes in the Deep South. This week, A. J. Baime joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his new book, White Lies: The Double Life of Walter F. White and America's Darkest Secret. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-03-0124 min
BookstackEpisode 55: Iain Dale and Alvin Felzenberg on Our 45 PresidentsHappy Presidents’ Day! On the show this week, Iain Dale and Alvin Felzenberg join host Richard Aldous to talk about The Presidents: 250 Years of American Political Leadership, a collection of essays by a range of academics, historians, journalists and serving politicians, on all 45 men who have held the office over the last 250 years. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-02-1827 min
BookstackEpisode 54: Linda Hirshman on the Abolition MovementHow do we best think about the abolition movement—as a tepid first step towards righting a historic injustice or a moral breakthrough despite its flaws? Linda Hirschman joins host Richard Aldous to talk about her new book The Color of Abolition: How a Printer, a Prophet, and a Contessa Moved a Nation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-02-1628 min
BookstackEpisode 53: Peter Goodman on the Billionaires and PowerWhat to do about the billionaire class? New York Times’ Global Economics Correspondent Peter S. Goodman joins host Richard Aldous to talk about inequality and wealth centralization in the 21st century, as well as his new book, Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-02-0435 min
BookstackEpisode 52: Simms and Laderman on Hitler's American GambleWhat drove Hitler to declare war on the United States after Pearl Harbor, and what, if anything, can that fateful decision to kick off a truly world war tell us about today’s dangerous moment? Brendan Simms and Charlie Laderman join host Richard Aldous to discuss their new book, Hitler’s American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and Germany’s March to Global War. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-01-2832 min
BookstackEpisode 51: Bruce Ragsdale on Washington and SlaveryGeorge Washington was a farmer, first and foremost. Bruce A. Ragsdale joins host Richard Aldous this week to talk about what new perspectives this underexamined fact sheds on Washington as a leader, the early republic, and the role of slavery in American society. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-01-2127 min
BookstackEpisode 50: Roosevelt Montas on the Great Books' Enduring ValueWhy study the Great Books? The question is not only out of favor these days, it is rarely even asked any more. Roosevelt Montas joins host Richard Aldous for our fiftieth episode to offer a spirited defense of the tradition, and to talk about his new book, Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter For a New Generation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-01-1435 min
BookstackEpisode 49: Joseph Horowitz on Black Classical MusicHappy New Year! Why did classical music in America become and stay white? And what could be done to change that? Joseph Horowitz joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his new book, Dvorak’s Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2022-01-0732 min
BookstackEpisode 48: Jason Riley on Thomas SowellIs intellectual integrity in today’s academia possible? Jason L. Riley joins host Richard Aldous to talk about his new book on Thomas Sowell, one of America's most influential conservative thinkers. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-12-1731 min
BookstackEpisode 47: Brendan Borrell on the Race to the VaccineAs another COVID winter looms, Brendan Borrell joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his new book The First Shots, about the epic, and inspiring scientific and bureaucratic race to find a vaccine and save the world. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-12-1025 min
BookstackEpisode 46: Olivia Williams on the Savoy's Glamorous TalesThe origins of the luxury hotel and of modern theater, the start of Gilbert and Sullivan’s career, the roots of Oscar Wilde celebrity—Olivia Williams joins host Richard Aldous to discuss her new book, The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World’s Most Famous Hotel. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-12-0329 min
BookstackEpisode 45: Bruce Jones on Naval Supremacy and Today’s GeopoliticsAlfred Thayer Mahan would feel right at home in today’s geopolitical landscape: all of the great struggles of our time are playing out atop, within, and below the world’s oceans. Bruce Jones joins host Richard Aldous this week to discuss what the struggle for global supremacy might look like, as outlined in his new book, To Rule the Waves. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-11-1929 min
BookstackEpisode 44: Fiona Hill on Political DysfunctionWhat’s it really like working for Donald Trump? Fiona Hill joins host Richard Aldous to talk about her new book, There Is Nothing For You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century, her harrowing time at the White House, growing up poor in England, and the roots of our current political dysfunction. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-11-1238 min
BookstackEpisode 43: Sarotte on the Post-Cold War StalemateJust because no history is completely determined by one decision does not mean that NATO expansion in the 1990s could not have been handled better. Mary Sarotte, the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Distinguished Professor of Historical Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS joins host Richard Aldous to discuss her new book, Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-11-0931 min
BookstackEpisode 42: Parag Khanna on Societal UpheavalClimate change, pandemics, social upheaval, technological change—all these things are uprooting our modern conceptions of what a settled life can and should be. This week, Parag Khanna joins host Richard Aldous to talk about all this and his new book Move: The Forces Uprooting Us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-10-2935 min
BookstackEpisode 41: Matthew Sturgis on Oscar Wilde and Social MoresWhat does the life of Oscar Wilde tell us about #metoo and predatory celebrity culture, in Victorian England and today? More than you might imagine, and in surprising ways at that. This week, Matthew Sturgis joins host Richard Aldous to talk about his new book, Oscar Wilde: A Life, to discuss all this and more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-10-2231 min
BookstackEpisode 40: Anne-Marie Slaughter on American RenewalCan America bounce back in an era of crisis? Absolutely it can, says Anne-Marie Slaughter, as she joins our host Richard Aldous to discuss her new book Renewal: From Crisis to Transformation in Our Lives, Work, and Politics. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-10-1534 min
BookstackEpisode 39: Harold James on Political TerminologyThe importance of language cannot be overstated in today’s overheated political climate. To think through how best to navigate the language wars, Professor Harold James joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his new book The War of Words: A Glossary of Globalization. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-10-0126 min
BookstackEpisode 38: H.R. McMaster on America's Future BattlegroundsAs his most recent book Battlegrounds comes out in paperback, General H.R. McMaster joins host Richard Aldous for a whirlwind tour of the geostrategic landscape for the United States, and the challenges the country faces in sustaining its commitments abroad. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-09-2440 min
BookstackEpisode 37: Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili on Afghanistan and State-BuildingCould it all have gone differently? Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, author of the new book Land, The State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan, joins host Richard Aldous to talk about what the West repeatedly gets wrong in tackling the devilishly difficult problems of international development and democracy promotion. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-09-1731 min
BookstackEpisode 36: Toby Harnden on the CIA's Mission in AfghanistanWelcome back, dear listeners, to Season Two of Bookstack! With the twentieth anniversary of the Al Qaeda terror attacks on New York and Washington approaching this weekend, our host Richard Aldous sat down with author Toby Harnden to discuss his new book First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-09-1034 min
BookstackEpisode 35: Peter Hartcher on Australia's China ChallengeAustralia is the world’s test case for how a democratic country’s dependence on China can be turned against it. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Hartcher joins Richard Aldous to discuss exactly how this has happened in his new book, Red Zone: China’s Challenge and Australia’s Future. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-08-0236 min
BookstackEpisode 34: Firmin DeBrabander on the Internet's Threat to PrivacyIs there any hope for safeguarding privacy in the age of the internet? Firmin DeBrabander, professor of philosophy at Maryland Institute College of Art, joins Richard Aldous to discuss his book Life After Privacy: Reclaiming Democracy in a Surveillance Society. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-07-2326 min
BookstackEpisode 33: Shawna Kay Rodenberg on Growing Up in KentuckyThis week, author Shawna Kay Rodenberg joins host Richard Aldous to discuss her moving new book, Kin: A Memoir, about family, forgiveness, and growing up in Eastern Kentucky. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-07-1629 min
BookstackEpisode 32: Gillian Tett's Anthropological LensIn times of change at breakneck speeds, we need a different lens for understanding the world. Financial journalist and anthropology PhD Gillian Tett joins host Richard Aldous to discuss how we can use an anthropological lens to cope with an increasingly kaleidoscopic reality. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-07-0921 min
BookstackEpisode 31: Timothy Brennan on Edward SaidLarger-than-life figures like Edward Said often become prisoners of their own legacy. Author Timothy Brennan, a student of Said’s, joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his fascinating new biography, Places of Mind: A Life of Edward Said, a book that tries to tease out the contradictions and complications that shaped one of the most influential public intellectuals of the 20th century. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-06-2534 min
BookstackEpisode 30: Tevi Troy Looks at 70 Years of White House IntrigueWith news getting comparatively less bizarre as 2021 rolls on, presidential historian and former White House aide Tevi Troy joins host Richard Aldous to talk about the history of White House intrigue as described in his recent book, Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-06-1831 min
BookstackEpisode 29: Michael Dobbs on Nixon's Fatal FlawsRichard Nixon, an almost Shakespearean character, loomed over 20th century American history in ways that prefigure Trump. Author Michael Dobbs joins host Richard Aldous to discuss this deeply flawed individual, and his new book King Richard: Nixon and Watergate, an American Tragedy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-06-1130 min
BookstackEpisode 28: Susan Eisenhower on How Ike LedPresident Dwight D. Eisenhower was an exemplary strategic thinker. Author and policy strategist Susan Eisenhower, who happens to be one of Ike’s four grandchildren, joins host Richard Aldous to talk about her new book How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-06-0429 min
BookstackEpisode 27: Sean McMeekin's New Take on World War IIWas the Second World War really the “good war”? And are we blinded to properly assessing it by unduly focusing on the German side of the conflict? Historian Sean McMeekin joins host Richard Aldous to discuss all this, as well as his new book, Stalin’s War. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-05-2133 min
BookstackEpisode 26: Olivette Otele on the History of African EuropeansThe rich history of Africans in Europe, from the third century onwards, is understudied and under-appreciated in modern society. Olivette Otele, Professor of History of Slavery and Memory of enslavement at the University of Bristol, joins host Richard Aldous to talk about her new book, African Europeans: An Untold History. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-05-1630 min
BookstackEpisode 25: Vernon Bogdanor on Britain's Wavering Connections to EuropeIs Britain a part of Europe or not? And why didn’t a reluctant membership in the Common Market, the European Community, and ultimately the European Union ultimately lead it to accept a full European orientation?Our guest Vernon Bogdanor, professor of government at Kings College, joins host Richard Aldous to talk about his new book, Britain and Europe in a Troubled World. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-05-0738 min
BookstackEpisode 24: Stephen Walker on the First Journey Into SpaceAs the space race heats up once again, author Stephen Walker joins our host Richard Aldous to discuss his remarkable new book Beyond: The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey Into Space. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-04-3039 min
BookstackEpisode 23: Lawrence J. Haas on the Kennedys' Approach to the WorldFrom an early age, Jack, Bobby, and Ted Kennedy developed a deep understanding of the different peoples, cultures, and ideologies around the world, a keen appreciation for the challenges that such differences created for the United States, and a strong desire to reshape America’s response to them.Lawrence J. Haas joins host Richard Aldous to talk about his new book, The Kennedys in the World: How Jack, Bobby, and Ted Remade America’s Empire. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pers...2021-04-1634 min
BookstackEpisode 22: Cristina Groeger on Education and Economic DisparityFor generations, Americans have looked to education as the solution to economic disadvantage. Nevertheless, today the gap between rich and poor is widening. This week, Cristina Groeger joins Richard Aldous to talk about her new book, The Education Trap: Schools and the Remaking of Inequality in Boston, and discusses how education came to be seen as a panacea even as it paved the way for deepening inequality. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-04-0937 min
BookstackEpisode 21: Paula Marantz Cohen on Shakespeare and EmpathyIn a time of division, difference, and cancel culture, what can we learn from Shakespeare (who himself has been caught in the crossfire of today’s culture wars)?On today’s episode, author Paula Marantz Cohen joins host Richard Aldous to discuss all this, as well as her new book Of Human Kindness: What Shakespeare Teaches Us About Empathy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-04-0230 min
BookstackEpisode 20: Roya Hakakian's Immigrant Guide to AmericaRoya Hakakian joins host Richard Aldous to talk about her new book A Beginner’s Guide to America. Moved to write the book amid the uproar over immigration kicked off during the Trump presidency, she talks about her own experiences as a new immigrant from Iran, the challenges and rewards of adapting to a new country, and the difficulties of leaving the familiarity of home behind. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-03-2638 min
BookstackEpisode 19: Ritchie Robertson on the Enlightenment, 1680-1790Enlightenment thinking across Europe addressed the full breadth of human experience. From the nature of beauty to practical improvements in administering prisons, the array of viewpoints and subjects stretches well beyond today’s shorthands for the era.Ritchie Robertson joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his new book, The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness 1680-1790. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-03-1933 min
BookstackEpisode 18: Richard Thompson Ford on Fashion, Law, and Social ChangeFashion matters. Clothes both tell a story about power, prestige, and privilege, and can serve as important means of critiquing and subverting these very same things.Richard Thompson Ford joins host Richard Aldous to discuss all this, along with his new book, Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-03-0527 min
BookstackEpisode 17: R. James Breiding on Small-Nation SuccessWhy is it that some small countries do so well at tackling large, difficult problems that trip up their larger competitors?R. James Breiding joins host Richard Aldous to discuss his new book Too Small To Fail: Why Some Small Nations Outperform Larger Ones and How They Are Reshaping the World. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-02-2636 min
BookstackEpisode 15: Robert D. Kaplan on Humanitarian Bob GersonyAn unassuming high-school dropout, the son of Holocaust survivors, Bob Gersony became the U.S. government’s most intrepid researcher and reporter, a humanitarian icon who never lost sight of the importance of reconciling values with national interests.Bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan joins Richard Aldous to discuss human rights, activism, realism, and his new book, The Good American: The Epic Life of Bob Gersony, the U.S. Government’s Greatest Humanitarian. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe2021-02-1233 min