GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics

Former president Donald Trump faces at least four criminal trials that could overshadow the Republicans’ presidential nominating process—and maybe fatally wound him in a general election—while a legal cloud hangs over President Biden due to an ongoing investigation into his son’s business affairs. Andrew McCarthy, a National Review contributing editor and former federal prosecutor, joins Hoover se...

On the 78th anniversary of the only wartime use of nuclear weapons, is the human race at another moral crossroads, fearing what artificial intelligence (AI) breakthroughs might unleash? Fei-Fei Li, co-director of Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered AI, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss AI’s promise and peril, followed by the thre...

This week, the self-moderating GoodFellows (Bill Whalen is on vacation) ponder why the much predicted recession hasn’t materialized—at least not yet. The Fellows also discuss the national security implications of a recession and why some economists may be a little too optimistic about economic conditions in the near future. Then, we check back in on the war in Ukraine and close with some thoughts...

A tumultuous 24 hours in Russia—ordinarily pro-Russia armed mercenaries marching on Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s whereabouts unknown—reveals the fragility of that wartime autocracy. Dmitri Alperovitch, founder of the Washington, DC–based think tank Silverado Policy Accelerator and host of the Geopolitics Decanted podcast, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson and H.R. McMaster to discuss the reas...

California weighs reparations for slavery’s descendants as America approaches the three-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd—a Black man killed by a White police officer—in Minneapolis. Coleman Hughes , a columnist and podcaster who specializes in issues related to race and public policy, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson and H.R. McMaster to discuss the legacy of Floyd’s death,...

Does the Shakespearean adage “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown” still apply to today’s United Kingdom? British author and journalist Douglas Murray joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and John Cochrane to discuss King Charles III’s coronation and the monarch’s relevancy in modern times, plus the fragile state of the West given unbalanced alliances, threats to free mar...

Is artificial intelligence a global killer or an emerging technology which, if properly harnessed, can improve mankind? And what’s the significance of a low-level National Guard member being able to expose US military secrets? Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster, and John Cochrane discuss the promise and perils of ever-improving AI and what if any damage came from the so-called “Ge...

In this second installment of audience questions, viewers and listeners from nearly three dozen nations spanning six continents ask Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster and John Cochrane about the durability of America’s “empire,” Putin’s war crimes, Henry Kissinger’s worldview, and the future of Western universities. Preceding all of that: an on-the-ground report from Cochrane in...

The first of two episodes devoted solely to questions from the audience—viewers and listeners from nearly three dozen nations spanning six continents—who ask Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane whether a protracted war favors Russia or Ukraine; what is China’s geopolitical interest in the conflict; what are financial risks associated with Silicon Valley Bank’s t...

What do long-term demographic trends suggest about the world moving forward? American Enterprise Institute fellow Nicholas Eberstadt joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane for a conversation about shifting populations and societal behavior, followed by the three “GoodFellows” addressing the fallout from Silicon Valley Bank’s implosion and All Quiet on the Wes...

While erratic weather and apocalyptic prophecies keep climate change in the headlines, a set of arguably more pressing global concerns goes less noticed. Bjorn Lomborg, a Hoover visiting fellow and president of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, discusses what his cost-benefit analysis says about curbing HIV/AIDS, malaria, and hunger, and the role of free trade and economic development in improving...

A Chinese “civilian airship” wafts across the US heartland. Vladimir Putin ramps up the saber-rattling as the one-year anniversary of his Ukraine invasion nears. And could a single platinum coin be America’s debt elixir? Victor Davis Hanson, the Hoover Institution’s Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane to discuss “ey...

GoodFellows celebrates its 100th episode with Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane reflecting on social, economic, and geopolitical lessons learned since their first conversation nearly three years ago. Also debated: the merits of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the spectacle of climate-change bloviation, plus the strategic implications of sending American hea...

Is the United States in a new “cold war” with China, and if so, what steps should be taken to get the attention of the government in Beijing (a military buildup? banning TikTok in the US)? Wisconsin congressman Mike Gallagher, chair of the newly created House Select Committee on China, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane for a look at US-Sino relations.

What did the GoodFellows learn in 2022, and what do they anticipate for 2023? Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane reflect on the war in Ukraine, cryptocurrency’s fall and inflation’s rise, ChatGPT’s upending of essay writing and other academic pursuits, plus whether Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter could prove to be his undoing—much like that of a 19th-century Fr...

A post-holiday Goodfellows features the panelists bringing their own curiosities to the table. Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane discuss China’s COVID-restriction protests and restoring academic freedom of college campuses. Plus two “Goodfellows” weigh in with differing views on American “football” vs. the more global “futbal.”  

A week after America’s midterm election, Washington faces the prospect of divided government for the next two years. Kimberly Strassel, the Wall Street Journal’s “Potomac Watch” columnist, joins Hoover senior fellows H. R. McMaster and John Cochrane for a reading of the midterm tea leaves and thoughts on what comes next in terms of congressional agendas, the war in Ukraine, the future oversight of...

A world where artificial intelligence completes your work and thoughts? And what’s the wiser bet: “short Meta” or “long Twitter”? Tyler Cowen, a George Mason University economist and coauthor of the Marginal Revolution blog, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson and John Cochrane to discuss whether technological advancements will improve the human condition.  

Can China’s current authoritarian model hold without destroying its economy, and what’s the near-term outlook for the war in Ukraine? Stephen Kotkin, the Hoover Institution’s Kleinheinz Senior Fellow and an authority on geopolitics and authoritarian regimes (and a Joe Pesci soundalike) joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane to discuss the latest in Xi Jinping...

With the US election approaching and apparently tilting Republicans’ way, the question is: What to do with their newfound power on Capitol Hill? Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane discuss how a 118th Congress under new management might address aid to Ukraine, the China “Cold War 2.0” dilemma, plus America’s economic, energy, and health concerns.  

Recorded on October 18, 2022 The British prime minister’s days seem numbered (yet again), as might those of Iran’s theocracy—and what to make of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s growing cult of personality? In a “bring your own topic” edition of GoodFellows, Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane discuss these worldly matters as well the coming clash between a wintry...

Is history repeating itself, with America reliving the political rancor and upheaval of the late 19th-century Gilded Age? Karl Rove, political strategist and the “architect” of George W. Bush’s presidential campaigns, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane to discuss the impact of economics, world events, and cultural concerns on this year’s midterm vote.  

Britain’s new prime minister unveils a tax-cutting Rx for her ailing nation; Italy’s choice of a hard-right prime minister sends the media into a “fascist” tizzy; Iranians take to the street to protest a woman’s being killed after arrested for breaking that theocracy’s hijab law; and Vladimir Putin insists he’s “not bluffing” in threatening to go nuclear in Ukraine. Hoover senior fellows Niall Fer...

This week’s episode is devoted to audience questions – viewers and listeners from nearly thirty nations spanning six continents asking Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H.R. McMaster and John Cochrane for their thoughts on the war in Ukraine, future Napoleons, plus where they turn to for intellectual inspiration.

GoodFellows presents an abbreviated episode, with Hoover senior fellow Niall Ferguson on the ground in Ukraine (but not sporting an olive-green tee) as he joins senior fellow John Cochrane to discuss the war’s progress, the outlook for Zelenskyy and Putin, plus what the future holds for Britain’s national identity and the House of Windsor in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. Recorded...