Q & A, Hosted by Jay Nordlinger

Loujain al-Hathloul is a Saudi political prisoner. She has campaigned for women’s rights: the right to drive; the right to live an independent life, without male guardianship; the right to be free of domestic abuse. In prison, she has been tortured. Her family stayed silent for eight months, thinking that was the right strategy. But then they decided to speak out. Loujain’s brother Walid is doing....

From Jay Nordlinger’s introduction: “Three years ago, Thae Yong-ho defected to South Korea. At the time, he was North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom. He is one of the highest-ranking North Koreans ever to defect. To defect from North Korea is no light thing, to put it as mildly as possible. “I spoke to Thae Yong-ho at the Oslo Freedom Forum, the annual human-rights gathering held....

Zeid Raad al-Hussein is a Jordanian prince and a distinguished diplomat. He was U.N. high commissioner for human rights. Before that, he was his country’s ambassador to the U.N. and the United States. With Jay he talks about his life, the U.N., human rights, and dark places around the globe. An extraordinary interviewee. Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscrib...

Esther Htusan comes from Burma – or is it Myanmar? That is the first thing discussed in this “Q&A.” Esther Htusan is a journalist who has been forced out of her country. She reported on the persecution of the country’s minorities, especially the Rohingyas. She was part of an Associated Press team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016. The country is now led by one of the great democracy heroes o...

Mahan Esfahani is a musician, and an unusual one. He’s not a pianist, violinist, cellist, or even a tuba player: He is a harpsichordist. Jay talks with him about his life and his instrument. William F. Buckley Jr., a devotee of the harpsichord his entire life, would have loved this. Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Diego Arria is a Venezuelan with broad experience – particularly in politics and diplomacy. For instance, he was Venezuela’s ambassador to the U.N. Later, he was a U.N. official, an assistant secretary-general. With Jay, he discusses the latest out of his country: the push for democracy and the furious resistance of the dictatorship. He talks about the young people leading the opposition: Juan......

“Q&A” is a sportscast this time – but it begins with “Game of Thrones,” a topic on America’s mind. Jay’s regular gurus, David French and Vivek Dave, are joined by Sally Jenkins, the renowned columnist for the Washington Post. They talk about the Kentucky Derby – a travesty? NCAA basketball (also a travesty, as well as a joy?). Tiger Woods at the White House. Other athletes at the White House.....

Anne-Elisabeth Moutet is a journalist, a whiz, and a joy. She writes in both French and English. And today she talks with Jay (in English!) about Notre Dame, the “yellow jacket” movement, anti-Semitism, assimilation, and more. They conclude their discussion on an American note: Do Americans — conservatives in particular — give France an unfair shake? If you don’t know Anne-Elisabeth Moutet... Sour...

Retirement does not suit Thomas Sowell. He is working away. He tells Jay he wants to die with his boots on. He does enjoy freedom from his syndicated column, however. It means he does not have to keep up with the news as much. His latest book is a revised, expanded version of “Discrimination and Disparities.” As Jay says (and Sowell agrees), he likes to write books that address and correct public....

Last week, Jay took a road trip with Kevin Williamson, from Dallas to Rockdale, a town in Milam County, Texas. They went to Rockdale to see a newspaper editor, with whom they did a podcast. But on the way there, they did a podcast themselves: in which Jay asked Kevin about Texas, America, and the rhythms of life. Go along for the ride – it’s a good conversation, offering much food for thought... S...

Carly Fiorina is an experienced person with much to say. She says some of it in a new book: “ Find Your Way.” Jay talks with her about this, and about the American scene today: free enterprise; character in office; immigration; the U.S. role in the world; etc. There is also a look-back to the 2016 presidential campaign. A very impressive person, Carly Fiorina, and a superb conversationalist. Sourc...

Donald Kagan is someone you can learn from. Many have, over the years. Also, he is a delight to talk to, and listen to. He is an eminent scholar, an eminent classicist – an expert on ancient Greece. He also knows sports and many another subject. Jay talks with him about his upbringing in Brooklyn, his education, the state of the campus, the meaning of conservatism, the fate of America … Source Get...

Sally Jenkins is a sports columnist for the Washington Post, and one of the outstanding sportswriters in the entire country. Her father, Dan Jenkins, passed away earlier this month. She wrote a column about him, here. Jay says that it is one of the best columns he has ever read, on any subject. Dan Jenkins worked for Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, and other publications, and wrote a string of......

Arthur Brooks is one of the luminaries of the conservative world. An economist and public-policy analyst, he is the longtime president of the American Enterprise Institute. He will soon decamp for Harvard. His latest book is “Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt.” He and Jay talk about this, and related subjects. And not-necessarily-related subjects......

Bjorn Ihler is an expert on counter-extremism and he works for peace, human rights, and mutual Bjorn Ihler understanding. He had a highly, highly unusual experience eight years ago: He survived the horrendous massacre in Norway, in which 77 people were killed. Today, he talks with Jay about the massacre in New Zealand. He has plenty to say, as you can imagine. There are parallels between the two.....

David Luhnow is the Latin America bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal – and one of Jay’s favorite journalists. Luhnow is immensely knowledgeable, and he imparts his knowledge in clear, balanced terms. Though an American, he was born and raised in Mexico. His brother Jeff has an interesting job, and he’s very good at it: general manager of the Houston Astros. David and Jay start out by talking....

All eyes are on Venezuela — to the extent they’re on Latin America at all. But spare a glance for Nicaragua. The Nicaraguans are going through hell right now as the dictator, Daniel Ortega, has cracked down hard. He has made a special villain out of Felix Maradiaga — Jay’s guest on this “Q&A.” The regime has good reason to fear and hate Maradiaga: He is a bold and thoughtful advocate of democr...

Asma Khalifa is a young woman from Libya — a Berber. She is also a human-rights activist and democracy leader. She is one of Jay’s favorite people. He says he considers her a heroine. Jay recorded this “Q&A” with her in Mexico City, where she was participating in a meeting of the Oslo Freedom Forum. During the Libyan Civil War, she sided with the rebels, against Qaddafi. She volunteered to be...

Madeleine Kearns is a young journalist from Scotland. She works at National Review. She has recently been on an unusual beat: transgenderism as it relates to children. She has written, “… some American children are on irreversible cross-sex hormones as young as 12 and have double mastectomies as young as 13.” When you hear about these cases, she says, you want to ask, “Is this really happening?”.....

In an earlier episode, Jay talked with Charles Hill. Now he talks with another Grand Strategist at Yale, Professor John Lewis Gaddis, who is best known for Cold War history. His biography of George F. Kennan won the Pulitzer Prize. Jay talks with him about Kennan, of course — and about Paul Nitze and many another Cold War figure. They also talk about figures more recent, including George W. Bush....

Jay’s guest is a legendary teacher at Yale University: Charles Hill, a retired Foreign Service officer and a diplomat-in-residence, among other things, at Yale. He is especially known for Grand Strategy. In previous times, he was an aide to Kissinger, Shultz, and, at the United Nations, Boutros-Ghali. With Jay, he talks about his upbringing in New Jersey, his life in the arena, his career in the.....

Jay does a sportscast — but with a twist at the end: a discussion of Star Wars, Star Trek, etc., with two experts on the subject: David French and Sopan Deb. David is one of Jay’s regular sports gurus, and so is Vivek Dave. They are both present. Sopan is a ringer, a guest guru: a writer for the New York Times, a stand-up comedian, a musician, and more. The gang talks about the NBA... Source Get f...

Otto Reich is a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela. He’s also one of Jay’s favorite people. They talk about the current crisis: where it stands, how it developed, and what might happen next. Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Eric Edelman is one of our top diplomats (retired though he may be) and one of our top foreign-policy thinkers. In a long career, he was ambassador to Finland and ambassador to Turkey. Before that, he was an assistant to George P. Shultz. Some years before that, he was a doctoral student at Yale, writing about post-war Italy. Jay reviews some pressing concerns with him, past and present... Source...

Megha Rajagopalan is a foreign correspondent for BuzzFeed News. She is one of Jay’s favorite reporters. She grew up in Maryland, and for years reported from China. She is now in the Middle East. She and Jay talk mainly about China: the pleasures and perils of reporting from there; the mass round-up of the Uyghurs; the ability of ordinary Chinese to find out the truth about their country; and so on...