Imagine an alternate universe in which the American Revolution fails or where Russia rejects Leninism in its infant stage.

Live from the Hoover Institution’s Fall Retreat, Lord Andrew Roberts, renowned historian and the Hoover Institution’s Bonnie and Tom McCloskey Distinguished Visiting Fellow, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss various historical counterfactuals, including British forces winning the pivotal Battle of Saratoga in 1777; Vladimir Lenin being assassinated before Communism takes root in Russia; John F. Kennedy surviving his motorcade through Dallas; plus China rejecting economic reforms and instead refashioning itself as a second North Korea.

Recorded on October 17, 2024.

Why has Israel repeatedly disregarded and gone the opposite way from the White House’s entreaties regarding the Middle East? And does the West fully fathom that Ukraine is losing its war of attrition with Russia?

Walter Russell Mead, “Global View” columnist for the Wall Street Journal, joins Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, John Cochrane, and H.R. McMaster to discuss the latest developments in those two combat theaters. Next, the fellows choose policies they feel have gone neglected in America’s presidential election, weigh in on one pundit’s assessment that the US is headed for “the greatest mental health crisis in the history of the country” should Donald Trump prevail, and reflect on the passing of Grateful Dead founding member Phil Lesh.

Recorded on October 28, 2024.

Hot-wiring pagers and walkie-talkies to take out Hezbollah operatives: Was Israel’s tactic—like something from an Ian Fleming novel—a justifiable act of national security or a violation of international law?

Victor Davis Hanson, the Hoover Institution’s Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow and a military historian and classicist, joins GoodFellows regulars John Cochrane and H.R. McMaster to discuss the latest in the Middle East, as well as whether it was wise for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to tour a munitions factory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on the verge of America’s national election. Next, the three Baby Boomer panelists reflect on their generation’s legacy, plus which singer deserves a statue in the US Capitol alongside country music legend Johnny Cash.

Recorded on September 24, 2024.

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