Matters of Policy & Politics

The North Korean Conundrum

Recorded on September 26, 2017 After nearly a quarter of a century of the same approach—diplomacy, sanctions, and concessions—the United States seems out of policy options other than a military solution with regard to North Korea . Michael Auslin, Hoover’s inaugural Williams-Griffis Fellow in Contemporary Asia, discusses what scenarios may unfold on the Korean peninsula as well as the possibility of nuclear engagement and nuclear accidents. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 42:06)

The Trump Administration’s Peacemaking Strategy in Israel

Recorded on September 13, 2017 “In Israel, in order to be a realist . . . you have to believe in miracles,” observed the late David Ben-Gurion. Peter Berkowitz, the Hoover Institution’s Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow and an expert on Israeli affairs, assesses the Trump administration’s peacemaking strategy, which includes deploying Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and taking into account Prime Minister Netanyahu’s fragile political health. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 46:19)

A House Divided – Can the Conservatives Come Together?

An irony of Donald Trump: in the process of besting Hillary Clinton, he also divided conservatives into three camps. So contends Tevi Troy, a best-selling author and political analyst who worries about the lack of an intellectual presence in the current White House. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 47:35)

A Better Strategy for the Next Natural Disaster in Light of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

Americans watched with forlorn fascination as devastating hurricanes laid waste to stretches of Florida and Texas. Hoover research fellow Alice Hill explains how the nation can better prepare for future natural disasters. The key word is “resilience.” Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 40:30)

A View from across the Aisle

Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat from Silicon Valley and vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, discusses the feasibility of re-creating the technology economy in other parts of the United States. Is there room for working with the Trump administration, or are his fellow Democrats preoccupied by Russia and impeachment talk? Like Area 45? Please rate, review, and subscribe now! (Playing time: 50:48)

School of Public Opinion: K–12 Schools in the United States

Recorded on July 24, 2017 With schools in session across the country, Hoover senior fellow Paul Peterson details this year’s survey of American education by Education Next. Among the more notable results: teachers are wary of their colleagues’ performance; parents are increasingly dissatisfied with charter schools. Like Area 45? Please rate, review, and subscribe now! (Playing time: 42:03)

President Trump Rolls Past 200 Days

Where does President Trump stand in the opinion polls now that his second hundred days in office are complete? David Brady and Doug Rivers, both Hoover senior fellows and Stanford political scientists, reveal data showing where Republicans and independents stand on this presidency and what if any effect developing news in Charlottesville and North Korea might have on Trump’s popularity. Like Area 45? Please rate, review, and subscribe now! (Playing time: 48:12)

The Divided States of America

Recorded on July 26, 2017 So many of the presumptions going into the November election–Donald Trump swamped by a tidal wave of vengeful women, minorities, and progressives – didn’t pan out. Why? Morris Fiorina, a Hoover Institution senior fellow and Stanford University political scientist, sees a divide: not between red and blue states but between the cultural elites (journalists and academics) and nonelites (the voting public). Like Area 45? Please rate, review, and subscribe now! (Playing time: 37:55)

Discovering America One Day at a Time

Recorded on July 20, 2017 How do you remedy Americans’ lack of historical knowledge? By picking up a copy of On This Date–from the Pilgrims to Today, Discovering America One Day At a Time. The book’s author, Carl Cannon, is the Real Clear Politics Washington bureau chief and Hoover media fellow. In the book he reflects on his favorite calendar dates and the current state of relations between the Trump White House and the DC press establishment. Like Area 45? Please rate, review, and subscribe now! (Playing time: 47:00)

Is the Legislative Branch Broken?

Recorded on July 19, 2017 Six months into the Trump presidency the GOP Congress struggles with the promise of swift and dramatic reforms. Kevin Kosar, the R Street Institute’s vice president of policy and a ten-year veteran of Capitol Hill, discusses how the legislative branch became the weakest of government’s limbs. Like Area 45? Please rate, review, and subscribe now! (Playing time: 47:48)