Understanding Our New World

A virtual series of hour-long interviews I created in 2020, sponsored by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. It has been a privilege to speak with dozens of leaders who practice, represent, and study statesmanship in government, diplomacy, and academia.

You can watch any of my more than 90 discussions with historians, political analysts, and government and private sector leaders by clicking the names below or viewing the full playlist here.

American Statesmanship

William Burns, former President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, CIA Director
John Danforth, former U.S. Senator (R-MO)
Michelle Howard, retired U.S. Navy Four-Star Admiral
Don McHenry, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Leon Panetta, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, former CIA Director
Adam Schiff, U.S. Congressman (D-CA), former Chair of the House Intelligence Committee

International Statesmanship

Jorge Castañeda, former Foreign Minister of Mexico
Jan Eliasson, former United Nations Deputy Secretary-General
Gareth Evans, former Foreign Minister of Australia
Karin Olofsdotter, former Swedish Ambassador to the United States
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland

Academic Statesmanship

Drew Gilpin Faust, former President, Harvard University
Louise Richardson, former Vice Chancellor, Oxford University and University of St. Andrews
Brian Rosenberg, former President, Macalester College
Ruth Simmons, former President, Smith College and Brown University

Statesmanship Scholars

Andrew Bacevich, President, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Barbara Bodine, Director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University
Eliot Cohen, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Evelyn Farkas, Executive Director, McCain Institute
John Lewis Gaddis, Yale University, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Biographer
Richard Haass, President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations
John Hamre, President and CEO, Center for Strategic and International Studies
David Kennedy, Stanford University, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian
Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, Editor, Foreign Affairs
Fred Logevall, Harvard University, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Historian
Margaret MacMillan, Oxford University
Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America
Philip Taubman, Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation

Download Understanding Our New World Brochure

PRAISE

“Thank you, John, especially for your own careful preparation, which certainly doesn’t always happen in these zoomed conversations.”
—John Gaddis, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, professor at Yale University

“I’ve done a lot of podcasts, webinars, and other appearances in recent months. Your questions were the best and your congenial style provided the impetus for a lively and informative conversation.”
—Philip Taubman, author, lecturer at Stanford University
“The questions were wonderful, and I think you knew more about my writing than I do. A real pleasure.”
—Eliot Cohen, Center for Strategic and International Studies

“Thanks John. You sure did your homework, and it was a pleasure to talk to you. We certainly covered a lot of ground.”
—Gareth Evans, former Foreign Minister of Australia