In the Arena

This Authors & Insights event features Council on Foreign Relations Distinguished Fellow Martin Indyk and Foreign Policy columnist Elise Labott. They discuss Indyk’s new book “Master of the Game: Henry Kissinger and the Art of Middle East Diplomacy,” a look at how America’s foremost statesman reshaped America’s foreign policy for generations to come.

Author, journalist and humanitarian Tara Kangarlou joined Gray Television White House Correspondent and McCain Institute media fellow Jon Decker for a discussion of her book “The Heartbeat of Iran: Real Voices of a Country and Its People” in the in the latest installment of the McCain Institute’s Authors & Insights Book Talk Series.

Join the McCain Institute for International Leadeship as it premieres a new series of one-on-one conversations with Former Secretary of Defense and the Army and John McCain Distinguished Fellow Mark T. Esper. In this first intstallment, Sec. Esper sits down with Former Prime Minister & Foreign Minster of Sweden and Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations Carl Bildt as they discuss President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe.

Anduril Industries head of strategy and former Senate Armed Services staff director Chris Brose joined McCain Institute non resident senior fellow Nick Rasmussen for a discussion of his book “Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare” in the in the latest installment of the McCain Institute’s Authors & Insights Book Talk Series. Watch or listen to the entire event below. You can also tune into the audio-only podcast version of the event via iTunes or Spotify.

From the 2021 Sedona Forum, UN Human Rights Council Special Envoy Angelina Jolie, Chobani Founder & CEO Hamdi Ulukaya joined Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) to discuss how the public and private sectors can do more to help refugees and those in need around the world. Human rights activist and Founder of the Women Peace Network Wai Wai Nu gives the introduction.

McCain Institute Board of Trustees Chair Cindy McCain joined McCain Institute Executive Chairman Ambassador Josette Sheeran for a discussion of her new book “Stronger: Courage, Hope, & Humor in My Life with John McCain,” in the in the latest installment of the McCain Institute’s Authors & Insights Book Talk Series.

Washington Post Foreign Policy Columnist and CNN Political Analyst Josh Rogin joined Ambassador Mark Green to discuss his new book, “Chaos Under Heaven: America, China and the Battle for the 21st Century,” in the latest installment of the McCain Institute’s Authors & Insights Book Talk Series. As one of America’s preeminent foreign policy journalists, Rogin has covered the U.S.-China relationship from both sides of the Pacific and uses that experience to take a deep look at the past and future of this critical great power relationship. Watch or listen to the entire event below. You can also tune into the audio-only podcast version of the event via iTunes or Spotify.

Authors Peter Baker and Susan Glasser joined Ambassador Mark Green to discuss their newest book “The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III,” at the 2021 State of the World Conference (hosted by the McCain Institute and Florida International University) for a special edition of the McCain Institute Authors & Insights Book Talk Series. The book is a look at former Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury and White House Chief of Staff James Baker (no relation to Peter) and how he transformed Washington, D.C.

John McCain, from POW to “straight talking senator,” was a hero to millions of people around the world. But what was he like when the camera lights were off and business had to get done? “The Luckiest Man: Life with John McCain” – a deeply personal and candid memoir of working for Sen. McCain by his longtime advisor, coauthor and friend Mark Salter – seeks to answer that question. The result is a moving portrait of one of America’s most impactful public servants and the latest installment in the McCain Institute’s successful Authors & Insights virtual book talk series. On October 20, Salter discussed his latest work with McCain Institute Trustee and former U.S. Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, another longtime McCain friend.

As a professor, author, international democracy organization chair, U.N. ambassador – not to mention America’s 64th secretary of state and highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government at that time – Madeleine Albright has played a role in nearly every major foreign policy debate of our time. Along the way, she’s learned lessons, gained insights and managed to keep her sense of humor. On September 16, Albright discussed her latest book, “Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st Century Memoir,” with McCain Institute Executive Director Mark Green. The discussion was the second installment of the Institute’s Authors & Insights Book Talk Series, which examines America’s challenges and authors’ insights on how to meet them.

Carl Gershman, founding leader of the National Endowment for Democracy, brings you right up to date on the current state of democracy in the U.S., and around the world, to include some bright spots. Guest hosted by Paul Fagan, McCain Institute program director for Human Rights & Democracy.

In the first edition of the McCain Institute’s Authors & Insights event series, former World Bank President Robert Zoellick joined Ambassador Mark Green to discuss his newest book, “America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy.” Having served as deputy secretary of state and U.S. trade representative throughout his career, Zoellick has had unique and consistent insight into American decision-making in the foreign policy arena and can speak to what the country’s future aspirations should be. Watch the entire event below or tune into the audio-only podcast version of the event via iTunes or Soundcloud. Episode Highlights Why He Wrote the Book “I decided it would have been an overwhelming task to write a full comprehensive history, and it probably would have been less readable; I partly designed this for people who enjoy biographies as John McCain enjoyed biographies because I think people are the way you bring these stories to life, but as you know, Mark, for each person, it tried to associate with an episode or a brief era of issues, as well as an idea. So I try to associate Hamilton with economic statecraft; for Jefferson, it’s the future because of his view; for John Quincy Adams, it’s sort of American realism. So I try to come up with a menu if you would like of ideas that I think people thinking about foreign policy today could look at and say, ‘Oh yes, how does that one show up here.’” Roosevelt’s Behind the Scenes Foreign Policy “If you think about Teddy Roosevelt, we often associate him as the lieutenant colonel who went up San Juan Hill and the great white fleet. Indeed, if you go to the Roosevelt Room today, you’ll see this picture of Colonel Roosevelt on a steering horse – this is in the west wing of the white house – but below it is the Nobel Peace Prize. And he won that Nobel Peace Prize in 1905-1906 for mediating the Russo-Japanese war. And that’s interesting because one often thinks of him in terms of his bully impression; he used that discipline as a mediator extraordinarily effectively and this was at a time the U.S. didn’t really have a diplomatic service, so part of what Roosevelt does is he enlists the support of the German and the French ambassadors to the United States, a groomsman who was a British diplomat serving in St. Petersburg. They want to work with him because they can see he’s a guy who gets things done.” The Importance of Geographical Allies “I believe that a strong continental base – 500 million people, three democracies working together that will also help the United States engage with problems around the world – puts 1.3 billion people in China in a different perspective.” Impact of Senator McCain on U.S. Foreign Policy “Throughout American history, there are key members of Congress – often in the Senate, but sometimes, as you know, in the House – who sort of step up and play a role in this. And of course, I was thinking about Senator McCain in this. When I worked with Senator McCain in the 90s – this was in the Clinton Administration – he played a key role in the opening to Vietnam; he played a key role in building Republican support for the military and peace efforts in the Balkans; he clearly mentored a generation or more of members of Congress at the Munich Security Conference, Singapore and others.” For more candid conversations on the “In The Arena” podcast, please subscribe on iTunes or Soundcloud.

About the episode Mike Gallagher is a 2nd term U.S. Congressman representing the Green Bay area of Wisconsin.  He’s a former Marine Officer and decorated Iraq War veteran who has become a leading voice in foreign policy, on China in particular.  He’s a Princeton graduate with a doctorate in international relations from Georgetown. He joins host Luke Knittig for a discussion on his proposed legislation to provide Hong Kongers special refugee statue, how he views  US-China relations as a cold war, the state of American democracy and much more. Episode highlights ON EMERGENCY LEGISLATION FOR HONG KONG “With a potential Tiananmen Square-like purge looming in Hong Kong I think the free world needs to step up and save as many Hong Kongers as possible.” ON COUNTERING THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY (CCP) “At the end of the day I think the only way we win this long-term competition with the CCP is if we’re working hand-in-hand with our allies around the world.” ON McCAIN & REAGAN LEGACY OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN FOREIGN POLICY “The idea that we need to put human rights at the forefront of our foreign policy and that by leveraging our values we can actually have an outsized effect on the world… that is something I learned from Senator John McCain.” ON THE CHINA TASK FORCE IN CONGRESS  “This doesn’t have to be a partisan thing.  Figuring out how we smartly push back against the CCP’s aggression, figuring out how we protect human rights, how we protect our economy, how we protect our allies in the Indo Pacific.” ON AMERICAN DEMOCRACY “We need to spend as much if not more time understanding and appreciating what is exceptional about America… what are the enduring sources of our strength because ultimately that’s how we’re going to win.” For more candid conversations on the “In The Arena” podcast, please subscribe on iTunes or Soundcloud.

A Bond special, not with James but Bruce, hear how this top tech exec turned non-profit CEO advances mitigating incivility & polarization as the solution to fighting the coronavirus and seeking common ground to heal our democracy. For more candid conversations on the “In The Arena” podcast, please subscribe on iTunes or Soundcloud.