Historian Andrew Roberts is joined by former U.S. Secretary of State and current Director of the Hoover Institution Condoleezza Rice for a dive deep into today’s international hotspots—including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising tensions with China over Taiwan, and the complex relationships between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Their discussion also covers how leaders draw lessons from history, what might tip the world into a new Cold War, and how nations might address these evolving challenges. Director Rice also gives her thoughts on the rapid rise of artificial intelligence— which includes her recommended read, The Worlds I See by Fei-Fei Li, the Founding Co-Director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute.

The Canadian businessman and peer Conrad Black has published the second volume of his political and strategic history of the world, from 14AD to 1648, and it’s a corker.

Sir Niall Ferguson on time travel, Trump bombing Iran, historical counterfactuals, Doctor Who, The Time Lord, using the past to help the present and future, the University of Austin’s revolutionary experiment, ChatGPT, and God possibly helping to split the atom.

British historian Tim Bouverie discusses the knotty diplomatic dilemmas faced by Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin.

Caroline Stanley, Countess of Derby, is an English aristocrat, art historian, and philanthropist. Affectionately known as “Cazzy,” she is married to Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby, and serves as the chatelaine of Knowsley Hall, the ancestral seat of the Stanley family in Merseyside. In this conversation, which also delves into topics ranging from medieval politics to family connections with William Shakespeare, she primarily discusses her edition of the remarkable travel journals of the 14th Earl of Derby, who travelled extensively in North America in 1824-25.

In this unique return visit to Secrets of Statecraft, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens discusses why defending Ukraine is in America’s interest, and reflects on the perils of Western flirtation with authoritarian figures.

Recorded on May 16, 2025.

A new book, U.S. Defense Policy toward Israel: A Cold War History, takes on the revisionists over what happened in the Cold War.

Recorded on April 16, 205.

Mitch Daniels is the former Director of the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan, the former Governor of Indiana, and the former President of Purdue University. He discusses his life, his influences, and his passion for hogs (of the Harley-Davidson variety).

Recorded on March 21, 2025.