Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says progress was made during a meeting Sunday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Markos Kounalakis, foreign affairs columnist for McClatchy News, joins CBSN's Elaine Quijano to discuss Pompeo's visit.

Western countries are joining the U.S. and London in expelling Russian diplomats from their nations after an attempt to poison a former spy. Russia has responded by banning diplomats from those nations. Markos Kounalakis, a foreign affairs columnist for McClatchy News and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins CBSN to discuss.

HACC-NACC Shipping Conference

Strategic & Political Turbulence panel

Panelists:

Kathleen Haines, Non-Executive Director Genco Shipping & Trading

Kristin Holth, Non-Executive Director, Maersk Tankers, GasLog, and Maersk Drilling

Markos Kounalakis, McClatchy

Stefanos Roulakis, Blank Rome

Moderator:

John Stratakis Esq., Poles, Tublin, Stratakis & Gonzalez

CBS News invited me to speak about the recent U.S. visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Featuring Vladimir Luthiers, Norah O'Donnell, and Anne-Marie Green.

Markos Kounalakis on CNN with anchor John Vause discuss President Donald Trump's abrupt cancellation of the proposed US-North Korea summit with Ploughshares Fund Executive Director Philip Yun, Wendy Greuel, and Joe Messina.

Over the past several years, Russia has seemed a country on the rise globally, with President Vladimir Putin well on his way to lengthening his time in power. On July 1 a popular referendum is slated to approve constitutional amendments that will allow Putin to remain in office until 2036, while patriotic fervor is at its peak with ongoing celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory in WW II. Abroad, Putin has revived Russian influence in places like Syria, exercised military might in Ukraine among other countries in Russia's "near abroad," and developed sophisticated information warfare tactics to exercise political leverage in numerous countries, most significantly the United States.

However, Putin also faces some serious headwinds with COVID 19. The virus's economic impact in Russia plus the collapse of oil prices and the precipitous decline in global demand is driving the Russian economy into recession. The IMF predicts it will contract by 5.5% this year. Putin also faces serious criticism over his handling of the COVID 19 health crisis and growing anxiety over the capacity of Russia’s health care infrastructure to cope. Russia’s total number of reported COVID 19 cases has exceeded six hundred thousand and continues to rise according to the Johns Hopkins global data, ranking the country third, behind only the US and Brazil. With the world’s attention on the pandemic, can Putin emerge stronger from this crisis and what can we expect from Russia in the near term? Is resolution a possibility with Ukraine or will there be continued conflict? Will Russia meddle in the upcoming US elections or in other places around the world? How well is the Russian economy likely to fare after the pandemic? What are the prospects for US-Russia relations at a time when arms control agreements are being abandoned?

SPEAKER:

Steven Pifer

William Perry Research Fellow, Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation; Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

As the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 71st anniversary, it is a moment to take a closer look at China’s efforts to reshape the world, with one of the biggest infrastructure initiatives the world has ever seen. It’s called the New Silk Road, and since it launched in 2013, most of the world’s countries have signed on to be part of it. The translation from Chinese is the Belt & Road–a belt of land routes, and a Maritime Silk Road of sea routes. It consists of roads, railways, ports, industrial parks, fiber-optic networks and more–-a new architecture of global trade and global power, built with Chinese loans, and usually by Chinese construction teams. It's President Xi Jinping’s signature plan–enshrined in China’s constitution. It’s part of what he calls the China Dream.

MaryKay Magistad, a correspondent with extensive experience reporting in China and throughout Asia, will talk about the scale and scope of the New Silk Road and the challenge China is mounting for global leadership. At a time when US relations with China are reaching new lows, and the US is focused on domestic issues, how is the China Dream being realized and what are the implications for US leadership around the World? In a new podcast, Magistad has been following the belt and road around the world and will share what she has learned.

SPEAKER:

Mary Kay Magistad

Director of Audio Journalism, The World, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

U.K. lawmakers voted Saturday to postpone a decision on whether to back Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal. Markos Kounalakis, a foreign affairs columnist for McClatchy and a visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, joined CBSN to discuss the latest.

There's fewer than three weeks until Britain is set to leave the European Union and time is running out to negotiate a withdrawal agreement. Foreign Affairs columnist for McClatchy and a fellow at the Hoover Institution Markos Kounalakis joined CBSN to discuss the latest on negotiations.

Markos Kounalakis joins local KRON 4 for foreign affairs analysis segment

The most violent places today are not at war. Plagued with gang violence, organized crime, political conflict, and state brutality, these regions of the world become deadly without being in conflict. In fact, 83 percent of all violent deaths occur outside of conflict zones, and in 2015, more people died violently in Brazil than in Syria’s civil war. Yet multiple places, for example Colombia or Georgia, the former Soviet republic, which were once engulfed in violence and instability have now recovered and formed stable democracies.

How do violent and weak states transform into stable ones? Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, explores this question in her new book "A Savage Order: How the World’s Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security." Her work examines countries that were overwhelmed by internal violence. What effect has this had on how the state functions, and how do these societies regain stability? Kleinfeld draws on fifteen years of study and firsthand field research—interviewing generals, former guerrillas, activists, politicians, mobsters, and law enforcement in countries around the world— to tell the story of countries that have recovered from mass violence and then offers insight into what must be done to build governments that protect all their people.

SPEAKER:

Rachel Kleinfeld

Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

North Korea is squarely in the international spotlight following Kim Jong Un’s recent summit meetings, most notably with President Trump, President Putin and China’s Xi Jinping. Since becoming Supreme Leader of North Korea at the age of 27 in 2011, Kim Jong Un has also solidified his leadership at home, clearing out his father’s top advisors and expanding the nation’s nuclear program. Kim Jong Un himself is often painted as difficult to understand and capable of odd behavior, however he has successfully maintained the dictatorial rule that has characterized North Korea for decades and made substantial progress on the international front. Inside the country, conditions are reported to be improving with increased economic activity and the easing of tensions with South Korea.

Anna Fifield, Beijing Bureau Chief for the Washington Post, argues that to understand North Korea we must better understand Kim Jong Un. What is known about the closed-off nation as it rises to a more prominent role on the global stage? What guides the private leader and the police state he has inherited and maintained in North Korea? How does Kim Jong Un’s rule differ from his predecessors and what impact has his rule had on North Koreans? How should we interpret Kim Jong Un’s new relationships with world leaders and his recent actions surrounding missile tests?

Anna Fifield will discuss her new book “The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Jong Un”, which looks into the rise of Kim Jong Un and how his personal obsessions have influenced his reign over North Korea. Fifield is considered one of the most authoritative journalists on North Korea after visiting the country dozens of time and spending years reporting from China, Japan, and the Koreas. In 2018, she received the Shorenstein Journalism Award from Stanford University for her outstanding reporting on Asia.

SPEAKER:

Anna Fifield

Beijing Bureau Chief, The Washington Post

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

The United States, along with the U.K. and France, attacked Syrian targets in retaliation for the Assad regime's alleged use of chemical weapons last week in Douma. Markos Kounalakis, a foreign affairs columnist for McClatchy News and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins CBSN to discuss Russia's response to the airstrikes - and more.

President Trump outlined his administration's national security strategy in a speech on Monday. He referred to Russia and China as "rivals," addressed cybersecurity threats and called for a multi-layer missile defense system. To break down the president's remarks, CBS News chief White House correspondent Major Garrett and McClatchy News foreign affairs columnist Markos Kounalakis join CBSN to discuss.

There's growing backlash over President Trump's controversial immigration remark. Foreign affairs columnist for McClatchy and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institute, Markos Kounalakis, talks to CBSN about the latest developments, as well as the ongoing threat from North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in met Friday on South Korean soil ahead of the historic summit. Markos Kounalakis, foreign affairs columnist for McClatchy DC, joins "Red & Blue" to discuss the talks between the leaders of North and South Korea.

U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó called for civilians and Venezuelan military to back him Tuesday in an uprising against President Nicolás Maduro. This led to violent clashes between the opposition and troops who support Maduro. The Trump administration stands by Guaidó and recognizes him as Venezuela's rightful leader. Foreign Affairs columnist Markos Kounalakis joins CBSN to discuss the latest.

The parents of U.S. college student Otto Warmbier have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against North Korea, saying its government tortured and killed their son. Fred and Cindy Warmbier filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., saying the country would be held accountable for its "barbaric treatment of Otto and our family." Markos Kounalakis, foreign affairs columnist for McClatchy DC, joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" with more.

At least two people were killed and 17 injured during a standoff with the Venezuelan military. President Nicolas Maduro closed the border with Brazil and has partially closed the border with Colombia in an effort to stop humanitarian aid from entering the country. Foreign Affairs columnist Markos Kounalakis joined CBSN to discuss.

Escalating tensions between the US and China driven by a trade war and technological competition may have long term consequences for both countries, but also for the global economy and security in East Asia as well as internationally. David M. Lampton, expert on Chinese politics and US-China relations, currently at Stanford University, will take a closer look at the growing rivalry and how we might evaluate the more than forty years of Sino-American engagement since Nixon went to Beijing in 1972. Why has engagement weakened so precipitously in the last several years? What may be the costs of this mounting friction; and, what steps could be taken by both Beijing and Washington to move in more productive directions?

SPEAKER

David M. Lampton. Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute and Shorenstein APARC.

MODERATOR

Markos Kounalakis, Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, notes that the US and Britain have a no-concessions policy when it comes to paying terrorists. “As a result,” Simon writes, “a high number of British and American hostages have been killed. These countries ask their citizens to make this sacrifice because, they believe, to do otherwise would encourage more kidnapping and funnel resources to terrorists that would be used to finance future attacks.” France and Spain are just two countries that have been more willing to pay ransom in order to free their nationals. Regardless of their decisions, governments, institutions, and organizations feel conflicted, and in some instances countries actually break from previously stated policies and choose to negotiate in hostage situations.

Should governments pay ransom to terrorists? What are some of the ethical and legal issues that governments and organizations face when negotiating with terrorist groups? What is the role of the families of kidnapped victims?

Joel Simon is the recent author of "We Want to Negotiate: The Secret World of Kidnapping, Hostages, and Ransom." Simon, who has worked on several hostage cases, will join us to discuss the conflicts and consequences in negotiating with terrorists and paying ransom.

SPEAKER:

Joel Simon, Executive Director, Committee to Protect Journalists

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis, Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

The United States and China are in the trenches of a trade war, with damaging consequences for both sides. While China's economy is dependent on exports, with nearly 20 percent of its exports going to the US, industries in the United States reliant on imports are also feeling the pressure on their supply chains and may look to shift production outside the US in order to avoid higher production costs at home. The Trump administration is betting that China will back down and American companies will profit from protectionism.

Bigger economic challenges will emerge if the trade war continues. Faced with higher tariffs, China could struggle to find trading partners for exports it normally sends to the US. The negative effects of the trade war are also not limited to the US and China. South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore are closely linked to China’s economy, and businesses which are part of the supply chain to China are also feeling the pain of tariffs. The UK, for example, is already reporting losses, causing it to increase prices on automobiles sold in China. What may come of this trade war and what are its long-term effects? Are the tensions between the US and China really about trade and technological dominance, or is this a great power competition for economic and strategic supremacy?

Yukon Huang is currently a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, D.C. and was formerly the World Bank’s Country Director for China. Mr. Huang will join us to discuss the implications of the trade war for both China and the United States in terms of economic growth and their broader relationship.

SPEAKER:

Yukon Huang

Senior Fellow, Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

As Washington prepares for the transition to a new Biden administration, what challenges will the new President face and what can be learned from one of the great powerbrokers in Washington, James Baker III. Join World Affairs for a conversation with two of America’s most revered political journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser on the life and legacy of James Baker. When it comes to leadership in Washington, few stand up to James Baker III who became indispensable to four Republican presidents, from Gerald Ford to Ronald Regan and George H. W. Bush. He understood better than anyone how to make Washington work at a time when America was shaping events around the world.

Authors Peter Baker and Susan Glasser will discuss how this political power-broker influenced America's destiny for generations. How did James Baker III lead Washington? Can his style of deal-making instead of division be replicated today, despite the growing polarization of American political parties? What can we learn from his successes and failures? Can his legacy highlight a path for cooperation in the White House and Congress moving forward?

SPEAKERS

Peter Baker

Chief White House Correspondent, The New York Times

Susan Glasser

Staff Writer, The New Yorker

MODERATOR

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institute

Declining American leadership abroad is not solely a product of the Trump Presidency or COVID-19, but of decades-long policy decisions and shifting international dynamics. Amidst political polarization, technological transformation, and major global power shifts, Rebecca Lissner and Mira Rapp-Hooper argue, only a grand strategy of openness can protect American security and prosperity despite diminished national strength. How can an openness strategy counter authoritarian competitors, maintain access to the global commons, and support democracies around the world? Will the issue of American declining global leadership play a part in the 2020 Presidential debates? What kind of roadmap do Lissner and Rapp-Hooper provide for the next president?

SPEAKERS

Rebecca Lissner

Assistant Professor, U.S. Naval War College

Mira Rapp‑Hooper

Senior Fellow at the Yale Law School’s China Center

MODERATOR

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

U.S. and Taliban officials have agreed in principle on key issues for a peace deal, a top U.S. envoy said. Markos Kounalakis, a foreign affairs correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers and a visiting fellow at Hoover Institution, joins CBSN to discuss.

President Trump called his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin a "deeply productive dialogue." The two leaders discussed a range of topics Monday including Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, denuclearization and Syria. McClatchy News foreign affairs columnist Markos Kounalakis joins CBSN with all of the day's developments.

President Trump says he isn't bothered by North Korea's latest missile tests. He made the comments during his official state visit to Japan, where he's attending high-stakes meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Markos Kounalakis, a McClatchy News foreign affairs columnist and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins CBSN to discuss the president's trip.

Markos Kounalakis, foreign affairs analyst and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution says that Donald Trump has improved the situation. The United States and North Korea, according to Kounalakis, are now able to engage in dialogue - and that, in itself, is an improvement in relations and has led to a reduction of tensions.

Whether you are a philanthropist seeking to advance field-wide learning; a human rights activist working to ferret out abuse, a corporate CEO wishing to build consumer confidence and employee pride; a nonprofit leader promoting collaboration and impact; an advocate seeking to persuade; or a democratic leader seeking to govern effectively, transparency is the means to an important end. In this panel we will hear from activists, human rights investigators, journalists, data nerds and data aggregators who believe that openness is an imperative if liberal democracy and cohesive society are to succeed.

Patrick Alley, Co-founder and Director, Global Witness

Esther Dyson, Executive Founder, Wellville

John Githongo, CEO, Inuka Kenya Trust

Giannina Segnini, Director, Masters of Science Data Journalism Program, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

Chris Taggart, Co-founder and CEO, OpenCorporates

According to Adam Davidson, co-founder of NPR’s podcast “Planet Money” and staff writer at “The New Yorker,” the middle class is not dying, robots are not stealing jobs, and the future of the economy may not be as terrifying as many believe. In fact, writes Adam Davidson, the twenty-first-century economic paradigm offers new ways of making money, fresh paths toward professional fulfillment, and unprecedented opportunities for curious, ambitious individuals to combine the things they love with their careers.

Davidson is one of the leading public voices on the economy and has a different hopeful outlook. In his book “The Passion Economy” Davidson looks at what's shaping the twenty-first-century economy and its workforce and lays out the ground rules of the new financial system. Armed with these rules, we begin to see how individuals can succeed in creating thriving livelihoods in a new landscape where intimacy, insight, attention, automation, and, of course, passion are fundamental to success.

Davidson draws on the stories of average people doing exactly this—an accountant overturning his industry, a company reinventing HR to fit today’s workers, an Amish craftsman meeting the technological needs of Amish farmers—as well as the latest academic research, to better understand how the twentieth-century economy of scale has given way in this century to an economy of passion.

Join us for a conversation with Davidson to discuss his findings and how the 21st century can offer unprecedented opportunities to marry our work with our passions. Davidson will also be joined by a special guest from the employee engagement software company Humu, to demonstrate some of the rules he’s laying out.

SPEAKERS

Adam Davidson, Co-Founder, Planet Money, NPR

Jessie Wisdom, Co-Founder and Head of People Science, Humu

MODERATOR

Markos Kounalakis, Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

Featured at Animation Film Screening at OSA Archivum in Budapest, Hungary to commemorate UN Human Rights Day, December 9, 2010.

From OSA Program:

The War Prayer (Markos Kounalakis, USA, 2006, 14 min)

Based on Mark Twain's piece "The War Prayer," a short story written in the heat of the Philippine-American war of 1899-1902 offering a poignant reflection on the double-edged moral sword implicit to war.

Followed by discussion with Markos Kounalakis, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Media and Communication Studies at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary and President and Publisher Emeritus of the Washington Monthly. Moderator -- Oksana Sarkisova, Film Historian, OSA Archivum.

From Wikipedia Notes:

"The War Prayer," a short story or prose poem by Mark Twain, is a scathing indictment of war, and particularly of blind patriotic and religious fervor as motivations for war.

The structure of the work is simple, but effective: an unnamed country goes to war, and patriotic citizens attend a church service for soldiers who have been called up. The people call upon their God to grant them victory and protect their troops. Suddenly, an "aged stranger" appears and announces that he is God's messenger. He explains to them that he is there to speak aloud the second part of their prayer for victory, the part which they have implicitly wished for but have not spoken aloud themselves: the prayer for the suffering and destruction of their enemies. What follows is a grisly depiction of hardships inflicted on war-torn nations by their conquerors.

President Trump and his supporters blame rogue elements in the FBI and CIA for inciting the Ukraine Scandal, the impeachment trials and more recently, criticism for how he has handled the outbreak of COVID-19. He claims a “deep state”—a clandestine network of individuals who are running the US from behind closed doors—exists to thwart him and undermine his presidency. But does the Deep State really exist? Are the FBI and CIA the enemies, or protectors, of American democracy? And did skepticism of government experts slow President Trump’s response to the coronavirus?

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Rohde will explore the intelligence community and FBI scandals of the past four decades—from Abscam to false intelligence about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction to warrantless wiretappings of Americans—and investigates growing fears of a deep state that cross party lines.

SPEAKER:

David Rohde

Executive Editor, Newyorker.com

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

WorldAffairs co-host and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution

This event is presented by World Affairs in partnership with:

The Pacific Council on International Policy

Free market capitalism is one of humanity's greatest inventions and the greatest source of prosperity the world has ever seen. This success, however, has resulted in the destruction of our environment and a concentration of wealth at the top. Right now, it's hard to picture a world where capitalism, environmentalism and equity can work together—but what if it could?

Join Rebecca Henderson of Harvard Business School for a discussion about how we can reimagine capitalism in a way that aligns with our moral and ethical values. Henderson will discuss how it is both possible and profitable to move beyond an obsessive focus on shareholder value to solve global problems like income inequality, climate change, and the COVID pandemic. How can capitalism drive systemic change worldwide?

SPEAKER:

Rebecca Henderson

Author and Professor at Harvard Business School

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

WorldAffairs co-host and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution

This event is presented by World Affairs in partnership with:

The Pacific Council on International Policy

The increased use of cyberweapons has changed geopolitics. Through the use of computer software or hardware to commit attacks, governments take advantage of anonymity and deniability while conducting military campaigns in cyberspace. Cyberweapons minimize the need to risk military personnel and equipment, and can instantly be deployed to any area. In 2015, Russian hackers were able to access computer systems of the Democratic National Committee, and the e-mails released by Wikileaks altered American democracy and how we look at those in power. Cyberattacks by North Korea and China also caused uproar, showing that the United States is just as vulnerable as other nations. Yet, the cyberattacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, led by the Bush administration and further supported by President Obama, demonstrated the extent of the damage that could be caused by cyberweapons and illustrated just how quickly these situations can spiral out of control.

David Sanger, National Security Correspondent for The New York Times, has written extensively about the development and use of cyberweapons. Sanger is the recent author of The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age. He joins us to discuss the various uses of cyberweapons and how great and small powers are affected.

SPEAKER:

David Sanger

Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

Last year Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world, reported that more countries became oppressive rather than free for the thirteenth year in a row. The widespread erosion of political rights and civil liberties along with global attacks on the rule of law and fact-based journalism are to blame for this retreat of democracy. "Democracies are not gifts or miracles; they are painstakingly built forms of government, and none of them are invincible," says Larry Diamond, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, who has spent 40 years promoting democracy in over 70 countries. Diamond argues in his new book ,"Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage, Chinese Ambition, and American Complacency," that we are at a pivotal point where either a new era of tyranny or democratic renewal could be ushered in around the globe. This next era will depend on political reforms and political leadership from the United States and other free republics.

Diamond will join us to discuss the complicated forces dismantling democracy and threatening freedom as well as what needs to be done to protect free speech, political rights, and civil liberties around the world.

SPEAKER

Larry Diamond

Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution and The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

MODERATOR

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

Are we truly living in the first 'Networked Aged'? Niall Ferguson in his book the Square and the Tower argues that social networks are not new but actually have been fundamental in shaping history. From the printers and preachers who made the Reformation to the Freemasons who led the American Revolution, it was the networkers who disrupted the old order of popes and kings. Traditional relations between hierarchies and networks have empathized security and growth, yet Ferguson points out that these relationships are much more nuanced than we typically give them credit.

Far from being unique, our era is the Second Networked Age, with the computer in the role of the printing press. Once we understand this, both the past and the future, start to look very different. Historians have traditionally ignored the power of the social networks in favor of hierarchies as they examine the rise and fall of power throughout history. With over 2 billion Facebook users, one has to wonder what lessons can be learned by examining social networks of the past? How can ‘new’ networks create social change, impact businesses, and influence policy? What outcomes can we expect and what are some of the complications with electronic networks?

Niall Ferguson is a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution, Stanford, and the Center for European Studies, Harvard. He has published fourteen books, the latest of which is The Square and the Tower. We are thrilled to have him join us.

SPEAKER:

Niall Ferguson

Senior Fellow, The Hoover Institution

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

In “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World,” Anand Giridharadas compels us to take a deeper look at elite leaders, their institutions, and their initiatives to make the world a better place. “In the very era in which elites have done so much to help, they have continued to hoard the overwhelming share of progress, the average American’s life has scarcely improved, and virtually all of the nation’s institutions, with the exception of the military, have lost the public’s trust.”

Today's elites are some of the more socially concerned individuals in history. Yet, according to Giridharadas, while their philanthropic missions may attempt to reform the root causes of unjust systems, many elite initiatives serve only to maintain the very power structures they claim they want to fix. So, who really benefits? To what extent are the elite working to create real progress and systemic change for people and communities?

Anand Giridharadas was a foreign correspondent and columnist for the The New York Times and currently teaches journalism at New York University. He joins us for an in-depth discussion on elite leaders, how their philanthropic efforts preserve the unjust status quo, and how communities might work together to create a more participatory democracy.

SPEAKER:

Anand Giridharadas

Author

MODERATOR:

Markos Kounalakis

Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution