Cato Events Podcast

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Cato Events Podcast episodes

November 02, 2006 The U.S. Military and Counterinsurgency: What We Have Learned in Iraq and Afghanistan
America's conventional military supremacy has failed to deliver decisive results against irregular forces employing unconventional military tactics. The U.S. military learned some useful counterinsurgency lessons in Vietnam but had completely forgotten those lessons by the end of the Cold War. Military leaders and defense experts are attempting to resurrect some of those old ideas, while also developing new approaches to counterinsurgency in the age of transnational terrorism. Are there deeper cultural problems that prevent the U.S. military from waging effective counterinsurgency campaigns? Does the American public have the will to risk American lives on such operations, and is the public prepared to wage limited, indecisive military campaigns for long periods of time? What lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan might be applied to future conflicts?
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1 hr 28 min
November 02, 2006 Improving Health Care Quality: Is Medicare a Good Candidate for Pay-for-Performance?
The insurers and government agencies that purchase 80 percent of medical care in America have traditionally ignored quality. As a result, quality is lower than it could be. For over a decade, the private sector has experimented with financial incentives that reward doctors and hospitals for providing recommended care. Some, most recently the Institute of Medicine, argue that the federal Medicare program should do the same. Would Medicare give "pay-for-performance" a much-needed boost? Or would Medicare ruin the promise of P4P?
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59 min
October 31, 2006 Liberty for All: Reclaiming Individual Privacy in a New Era of Public Morality
The Constitution was written to protect individual sovereignty, but we have gradually allowed a regime of public morality and intolerance to replace that inheritance from the Founders. That's the thesis of a new book by Elizabeth Price Foley. An expert on health care law and bioethics, Foley explains "the morality of American law," then applies those principles to marriage; sex; reproduction; medical care; and food, drug, and alcohol regulation to show how far we've strayed from the Constitution's promise of liberty for all. William Galston, a former adviser to President Clinton and an expert on family policy, will offer comments. Please join us for what promises to be an entertaining and informative exchange.
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1 hr 5 min
October 27, 2006 The Future of the European Common Agricultural Policy and Global Trade Liberalization
Last year, Sir Charles Crawford, the British ambassador to Poland, called the European Common Agricultural Policy "the most stupid, immoral state-subsidized policy in human history, give or take communism." In spite of partial reform, the CAP remains an immensely wasteful farm subsidy program that harms European consumers as well as some producers in developing countries. The CAP is also one the most important obstacles to the successful conclusion of the Doha Round of negotiations on global trade liberalization. Patrick Messerlin, one of the world's leading authorities on agricultural protectionism, will discuss the prospects for CAP's reform and for the future of Doha.
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1 hr 31 min
October 20, 2006 Pan-African Free Trade Agreement: Helping Africa through Free Trade
Africa is one of the most protectionist regions in the world. Most imports, including life-saving drugs and medical equipment, continue to be subjected to high tariff and nontariff barriers. Moreover, African countries impose some of their highest tariffs on goods from other African countries. African trade liberalization could increase intra-African trade by 54 percent. It is hypocritical for African leaders to call for greater access to global markets while rejecting trade openness at home. Andrew Mitchell will explain why African governments should support a Pan-African Free Trade Agreement if they are truly serious about the benefits of trade liberalization.
PDF of speech "A Pan-African Trading Area"
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1 hr 23 min
October 12, 2006 Why Darwin Matters: The Case against Intelligent Design
Debates over evolution range from Pennsylvania to Kansas to the University of California. Michael Shermer, a former evangelical Christian and creationist, argues that "intelligent design" theory appeals to a human predisposition to look for a designer behind life's complexity. But in fact the theory of natural selection is supported by the scientific evidence and is the foundation on which modern biology rests. Conservatives and Christians should accept evolution because it explains family values, social harmony, human nature, and the origins of morality. Jonathan Wells, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design, disagrees with Shermer.
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1 hr 11 min
October 10, 2006 Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World
Since September 11, but particularly in the wake of the Iraq war, many Americans have been asking questions about the foundations of U.S. foreign policy. Foreign policy realists base their approach to foreign policy on long-standing American traditions, but they have yet to set forward a compelling alternative vision for national security that will appeal to idealistic Americans. In Ethical Realism, Anatol Lieven, former Financial Times foreign correspondent, and John Hulsman, recently of the Heritage Foundation, sketch out a foreign policy framework based on the philosophy of American scholars and statesmen from Hans Morgenthau to George F. Kennan, outlining an approach that promises to restore America's credibility and legitimacy in the world, while advancing American interests without apology or hesitation. Please join us for a lively discussion with the authors and our two distinguished commentators.
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1 hr 37 min
October 04, 2006 The Fallacy of Campaign Finance Reform
Many Americans support campaign finance reform. They believe that private money in politics and elections corrupts and demeans our democracy. These concerns have contributed to a 40-year effort to regulate, restrict, and even eliminate private money in politics. But many Americans know that there is little or no evidence that campaign contributions really influence members of Congress? Or that so-called negative political advertising actually improves the democratic process by increasing voter turnout and knowledge? Or that limits on campaign contributions make it harder to run for office, thereby protecting incumbent representatives from losing their seats of power? The Fallacy of Campaign Finance Reform argues that our most common concerns about money in politics are misplaced. The chance to regulate money in politics allows representatives to serve their own interests at a cost to their constituents. And, ironically, the long crusade against the corruption caused by campaign contributions allows public officials to reduce their vulnerability by suppressing freedom of speech.
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1 hr 22 min
October 03, 2006 The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back
Andrew Sullivan says that today's conservatives are facing a crisis from within, one that threatens their ideals as never before. Traditionally committed to limited government, balanced budgets, and the rule of law, they see their political leaders today sharply increasing government spending and debt, intruding the federal government into marriage law and a single family's struggle over the end of life, and centralizing power in the federal government and the executive branch. Sullivan says conservatives cannot in good conscience keep supporting a political party that believes that its God-given mission is to change people's souls instead of protect their liberty. Join us for the launch of an important new book.
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1 hr 23 min
September 27, 2006 Ivory Tower Overhaul: How to Fix American Higher Ed
Two things everyone seems to know about higher education are that it’s extremely expensive and that it gets more so every year. That, however, is about the extent of our collective certainty, because many critical questions never seem to get answered: Why does tuition rise relentlessly? What are students actually learning? What’s the payoff of higher education? In light of all the open questions, it’s no surprise that Americans are getting increasingly uneasy about the prices that colleges and universities are asking them to pay.
Last year, the U.S. secretary of education established a commission to inspect America’s ivory tower and formulate a “national strategy” for its renovation. With the commission’s final report now out, we invite you to join our diverse panel of experts for a lively debate of higher education’s problems, and the best ways to fix them.
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1 hr 28 min

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The Cato Events Podcast brings you live recordings from the Cato Institute's events, where leading scholars, policymakers, journalists, and experts come together each week to discuss the ideas and…