Conversations with Bill Kristol

Paul Begala is a veteran Democratic strategist and commentator, and served as counselor to the president in the Clinton White House. In this Conversation, Begala analyzes the key dynamics within the Democratic Party today. Looking ahead to the midterms and to 2020, Begala considers the Democrats’ response to Trump, the tensions between progressives and moderates, and the kinds of candidates that are likely to succeed. Begala also makes a spirited case for why Democrats must defend free speech and liberal principles more generally.

Former world chess champion and human rights activist Garry Kasparov shares his perspective on threats to Western democracies from dictators abroad and illiberal movements at home. Analyzing the geopolitical situation, Kasparov argues that the challenge to the West posed by dictators like Putin remains significant and even growing. Turning to Western societies themselves, Kasparov diagnoses a dangerous complacency about the effort required to sustain political liberty. Finally, Kristol and Kasparov discuss how America can recapture the will necessary to defend itself and its principles.

Jonah Goldberg is a senior editor of National Review and Asness Chair in Applied Liberty at the American Enterprise Institute. Drawing on his new book Suicide of the West, Goldberg argues that strong tendencies in contemporary American culture—including tribalism, populism, nationalism, and identity politics—are increasingly undermining the moral and political foundations of America. In discussing these phenomena, Kristol and Goldberg also consider why it is important for young people to study the American political tradition and appreciate what is best in Western civilization.

Peter Berkowitz is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a leading scholar of political philosophy and American politics. He serves as dean of students for the Hertog Political Studies Program and The Public Interest Fellowship, and teaches for the Tikvah Fund. In recent years, criticism of liberal democracy for its alleged hostility to tradition, family, and community has been gaining strength. In this Conversation, Berkowitz addresses such critiques, reflects on classical liberalism, and considers why liberal democracy deserves to be defended. Kristol and Berkowitz discuss thinkers within the liberal tradition including John Locke, Edmund Burke, John Stuart Mill, and Alexis de Tocqueville. As Berkowitz makes clear, these thinkers understood that liberalism—like all regimes—has drawbacks. Yet these great thinkers also provide the intellectual resources for defending liberalism. This is a must-see Conversation at a time of growing uncertainty about the core principles of the modern West.

James Warren is a veteran reporter, columnist, and editor, having served as Washington Bureau chief for the New York Daily News and managing editor for the Chicago Tribune, among other posts. In this Conversation, Warren shares his perspective on the major changes in American media during the last few decades—from the decline of print and emergence of online news outlets to the dramatic impact of social media. Kristol and Warren discuss the benefits of the current media landscape, notably the availability of diverse news sources of high quality, data-driven reporting, and audiovisual content. They also consider the drawbacks, including the proliferation of disreputable sources online and how budget constraints and other factors have led to the lowering of editorial standards in traditional media. The executive editor of NewsGuard, a new consumer reporting platform, Warren also addresses the future of the media business and the challenge readers and viewers face in distinguishing between serious reporting and fake news.