Conversations with History (Audio)

Guest hosts Professor Jack Citrin and Robert Price interview Harry Kreisler, host and creator of Conversations with History, for a discussion of his career and intellectual journey. Kreisler talks about his formative experiences, his education at Brandeis and Berkeley, and his work at the Institute of International Studies as executive director. He explains the origins of Conversations, the development of his craft as an interviewer, and recalls some of the highlights of the 555 interviews he has done for the series. He concludes with his observation about how the university is changing. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 24968]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico, for a discussion of the challenges facing Mexico and the future of U.S. Mexican relations. President Fox discusses his formative experiences including the influence of his ancestors and teachers, his work as a businessman, and the factors that led him to enter politics. Discussing his Presidency, he analyzes the problems of governing in a country simultaneously riding a democratic revolution and the transformations brought about by the new wave of globalization. He also discusses the issues of immigration and drugs and how both impact the future of U.S.-Mexican relations. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 24916]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Edward N. Luttwak for a discussion of the dilemmas posed for China by the logic of strategy. Luttwak argues that the Chinese perspective on its role in the world is hindered by several factors. Blinded by its history of intra cultural conflict, it is not prepared to deal with a world of sovereign states, a world of intercultural conflict which requires treating other states as equals and not dependents. A third challenge is China’s autonomous bureaucracies often characterized by an aggressive perspective on global affairs. Finally, because of the Communist party’s lack of a meaningful ideology as it consolidates a capitalist miracle, elites manipulate Chinese nationalism as a substitute for Chinese identity. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 24828]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes General James Cartwright for a discussion of military leadership and strategic thinking. Tracing his military career and his intellectual journey, Cartwright discusses the challenges he faced in reorganizing the Strategic Air Command and then describes the role of the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He analyzes how a military strategist thinks about reducing the size of the nuclear force, how the rise of China might affect U.S. grand strategy, and the unique challenges posed by threats emerging from the cyber domain. Using the case of drones, he explains how the integration of this technology changes warfare. Finally, he reflects on the opportunities for transformation of the military in an environment of austerity. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 24688]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes environmentalist James Gustave Speth for a discussion of his new book, America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy. Speth discusses the systemic failure at the heart of the American crisis highlighting the inadequacy of a motivational system that focuses on economic growth, profits, and power to the detriment of people and the environment. In his view, the American system is broken. He criticizes progressives for not focusing on the big picture and thereby not recognizing the way issues like poverty, education, and environment are linked to the failure of political economy to deliver a quality of life that takes account of human need and values such as equity and justice. Describing a plan of action that combines reform and transformation and emphasizing the lessons to be learned from the civil rights movement, Speth argues for building a political movement that focuses on all the elements of the American crisis. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 24687]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Michael Anastasio for a discussion of the challenges of leading a national science laboratory in a time of transition. Using the examples of the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a fiscal environment of austerity, Anastasio explains how the lab adapts as its internal and external environment changes -- how a community of scientists develops responses to these new challenges. Series: "Conversations with History" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 24669]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Leon Wieseltier, Literary Editor of the New Republic. Focusing on Wieseltier’s intellectual odyssey, the conversation includes discussion of his background, his education and mentors, Jewish identity in America, the political debate in Israel, his decision to write Kaddish, the attributes of intellectuals, the defining features of liberal sensibility, the challenge of reconciling theory and practice, the argument for humanitarian intervention, the meaning of the Arab Spring, and the challenges facing culture in America today. Series: "Conversations with History" [Humanities] [Show ID: 24598]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Leon Wieseltier, Literary Editor of the New Republic. Focusing on Wieseltier’s intellectual odyssey, the conversation includes discussion of his background, his education and mentors, Jewish identity in America, the political debate in Israel, his decision to write Kaddish, the attributes of intellectuals, the defining features of liberal sensibility, the challenge of reconciling theory and practice, the argument for humanitarian intervention, the meaning of the Arab Spring, and the challenges facing culture in America today. Series: "Conversations with History" [Science] [Show ID: 24454]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Harvard’s Theda Skocpol for a discussion of America’s political future. After reflecting on her intellectual journey, Professor Skocpol focuses on her new books, “Obama and America’s Political Future” and “The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism” (co-authored with Vanessa Williamson. Topics covered in the conversation include her strategy in studying political and social transformations, her analysis of the Tea Party and its long term impact on the Republican Party, and the reasons for President Obama’s failure to meet progressive expectations after the high hopes generated by his 2008 campaign.

Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 24289]

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Yossie Hollander for a discussion of the problem of oil dependence. Hollander discusses what he learned as a pioneer of the Israel software industry including the factors that made possible Israel’s thriving Silicon Valley. Focusing on the role of philanthropy in changing the way we see social problems, he describes the mission of the Fuel Freedom Foundation which includes defining the problem of oil dependence. Examining present and future costs in light of the changing structure of oil markets, he shows how monopoly behavior prevents consumers from having access to vehicles that use alternative fuels. Hollander highlights the impact of China’s demand for oil on the structure of the market focusing on future prices. He concludes with an analysis on the impact of oil dependence on poorer regions of the world such as Africa. Series: "Conversations with History" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 24148]