Q & A, Hosted by Jay Nordlinger

Donald Kagan is someone you can learn from. Many have, over the years. Also, he is a delight to talk to, and listen to. He is an eminent scholar, an eminent classicist – an expert on ancient Greece. He also knows sports and many another subject. Jay talks with him about his upbringing in Brooklyn, his education, the state of the campus, the meaning of conservatism, the fate of America … Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Sally Jenkins is a sports columnist for the Washington Post, and one of the outstanding sportswriters in the entire country. Her father, Dan Jenkins, passed away earlier this month. She wrote a column about him, here. Jay says that it is one of the best columns he has ever read, on any subject. Dan Jenkins worked for Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest, and other publications, and wrote a string of... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Arthur Brooks is one of the luminaries of the conservative world. An economist and public-policy analyst, he is the longtime president of the American Enterprise Institute. He will soon decamp for Harvard. His latest book is “Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt.” He and Jay talk about this, and related subjects. And not-necessarily-related subjects... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Bjorn Ihler is an expert on counter-extremism and he works for peace, human rights, and mutual Bjorn Ihler understanding. He had a highly, highly unusual experience eight years ago: He survived the horrendous massacre in Norway, in which 77 people were killed. Today, he talks with Jay about the massacre in New Zealand. He has plenty to say, as you can imagine. There are parallels between the two... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

David Luhnow is the Latin America bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal – and one of Jay’s favorite journalists. Luhnow is immensely knowledgeable, and he imparts his knowledge in clear, balanced terms. Though an American, he was born and raised in Mexico. His brother Jeff has an interesting job, and he’s very good at it: general manager of the Houston Astros. David and Jay start out by talking... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

All eyes are on Venezuela — to the extent they’re on Latin America at all. But spare a glance for Nicaragua. The Nicaraguans are going through hell right now as the dictator, Daniel Ortega, has cracked down hard. He has made a special villain out of Felix Maradiaga — Jay’s guest on this “Q&A.” The regime has good reason to fear and hate Maradiaga: He is a bold and thoughtful advocate of democracy. Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Asma Khalifa is a young woman from Libya — a Berber. She is also a human-rights activist and democracy leader. She is one of Jay’s favorite people. He says he considers her a heroine. Jay recorded this “Q&A” with her in Mexico City, where she was participating in a meeting of the Oslo Freedom Forum. During the Libyan Civil War, she sided with the rebels, against Qaddafi. She volunteered to be a... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Madeleine Kearns is a young journalist from Scotland. She works at National Review. She has recently been on an unusual beat: transgenderism as it relates to children. She has written, “… some American children are on irreversible cross-sex hormones as young as 12 and have double mastectomies as young as 13.” When you hear about these cases, she says, you want to ask, “Is this really happening?”... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

In an earlier episode, Jay talked with Charles Hill. Now he talks with another Grand Strategist at Yale, Professor John Lewis Gaddis, who is best known for Cold War history. His biography of George F. Kennan won the Pulitzer Prize. Jay talks with him about Kennan, of course — and about Paul Nitze and many another Cold War figure. They also talk about figures more recent, including George W. Bush. Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Jay’s guest is a legendary teacher at Yale University: Charles Hill, a retired Foreign Service officer and a diplomat-in-residence, among other things, at Yale. He is especially known for Grand Strategy. In previous times, he was an aide to Kissinger, Shultz, and, at the United Nations, Boutros-Ghali. With Jay, he talks about his upbringing in New Jersey, his life in the arena, his career in the... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe