Conversations with Bill Kristol

In his eleventh Conversation, Harvey Mansfield discusses Donald Trump's election and how political philosophy can inform our understanding of Trump. Mansfield and Kristol also discuss what Trump’s victory reveals about American politics and our parties.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow William A. Galston shares his perspective on American politics today, including the factors that led to the election of Donald Trump, the state of our parties after his election, and the prospects for the Trump presidency. A former senior aide to President Clinton, Galston considers the significance of the 2016 elections for the Democrats and outlines potential conflicts between what he calls “pro-growth progressives” and “populist progressives” within the party. Galston also describes his work with President Clinton and reflects on Clinton’s political gifts.

In this brief and timely conversation, Elliott Abrams and Bill Kristol reflect on the dictatorship of Fidel Castro, its record of brutality and repression, and the romanticization of the Castro regime by certain figures of the Left. Abrams then considers how the Trump administration might take advantage of this opportunity to change American policy toward Cuba, for the benefit of the U.S. and for the Cuban people.

Kristol, Abraham, and Cost analyze the 2016 elections and the opportunities and challenges for the Trump administration, particularly during the transition and in the early days after inauguration. The group also discusses significant changes in American politics caused or revealed by the 2016 presidential race, including the importance of social media and chances for “outsider" candidates.

Currently a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley, Steven F. Hayward is a writer, political commentator, and author of a definitive biography of Ronald Reagan. In this conversation, Hayward discusses Reagan and the qualities that made him a successful president. Kristol and Hayward also explain why studying great political figures is essential for understanding politics. Finally, Hayward reflects on how he came to the study of statesmanship and on some important books and teachers that have influenced him.

Appointed by President George H.W. Bush, Justice Clarence Thomas has served on the Supreme Court since October 1991. In this conversation, Justice Thomas shares personal reflections on the Court, his jurisprudence, and the people, ideas, institutions, and experiences that have influenced him. Justice Thomas also reflects on his late colleague and friend Justice Antonin Scalia.

In his second appearance on Conversations, former Deputy National Security Advisor (under George W. Bush) and Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Elliott Abrams explains the challenges to a new president of quickly putting together a foreign policy team and the urgency the new president will face in restoring America’s global standing. Kristol and Abrams discuss particular hot spots around the world including the Middle East. Finally, Abrams offers advice about how the new president should work within and around Washington’s entrenched bureaucracies.

In his tenth conversation with Bill Kristol, Harvey Mansfield recommends some important and diverting books from different genres. Mansfield discusses crime fiction, comedic novels, biographies, and political science and considers what we can learn from the best writers in these genres. Mansfield also interprets Jonathan Swift’s "Gulliver’s Travels" as a critique of modern science. Other authors discussed include: Bill James, Agatha Christie, Donald Westlake, P.G. Wodehouse, James Q. Wilson, and Winston Churchill.

In his second conversation with Bill Kristol, American Enterprise Institute scholar Charles Murray discusses the state of American civic life and how this can help us understand the current political moment. Murray explains how the decline of communities, the effects of immigration, and the growth of anti-trade sentiment have fueled populist impulses in 2016. Kristol and Murray also revisit Murray's prescient The Bell Curve (1994) and discuss how cognitive ability might affect American life in the future.

In his second conversation with Bill Kristol, Claremont McKenna professor of political philosophy Mark Blitz discusses American liberal democracy. Blitz explains the meaning of individual natural rights and why they form the basis of American government. Blitz and Kristol then consider critiques of American liberal democracy—most prominently, that the American regime promotes inequality or leads to a lowering of standards. Blitz addresses these criticisms and explains why the American regime remains solid and defensible.