Heard at Heritage

With the idea of "Democratic Socialism" becoming increasingly popular, many people question if young Americans will choose government control or individual freedom. Unfortunately, Socialism and its command-and-control economics have led many countries into a cycle of poverty and repression.Jorge Andrés Galicia Rodríguez and Andrés Guilarte are two university students who lived in Venezuela under a democratically elected socialist regime, massive blackouts, and political persecution. The increase of government social programs, the nationalization of the country's oil industry, and corruption at the highest levels of government all contributed to a once prosperous nation's economic collapse. Throughout its history, as Dr. Lee Edwards, Distinguished Fellow of Conservative Thought writes, Socialism has supported the belief that the system can make better decisions for the people than they can for themselves.Join us as Galicia Rodriguez and Guilarte speak with leading historian Dr. Lee Edwards to discuss the effects of Socialism, lessons learned, and the importance of choosing freedom over government control.Lee Edwards, a distinguished fellow in conservative thought at The Heritage Foundation, is a leading historian of American conservatism and the author or editor of 25 books. Edwards also is an adjunct professor of politics at the Catholic University of America and chairman of a foundation that dedicated the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2007. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Czech Republic is often employed as a testing ground for Russian influence operations, many of which are later implemented against other NATO countries if successful. Hence, if one wants to understand Russia’s methods and operations, the Czech security environment provides an invaluable source of information.U.S.-Czech missile defense cooperation provides a great example of one such disinformation campaign. In that case the Czech Republic was targeted by Russian active measures, along with an influence campaign that contributed to a large portion of the Czech public ultimately opposing the idea of hosting a U.S. radar on Czech soil. These distinguished experts will pull back the curtain on just how Russia advanced its goals in the Czech Republic using original, never-before published research, and how the U.S. and NATO can work together prevent this from happening again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The border security built by the Trump Administration has been swiftly torn down by the Biden Administration. From stopping border wall construction to ending the Remain in Mexico Program, tearing up the Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Central American countries, and promising amnesty and family unification in the U.S., the Biden Administration has opened our southern border. At the same time, President Biden has restricted the vast majority of ICE’s authority to remove deportable aliens. To our country’s detriment, we are seeing record numbers of illegal aliens, particularly unaccompanied alien children, at our southwest border, and our government is quickly processing and releasing them into the U.S.Join us to discuss what should be done in Congress and the Executive Branch to both stop this border crisis and prevent illegal immigration in the first place. Also, learn what states can do to enforce their laws and protect their interests when the federal government refuses to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In order to launch an assault on the British monarchy, the American radical Left has seized upon the claims from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, that the Royal Family created a hostile, racist environment for the couple. Britain’s constitutional monarchy—among the most powerful conservative institutions on the world stage—represents everything the radical Left despises: tradition, authority, hierarchy, patriotism, and the political and religious ideals of Western Civilization.Our panel of British leaders and experts will explain what this cultural moment means for both America and Great Britain and why the Left’s attacks will fail. Please join the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom and Simon Center for American Studies for an insightful discussion about defending conservative institutions and uniting to preserve the special UK-US Relationship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most of America’s nuclear forces are decades old and urgently need to be replaced. President Obama embarked on a major effort to modernize the nation’s nuclear enterprise, which made significant progress under the Trump administration. Nevertheless, serious challenges remain. Defense budgets are expected to tighten under the Biden administration, which is also facing renewed calls from outside groups to drastically reduce our nuclear forces or change our overall deterrence posture. Meanwhile, our adversaries are only increasing their nuclear capabilities.With the entrance of a new administration and new Congress, the future of nuclear modernization is at a pivotal moment. Senator Deb Fischer, the Ranking Member of the Senate’s Strategic Forces Subcommittee, is one of the most important voices on this topic. On March 22, she joins Heritage nuclear deterrence analyst Patty-Jane Geller to discuss the challenges and opportunities in this critical national security issue-area. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last summer’s civil unrest sought to mainstream the idea that the criminal justice system is “systemically racist” and that the police ought to be defunded. While activists believe that their sloganeering is pushing society in a better direction, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that their efforts have serious unintended consequences. An inordinate level of hostility towards police officers discourages proactive policing which, in turn, allows violent crimes to victimize the innocent. The phenomenon of cities with disengaged officers and higher levels of serious violent crimes has come to be called the “Minneapolis Effect.” Join us for a discussion with two scholars who have recently illuminated this criminological trend with rigorous empirical work.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As China policy takes center stage, there is growing debate over the what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) actually believes. Is the CCP truly Communist, or has it become something else? In the modern world, pinpointing the nature of CCP ideology is far from simple.Understanding the CCP’s ideology can improve policymaking decisions and efforts to counter threats associated with China’s rise. What role does this ideology play in Chinese foreign policy today, and what is its global influence? Does it shape the response to American initiatives, and are there elements of this ideology that can impact Americans at home? Join us as two eminent scholars take on this tough question along with Heritage’s Dean Cheng. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is much anger and despair over the state of our politics and culture. The conservative movement historically has played a critical role in renewing the nation’s commitments to its Founding principles. What is required to do so again? What are the movement's strengths and opportunities to become a powerful force for limited constitutional government and cultural renewal? Join us for the Heritage Foundation’s distinguished Kirk Lecture delivered by George H. Nash, author of The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 and the pre-eminent historian of American conservatism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, a remarkable months-long display of U.S. maritime power occurred in the South China Sea. Given President Biden’s recent announcement of a special task force to formulate a new military approach to China, it is important to discuss what happened and why a sustained naval presence in the South China Sea bolsters the rules-based international order.Late last April, the USS Gabrielle Giffords was patrolling in the vicinity of the Panamanian-flagged vessel West Capella, which was being shadowed by Chinese vessels as it conducted deep-water surveys in Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which China claims for itself despite being hundreds of miles from the Chinese mainland. Operational tempo built up to include Air Force bombers in May and culminated in July with sustained dual aircraft carrier South China Sea operations: a first since 2012.On July 13, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo issued the first clear statement from the United States declaring that China’s claims over the South China Sea are unlawful. In an important refinement of long-standing talking points “supporting freedom of navigation and overflight” was the stated rationale for U.S. Operations. Seventh Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Bill Merz added that “[t]he U.S. supports the efforts of our allies and partners in the lawful pursuit of their economic interests.”Join former top State Department official David Stillwell to discuss the impact of the West Capella Incident, how U.S. handling of this event re-assured our allies, and what America must do to keep critical waters free and open. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Biden hit the ground running with a slew of executive actions and commitments on energy and climate change. His decisions represent a path to fundamentally remake America’s energy and transportation sector, from banning new oil and gas lease sales on federal lands to re-entering the Paris climate agreement and cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline.The new administration has visions of fully decarbonizing the power sector by 2035 and making a massive, government-led push to move America’s transportation system to electric power. These goals are lofty, but what does this agenda mean for everyday Americans? How will new policies affect states where the federal government owns much of the land? What will these decisions mean for energy prices, the economy, and our environment?Join us as we discuss these critical issues and offer proactive, market-oriented policy reforms that could benefit America environment and economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.