GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History & Geopolitics
Hoover Institution
GoodFellows: Conversations on Economics, History, & Geopolitics is a flagship videocast from the Hoover Institution where senior fellows John Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, and H.R. McMaster cut through the noise, challenge conventional wisdom, and explain what’s driving markets, power, and public policy. Drawing on rigorous economic analysis, deep historical perspective, and national security leadership at the highest levels, these leading thinkers deliver clear, trusted insight into the challenges facing the United States while debating the forces shaping the modern world.
Episodes
Mentioned books
14 snips
May 12, 2026 • 1h 8min
“Deciders”, “Honey Badgers”, and “Lonely Liberals”: Sarah Isgur on a Divided Supreme Court
Sarah Isgur, court watcher and SCOTUSblog editor, outlines a 3-3-3 map of the Supreme Court and its implications. H.R. McMaster, former national security advisor, brings military and security perspective. Sir Niall Ferguson, historian, adds geopolitical context. John Cochrane, economist, raises legal and economic questions. They discuss court alignments, voting rights, administrative state battles, Iran’s stalled talks, a US-China summit, and Fed leadership challenges.
31 snips
Apr 30, 2026 • 1h 18min
GoodFellows LIVE: The US Constitution and A Republic - If You Can Keep It | Hoover Institution
John Cochrane, economist and institutional thinker; Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, former Army leader and strategist; Sir Niall Ferguson, historian and contrarian. They debate the Constitution’s practical design, separation of powers, federalism versus centralized authority. Topics include war powers, the administrative state, Amendments like the Second and natural-born clause, and whether the republic drifted toward empire.
78 snips
Apr 17, 2026 • 1h 7min
Who’s Actually Running Iran? with Abbas Milani | Hoover Institution
Abbas Milani, Stanford Iran scholar and Hoover fellow, unpacks who really runs Iran and why the IRGC dominates. He discusses regime fragmentation, the IRGC’s economic grip and corruption, the risks of closing the Strait of Hormuz, and whether sanctions or asset freezes could topple theocracy. Brief debates cover use of militias, prospects for negotiated deals, and signs of popular unrest.
56 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 1h 7min
Locusts and Pirates: What’s Your Favorite Recession? with Tyler Goodspeed | Hoover Institution
Tyler Goodspeed, economic historian and former White House CEA chair, explains why recessions are shock-driven rather than old‑age declines. He recounts dramatic cases from locust plagues to pirate attacks, connects finance and policy failures to big downturns, and compares past oil shocks and wartime disruptions to modern economic risks.
136 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 58min
Dire Straits: Condoleezza Rice on The War with Iran | Hoover Institution
Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State and national security advisor now leading the Hoover Institution, joins a panel to weigh risks of wider Gulf conflict. They probe threats to oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Conversations cover Iran’s internal weaknesses, geopolitical winners and losers, political stakes at home, and the emerging role of AI in modern warfare.
126 snips
Mar 7, 2026 • 32min
Gulf War III Or Cold War II: Iran Truth And Consequences | Hoover Institution
H.R. McMaster, retired lieutenant general offering military and national-security analysis. John Cochrane, economist focused on macro effects and inflation. Niall Ferguson, historian on global geopolitics. They debate Iran’s capacity to widen conflict. They weigh prospects of regime change and regional spillover. They consider risks to oil routes, potential energy shocks, and how Beijing and Moscow might react.
83 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 58min
Iran, Tariffs, Epstein | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution
H. R. McMaster, retired lieutenant general with national-security expertise; John Cochrane, economist focused on tariffs and macro policy; Sir Niall Ferguson, historian of economic and international history. They debate U.S. options on Iran and timing of action. They unpack the Epstein revelations and their reach in Britain. They analyze the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs and political and economic fallout.
36 snips
Feb 14, 2026 • 51min
The Origins of Modern China; Is Trump “Lost”? America, Home of the . . . Squatters? | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution
Frank Dikötter, a leading historian of modern China and Hoover Institution fellow, outlines how the CCP rose through violence, Soviet aid, and contingency rather than romanticized heroism. He and the panel compare Xi to Mao on power consolidation and purges. The conversation then shifts to U.S. political dynamics, economic indicators, and a debate over Billie Eilish’s remark on “stolen land.”
150 snips
Jan 31, 2026 • 1h 8min
The Right Side of History with Tyler Cowen | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution
Tyler Cowen, economist and public intellectual; Niall Ferguson, historian specializing in globalism; John Cochrane, economist focused on policy; H.R. McMaster, former national security advisor with military insight. They debate Davos and globalization, whether Trump is a globalist, tariffs and supply chains, Europe’s strategic limits, rising urban collectivist rhetoric, AI’s impact on elites, Minnesota protests and immigration, Iran strike odds, and China’s military purge.
37 snips
Jan 14, 2026 • 52min
The World According to Trump | GoodFellows | Hoover Institution
The panel dives into the chaos in Iran, exploring how the U.S. might influence the regime's fate. They discuss Trump's unique foreign policy approach, drawing Nixonian parallels while scrutinizing the silence from the progressive left on Iran's turmoil. Tensions rise as they consider ramifications of the DOJ's probe into Jerome Powell and the geopolitical stakes of Greenland. The conversation wraps up with a heartfelt tribute to Bob Weir, celebrating his impact on culture and music.
