Talks from the Hoover Institution

General Christopher G. Cavoli, retired four-star Army leader skilled in NATO and transatlantic strategy. General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., retired four-star Marine with deep operational and advisory experience. They discuss civil-military trust, advising civilian leaders versus advocacy, preserving nonpartisanship, legal limits and lawful orders, and how military ties sustain alliances amid political strains.

Eyck Freymann, author and Hoover fellow who specializes in geopolitics and deterrence, outlines a strategy to prevent war over Taiwan. He maps China's military and gray-zone playbook. He discusses Taiwan and U.S. readiness, economic coercion, supply‑chain decoupling, allied coordination, and the timing of potential Chinese action.

Ike Freymann, Hoover Fellow and author focused on Indo-Pacific security, outlines strategies to prevent war over Taiwan. He discusses why Taiwan matters, deterring Xi through credible but restrained measures, and countering gray-zone coercion. He also covers allied economic coordination, resilient low-cost defenses for Taiwan, and the need to rebuild critical industrial capacity with partners.

Jeffrey Collins, a scholar of early modern political thought and civic curricula; Jonathan Gienapp, a historian of the American founding and civic education; and Suzanne Marchand, a European intellectual historian and AHA president. They explore how historical thinking, disciplinary methods, curriculum design, gen ed strategies, and contingency in teaching can strengthen civic learning and democratic culture.

Mark Horowitz, Stanford electrical engineering professor and entrepreneur; Russ Altman, Stanford bioengineering professor and AI-in-medicine researcher; Arthur (Skip) Lupia, University of Michigan research leader on public trust. They debate how the internet and media reshape public confidence in science. They discuss why basic research needs protection, how polarization and social media erode trust, and practical fixes like transparency and better communication.

Thursday, March 26, 2026 Hoover Institution | Stanford University The Hoover History Lab hosted Rural Banditry and Boko Haram: Governance, Security, and International Engagement in Nigeria on Thursday, March 26, 2026. FEATURING Ebenezer Obadare Senior Fellow for Africa Studies | Council on Foreign Relations Ugochi Daniels  Deputy Director for General Operations | International Organization for Migration  Robin Renee Sanders Former US Ambassador to Nigeria 

John Scott, Naval War College faculty and wargaming educator, and Norman Friedman, naval historian and strategist, discuss interwar Naval War College games and their influence on Pacific planning. They cover game design and adjudication, how games trained decision-making, technology assumptions and AI risks, iteration versus public persuasion, and lessons for professional military education and procurement.

Ryan Holiday, bestselling author and modern Stoic interpreter, and General Jim Mattis, retired Marine Corps general and former Secretary of Defense, discuss the character that sustains a republic. They explore Stoic virtues, Washington and Lincoln as models, civic duty versus rights, the responsibilities of military obedience, and how disciplined leadership shapes strategy and alliances.

Fr. Francisco Nahoe, a Catholic chaplain experienced in interreligious education; Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith America focused on pluralistic institutions; Robert George, Princeton jurist and civic engagement scholar. They discuss how higher education can foster civic unity amid religious diversity. Conversations cover integrating religion into campus diversity work, public engagement across faiths, and practical interfaith cooperation in civic life.

Michael McConnell, former federal appellate judge and Stanford law professor; Genevieve Lakier, University of Chicago law professor focused on free speech; Tom Clark, Stanford political scientist on the judiciary. They debate courts as dispute resolvers and democratic backstops. Topics include judicial legitimacy in polarization, the shadow docket, enforcement against the executive, justiciability limits, and originalism’s practical reach.