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The Secrets of Statecraft

Hoover Institution

87 episodes

Secrets of Statecraft is a bimonthly podcast hosted by Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Roberts that explores the effect that the study of history has had on the careers and decision making of public figures. The podcast also features leading historians discussing the influence that the study of history had on their biographical subjects. The title is taken from Winston Churchill’s reply on Coronation Day 1953 to a young American who had asked him for life advice, to whom he said, “Study history, study history, for therein lie all the secrets of statecraft.”

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  1. Can America Still Govern Itself? | Lanhee Chen | Hoover Institution

    · 45 min · Episode 87

    Hoover Institution fellow Lanhee Chen, a veteran of four presidential campaigns and the George W. Bush administration, joins Secrets of Statecraft to discuss why good policy so often fails politically. Drawing on his…

  2. What Thucydides Can Teach Us About Politics And War | Hoover Institution

    · 1 h 00 min · Episode 86

    Everyone quotes Thucydides—but are we getting him right? Historian Andrew Novo joins Andrew Roberts to explore what the chronicler of Athens and Sparta really tells us about war, democracy, ambition, and human nature.…

  3. Andrew Roberts on Churchill, Napoleon, and the Men Who Change History | Hoover Institution

    · 1 h 04 min · Episode 85

    In this special, crossover edition of Secrets of Statecraft and Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson, Andrew Roberts is the guest and is interviewed by Peter Robinson. Roberts explains why great individuals still…

  4. Can Palantir and AI Transform the UK For The Better? | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 35 min · Episode 84

    Palantir UK chief Louis Mosley joins Secrets of Statecraft to discuss how the company’s technology is transforming warfare, healthcare, and policing—from supporting Ukraine and NATO on the battlefield to connecting NHS…

  5. The Secrets of Churchill’s Diplomats with Lord Peter Ricketts | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 59 min · Episode 83

    How did Britain’s diplomats help win World War II—and shape the world that followed? Lord Peter Ricketts, former head of Britain’s Diplomatic Service and its first National Security Advisor, discusses the extraordinary…

  6. The Rise and Fall of Empires with Conrad Black | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 1 h 05 min · Episode 82

    Historian and author Lord Conrad Black joins Secrets of Statecraft _to discuss the third volume of his monumental _Political and Strategic History of the World, covering the turbulent years from the reign of Louis XIV…

  7. Secrets of Spin with Media Maestro David Yelland | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 57 min · Episode 81

    Andrew Roberts speaks with David Yelland, former editor of The Sun and co-host of BBC Radio 4’s popular podcast “When It Hits the Fan,” about the hidden machinery of modern power: public relations, political messaging,…

  8. This Is Not America: A British Conversation On Race with Tomiwa Owolade | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 44 min · Episode 80

    Author and columnist Tomiwa Owolade joins Secrets of Statecraft to discuss his bestselling book This Is Not America and why Britain’s conversation about race has become increasingly shaped by American ideas and…

  9. Monarchy as Statecraft: Lessons from Elizabeth II with Hugo Vickers | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 49 min · Episode 79

    Royal biographer Hugo Vickers, author of over 20 books, joins Secrets of Statecraft for a fascinating conversation about Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, and the hidden diplomatic power of monarchy. Drawing on…

  10. France’s Original Culture War: The Dreyfus Affair | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 43 min · Episode 78

    Catherine Ostler joins Andrew Roberts to discuss her new book The Renoir Girls, which unravels the extraordinary true story behind Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s famous portraits of the Cahen d’Anvers sisters — a tale that…

  11. Dan Hannan and The Case for Capitalism | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 58 min · Episode 77

    Daniel Hannan joins Secrets of Statecraft and starts with a major announcement: his appointment as the new director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), the pioneering free-market think tank founded in 1955.…

  12. Anduril’s Chris Brose on Fighting The Next War | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 1 h 06 min · Episode 76

    Christian Brose is the president and chief strategy officer at Anduril Industries (the American defense technology company that builds advanced military systems using artificial intelligence, robotics, and…

  13. Is Iran at the Tipping Point? with Shay Khatiri | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 52 min · Episode 75

    Shay Khatiri returns to Secrets of Statecraft to examine the internal dynamics of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the current context of war, protest, and long-term political decay. Reflecting on his experience in the…

  14. Nigel Biggar, The Professor They Tried To Cancel | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 49 min · Episode 74

    Andrew Roberts sits down with Oxford theologian and historian Nigel Biggar to explore the personal and intellectual firestorm surrounding his work on empire, colonialism, and reparations. Biggar recounts how his…

  15. Dan Wang: Is China Already Winning the 21st Century? | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 59 min · Episode 73

    Andrew Roberts is joined by Dan Wang, Hoover research fellow and the author of Breakneck to explore the shifting balance of global power between China, the United States, and Europe. Wang argues that China’s massive…

  16. Munira Mirza’s Mission: Get Better Politicians | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 48 min · Episode 72

    Munira Mirza is a former British political advisor who served as Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit under Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 2019 through 2022. She is currently the Director of Civic Future, a…

  17. The Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust with Richard Hurowitz | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 50 min · Episode 71

    What makes an ordinary person risk everything to save a stranger? Author and historian Richard Hurowitz joins the show to discuss his book, In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save…

  18. The Statecraft of Franklin D. Roosevelt with Historian David Kennedy | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 57 min · Episode 70

    Historian David Kennedy looks at Franklin D. Roosevelt’s leadership by exploring how he guided the United States through the twin upheavals of the Great Depression and World War II. Kennedy explains how FDR reshaped…

  19. The Secret Life of Dictators with Frank Dikötter | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 49 min · Episode 69

    Historian Frank Dikötter, author of How to Be a Dictator: The Cult of Personality in the Twentieth Century, discusses the dark psychology behind absolute power. From Hitler and Mao to Putin and Xi Jinping, Dikötter…

  20. Jews vs. Rome: Barry Strauss on Two Centuries of Jewish Revolt | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 27 min · Episode 68

    Why did the Jews keep fighting Rome for over 200 years — long after the Great Revolt ended in disaster? Hoover Senior Fellow Barry Strauss discusses the epic story of Judea’s rebellions against the world’s most…

  21. American Institutions, Higher Education, Talk Shows, and Nougies with Ben Sasse

    · 49 min · Episode 67

    Former US Senator and university president Ben Sasse joins Andrew Roberts on Secrets of Statecraft for a candid and very wide-ranging conversation about the state of American institutions and how to revitalize them.…

  22. Around The World With Condoleezza Rice | Secrets of Statecraft

    · 38 min · Episode 66

    Historian Andrew Roberts is joined by former U.S. Secretary of State and current Director of the Hoover Institution Condoleezza Rice for a dive deep into today’s international hotspots—including Russia’s invasion of…

  23. Lord (Conrad) Black’s Remarkable Historical Erudition | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 47 min · Episode 65

    The Canadian businessman and peer Conrad Black has published the second volume of his political and strategic history of the world, from 14AD to 1648, and it’s a corker.

  24. Sir Niall Ferguson: Time-Knight | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 58 min · Episode 64

    Sir Niall Ferguson on time travel, Trump bombing Iran, historical counterfactuals, Doctor Who, The Time Lord, using the past to help the present and future, the University of Austin’s revolutionary experiment, ChatGPT,…

  25. Tim Bouverie and the Diplomacy of World War II | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 43 min · Episode 63

    British historian Tim Bouverie discusses the knotty diplomatic dilemmas faced by Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin.

  26. “Well, He Got Beheaded”: Caroline, Countess of Derby, on her Husband’s Family’s Illustrious History | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 57 min · Episode 62

    Caroline Stanley, Countess of Derby, is an English aristocrat, art historian, and philanthropist. Affectionately known as “Cazzy,” she is married to Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby, and serves as the chatelaine of…

  27. Statecraft In An Age Of Strongmen | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 1 h 06 min · Episode 61

    In this unique return visit to Secrets of Statecraft, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens discusses why defending Ukraine is in America’s interest, and reflects on the perils of Western flirtation with authoritarian…

  28. Daniel Samet on the Realpolitik Behind US-Israeli Relations | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 52 min · Episode 60

    A new book, U.S. Defense Policy toward Israel: A Cold War History, takes on the revisionists over what happened in the Cold War. Recorded on April 16, 205.

  29. Motorcycles and Meritocracies with Governor Mitch Daniels | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 47 min · Episode 59

    Mitch Daniels is the former Director of the Office of Management and Budget under Ronald Reagan, the former Governor of Indiana, and the former President of Purdue University. He discusses his life, his influences, and…

  30. General Lord Dannatt on the Korean War | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 48 min · Episode 58

    The former head of the British Army, Richard Dannatt, discusses an important war that is often forgotten. Recorded on February 6, 2025.

  31. Jon Meacham on What Makes a Great President | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 1 h 05 min · Episode 57

    America’s foremost presidential historian examines the motivations and careers of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George H. W. Bush. Recorded on January 24, 2025.

  32. Ayaan Hirsi Ali on the Threat to the West | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 51 min · Episode 56

    The bravest of all the free speech campaigners, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, speaks out eloquently on tribalism, Islam, immigration, Trump, her conversion to Christianity, and what it’s like being married to a quite well-known…

  33. Churchill’s Vicar on Earth | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 49 min · Episode 55

    Richard Langworth is the senior fellow at the Hillsdale Churchill Project at Hillsdale College, Michigan, and knows more about Winston Churchill than any person living (including me, annoyingly).

  34. The World View of General James Mattis | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 54 min · Episode 54

    A global tour d'horizon with the former Marine Corps commander and Secretary of Defense General Jim Mattis.

  35. Radek Sikorski Unleashed | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 42 min · Episode 53

    The Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski is characteristically blunt about his former friend Viktor Orban, the chances of nuclear war in Ukraine, and his enemy Vladimir Putin. Recorded on October 26, 2024.

  36. John Bew Applies History to Foreign Policy-Making | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 1 h 05 min · Episode 52

    Professor John Bew’s knowledge as the biographer of Lord Castlereagh and Clement Attlee and the historian of Realpolitik was put to good use when he became the senior foreign policy advisor to no fewer than four…

  37. The Courage of Sir Bill Browder | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 45 min · Episode 51

    How Bill Browder reacted when Vladimir Putin murdered Browder’s friend and lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. Recorded on October 11, 2024.

  38. Nataliya Bugayova Explains How Ukraine Can Still Win | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 34 min · Episode 50

    Nataliya Bugayova, Non-Resident Russia Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War, shares her latest in-depth knowledge on how the Russo-Ukrainian War is going. Recorded on September 9, 2024.

  39. Lord Matt Ridley Gives Us Reasons To Be Cheerful | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 53 min · Episode 49

    The esteemed science writer and author of The Rational Optimist, Matt Ridley, gazes into the future of mankind. Recorded on September 16, 2024.

  40. The Iranian Mindset | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 43 min · Episode 48

    Iranian-born Shay Khatiri, senior fellow of the Yorktown Institute, explains the (warped) thinking of the Teheran regime.

  41. Paul Gregory’s ‘Friendship’ with Lee Harvey Oswald | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 41 min · Episode 47

    The distinguished economist Paul Gregory recalls his time spent with Lee Harvey and Marina Oswald.

  42. Robert Service on Lenin, Trotsky & Stalin | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 49 min · Episode 46

    The great historian of Russian history compares and contrasts the three monsters of the Russian Revolution.

  43. A Tory Good and True | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 45 min · Episode 45

    Nick True was until recently leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. His Toryism hails from an earlier and better age, but still has modern relevance.

  44. Around The World With Dan Hannan | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 49 min · Episode 44

    Lord Hannan draws on his 21 years as a member of the European Parliament for this scholarly and masterly overview of world affairs.

  45. Con Coughlin: Getting Into the Minds of Monsters | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 52 min · Episode 43

    Con Coughlin, veteran war correspondent and Daily Telegraph foreign & defense editor, has written the biographies of Ayatollah Khomeini, Saddam Hussein and Bashir Al-Assad. And he’s also gone drinking with Hunter S.…

  46. Nicolas Sarkozy's 'Certain Idea of France' | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 35 min · Episode 42

    Recorded on June 4, 2024. President Nicolas Sarkozy on the weight of history on his shoulders when he ruled France from 2007 to 2012.

  47. A Continental Tour d’Horizon with Zeinab Badawi | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 49 min · Episode 41

    The history of Africa over the past seven millennia, and this time from an African perspective.

  48. The State of Israel with Dan Senor | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 1 h 07 min · Episode 40

    Dan Senor, host of the “Call Me Back” podcast, discusses the war in Gaza and where it might go from here.

  49. The Mission of Tzipi Hotovely | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 41 min · Episode 39

    The Israeli Ambassador to London speaks up eloquently and frankly for her embattled country.

  50. Toby Young Speaks Freely | Secrets of Statecraft | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution

    · 42 min · Episode 38

    Toby Young, director of the splendid Free Speech Union, discusses his campaign to defend freedom of expression.

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