At a time of “hot wars” across the globe, there’s also an ideological “cold war” featuring two foes: those who embrace freedom and those who oppress it.
Michael McFaul, the Hoover Institution’s Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow and author of the newly released, Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, America, Russia and the New Global Disorder, joins GoodFellows regulars John Cochrane and Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster to discuss where he departs from the Trump administration on its approach to Russia and China (one autocracy economically dwarfing the other), his suggestions for course change, and why he holds “guarded” optimism for America’s future. After that: John and H.R. go “trick-or-treating”—weighing the pros (“treats”) and cons (“tricks”) of a new White House ballroom, a Chinese military purge, the latest inflation numbers and gold prices that no longer glitter, a CEO’s tariff worries, New York City on a non-hallowed eve of “democratic socialism,” plus a new and tougher American citizenship test (could Sir Niall Ferguson pass it?). Finally, as Halloween approaches, John and H.R. give us their go-to candies.
Recorded on October 28, 2025.
Watch previous episodes of GoodFellows by visiting: https://www.hoover.org/publications/goodfellows?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=gf_youtube&utm_content=10292025
Pick up a copy of “Autocrats vs. Democrats” by Michael McFaul: https://www.hoover.org/research/autocrats-vs-democrats-china-russia-america-and-new-global?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mcfaul_book&utm_content=10292025
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The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University.
© 2025 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.
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