Hoover Institution Welcomes Supporters to the 2024 Summer Board Meeting

Hoover Institution (Stanford, CA) - The Hoover Institution welcomed its board members and major supporters to Stanford University on July 9-11 for its annual summer Board of Overseers Meeting. Throughout the event, scholars spoke on a variety of emerging challenges facing America as it approaches a contentious presidential election campaign period.

On Wednesday, July 10, Tad and Dianne Taube Director Condoleezza Rice spoke of how the Hoover fellowship is striving to equip policymakers with the most accurate and comprehensive data available to contend with domestic and foreign policy challenges. She contrasted this approach with the decision-making process she experienced during her tenure as America's sixty-sixth secretary of state. Rice contended that a good deal of policy making is often produced without real data.

Rice provided updates on institutional programming, including the latest activities under way at the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions and the State and Local Governance Initiative. She also discussed the visit of Argentine president Javier Milei on May 29. Rice concluded by announcing the permanent appointments of Christopher Dauer as Hoover's chief operating officer and Isabel Alvarez-Valdez as Hoover's chief financial officer.

Hoover Institution director Condoleezza Rice speaks to supporters in Hauck Auditorium on July 10, 2024. (Eric Draper)

Dinnertime Talk with Mike Gallagher

Former congressman Mike Gallagher addresses the audience during a dinnertime chat with Hoover Institution director Condoleezza Rice on July 9, 2024. (Eric Draper)

At a dinner on Tuesday, July 9, Rice engaged in an on-stage conversation with former congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) about his service both as a US Marine officer and as a legislator focused on China's aggression. They examined the need for procedural reforms in the House of Representatives, with Gallagher arguing that the current rules incentivize a culture characterized as "the more disagreeable you are, the more attention you get."

Gallagher also elaborated on his decision not to seek reelection. He recalled a night when he was home with his wife, Anne, and their two daughters, when he casually checked his phone to see fifteen missed calls from the local sheriff's department. He subsequently discovered that someone had falsely reported to the police that he had been killed and his family taken hostage. As a result, a SWAT team had to come inside his home to ensure everyone's safety. Gallagher indicated that the danger associated with this "swatting" incident prompted him to contemplate stepping away from his elected role.

Partnering for Progress with the State and Local GovernanceInitiative

Josh Rauh speaks about the State and Local Governance Initiative's work in a presentation in Hauck Auditorium on July 10, 2024. (Eric Draper)

Senior fellow Joshua D. Rauh spoke about the work of the State and Local Governance Initiative, which partners with state governments and municipalities to analyze policy challenges and provide solutions. He recounted recent projects, including an analysis of local business incentives offered in Alabama and the impact of income tax changes on outmigration from California. Rauh emphasized that the consistent publication of research generated by his group and other Hoover scholars in high-caliber academic journals demonstrates Hoover's "key differentiating quality," in comparison to the work of other public policy research organizations.

Stephen Kotkin Grows the Hoover History Lab

Stephen Kotkin (right) shows attendees an organizational chart of the Hoover History Lab during his presentation in Hauck Auditorium on July 10, 2024. (Eric Draper)

Kleinheinz Senior Fellow Stephen Kotkin addressed board members about the Hoover History Lab, where he, Milbank Family Senior Fellow Niall Ferguson, and Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson work together with other fellows to guide students and early-career academics in "leveraging history to solve contemporary policy issues."

Kotkin noted that the lab will focus on "consequential history," which is grounded in research based on hard data and factual evidence.

He introduced three fellows who work under the auspices of the lab: research fellows Cody Nager, Dian Zhong, and Joseph Torigian, who presented their research projects.

Nager described his research on immigration policies and sentiments toward immigration in the United States during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Torigian is focusing on a project about succession politics in authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China, while Zhong is comparing political economies in China and Brazil.

Ria Roy: What to Do about North Korea

Ria Roy speaks to board members in Hauck Auditorium on July 10, 2024. (Eric Draper)

Kleinheinz Fellow Ria Roy addressed board members about North Korea, focusing on how its regime manages succession in a socialist context and on the need for a shift in American perspective to achieve greater diplomatic success with the nation. She argued that the West should stop speculating about the regime's potential collapse, citing its resilience through events such as the massive famine in the mid-1990s, which claimed the lives of up to 3.5 million people, and the sudden passing of its founding leader, Kim Il-sung, in 1994. Roy added that viewing North Korea as a "spectacle of weirdness" impedes the ability of the United States and allies to achieve meaningful diplomatic outcomes and increases the risk of armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

Joseph Ledford: Foreign Policy Starts in Your Own Backyard

Joseph Ledford speaks to board members in Hauck Auditorium on July 10, 2024. (Eric Draper)

Joseph Ledford, Hoover Fellow and newly appointed assistant director of the Hoover History Lab, spoke about America's national interest in shoring up relationships among its hemispheric neighbors. He compared President Biden's foreign policy priorities with those of President Ronald Reagan and former secretary of state George Shultz, highlighting Shultz's peacemaking efforts in Latin America and his commitment to stability as well as political and economic freedom in the region. Ledford recommended that Congress establish a select committee on "hemispheric security" and advocate for the incoming administration in 2025 to prioritize diplomatic relations with Latin American and Caribbean states.

Michael Boskin: Tennenbaum Program for Fact-Based Policy

Michael Boskin speaks about policy knowledge among the public in Hauck Auditorium on July 10, 2024. (Eric Draper)

Wohlford Family Senior Fellow Michael J. Boskin addressed board members about new initiatives developed under the Tennenbaum Program for Fact-Based Policy. He presented findings from a recent survey conducted in partnership with the global polling firm YouGov, which assessed the policy knowledge of two thousand households. In a paper coauthored with Senior Fellow Douglas Rivers, Boskin highlighted how a significant portion of voters lack basic knowledge about issues confronting America. The survey also uncovered a strong demand among Americans for reliable and factual information. Boskin outlined the Tennenbaum Program's comprehensive effort to meet this demand, disseminating factual information on a host of policy issues and inviting scholars to contribute essays, participate in podcasts, publish books, engage in video programming, and partake in public events.

Jared Cohen and Margaret Hoover on Life after the Presidency

Margaret Hoover and Jared Cohen speak about Cohen's new book Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House in Blount Hall on July 10, 2024. (Eric Draper)

Margaret Hoover, Hoover overseer and host of PBS's Firing Line, engaged in a conversation with Jared Cohen, founder and former CEO of Google's Jigsaw, about his new book, Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House. During the discussion, Cohen explored the post-presidential lives of Margaret's great-grandfather, Herbert Hoover, Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, and Grover Cleveland, the only president in US history to secure a "comeback" term in office after losing a presidential election.

Cohen also talked about George W. Bush, noting his unique post-presidential trajectory to become a prolific painter. Cohen highlighted that Bush's post-presidential experience is distinctive because his popularity has more than doubled since his term, and he appears to be less focused on his legacy and reputation compared with other former presidents. Cohen argued that through painting veterans and new immigrants, Bush has found a unique way to subtly contribute to the national discourse.

The Crises Facing the White House in the Coming Years

H.R. McMaster answers audience questions in Hauck Auditorium on July 11, 2024. (Eric Draper)

Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster provided overseers with a detailed analysis of the foreign policy challenges facing the winner of the 2024 US presidential election. His review encompassed the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's efforts to destabilize the Middle East through its proxies, China's aggressive stance toward Taiwan, and Turkey's role within NATO. McMaster advocated for greater displays of strength by the United States, including increased aid to Ukraine and more decisive actions against Iran when its proxies attack the US and its allies. He also reflected on the policy successes and setbacks he experienced during his tenure as national security advisor in the Trump administration.

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