Global policy brief highlights security challenges, Middle East strategy, and economic reform
Today’s policy digest brings a wide-ranging look at how leaders and institutions are navigating a complex international landscape, from battlefield hotspots to boardroom reforms and political leadership challenges.
Revitalizing History
A dialogue between Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Roberts and Condoleezza Rice, the former US secretary of state and current director of the Hoover Institution, dives into today’s international hotspots. They weigh Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising tensions with China over Taiwan, and the tangled relationships among Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. The discussion centers on how leaders draw lessons from history, what could push the world toward a new Cold War, and how nations might address evolving security and prosperity challenges. Director Rice also shares thoughts on artificial intelligence’s rapid ascent and recommends Fei-Fei Li’s The Worlds I See, underscoring the role of technology policy in shaping future governance. The exchange is tied to Stanford’s Emerging Technology Review, a collaboration between Hoover’s Technology Policy Accelerator and Stanford’s School of Engineering.
The Middle East
Two senior policy thinkers argue that clinging to a two-state frame without reflecting political realities will fail again. Russell A. Berman and Kiron K. Skinner advocate building on the Abraham Accords’ model—using political rapprochement as a gateway to economic cooperation and integration. They contend that France’s stated plan to recognize Palestine at the UN could undermine American policy and security interests in the region and beyond. The piece suggests that if French leadership undermines U.S. initiatives in the Middle East, Washington might recalibrate its support with France. The analysis invites readers to consider how allied coordination, security arrangements, and economic incentives can shift regional dynamics away from stalemate toward practical engagement.
Answering Challenges to Advanced Economies
In a new episode of a policy series, Jon Hartley and Liz Truss discuss the future of the United Kingdom’s economy. Truss reflects on her upbringing in politics and economics, her premiership, and the currency market crisis of 2022, while weighing the UK’s role amid a global economy facing China’s ascent. The conversation covers free speech in the UK and the Anglosphere, the incoming government’s approach under Starmer, and the path for the UK and its allies in global affairs. Truss emphasizes the need for comprehensive governance reforms, noting concerns about competitiveness, energy costs, taxes, and the welfare state—signaling that major reforms may be required to keep the “show on the road.”
Security and Defense
A new Defining Ideas essay by Vivek Lall calls for sweeping reforms to the United States’ defense establishment, particularly around foreign military sales and international security assistance policies. Lall, the CEO of General Atomics, recounts how his company offered Ukraine a MQ-9 Reaper drone for a symbolic one dollar in 2023, an offer that reportedly stalled within the Pentagon’s bureaucratic system. He argues that the United States must overhaul outdated procedures to sustain defense capabilities and ensure rapid-eyed support for partners in a volatile security environment.
US Politics and Institutions
Victor Davis Hanson weighs in on executive moves that target Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies. He contends that DEI policies have been losing public support and critiquing how rigid preferences can complicate organizational management and social cohesion in a multiracial society. Separately, Michael McConnell—Senior Fellow and former federal judge—was honored with the 2025 Notre Dame Prize for Religious Liberty, with colleagues praising his lifelong contributions to constitutional understanding of religion and religious liberty in legal practice and scholarship.
What this signals for readers
– Global security discussions remain deeply interwoven with historical lessons and forward-looking technology policy.
– Middle East strategy is shifting toward economic normalcy and regional integration, while questions about international alignment and national interests persist.
– Western economies face a push for structural reforms to maintain competitiveness, with debates over energy, taxation, and the welfare state intensifying.
– Defense logistics and bureaucratic modernization are seen as essential to sustaining alliance commitments in a tense geopolitical climate.
– Debates over DEI policies and religious liberty continue to shape domestic policy discourse and constitutional theory.
Takeaways and potential positives
– The emphasis on bridging diplomacy with economic cooperation, as seen in Abraham Accords-inspired thinking, could produce concrete gains in regional stability and trade.
– Refocusing defense and security procedures toward rapid, policy-aligned decision-making may strengthen both US and allied capabilities in a competitive era.
– Reaffirmations of religious liberty and civil rights discussions signal ongoing commitment to constitutional values amid evolving social and political challenges.
– The ongoing conversations around AI policy and technology governance highlight a path toward more thoughtful integration of advanced tech into national strategy.
Editor’s note
The collection reflects a broad, multi-directional policy conversation among scholars, former officials, and industry leaders. While topics span high-stakes geopolitics, economic reform, and domestic policy debates, the throughline is a search for pragmatic, experience-informed solutions that can adapt to a rapidly changing world. A hopeful takeaway is that cross-Atlantic collaboration and innovative policy design—whether through regional economic normalization, defense modernization, or governance reform—offer avenues to bolster stability, growth, and shared prosperity.
Summary in brief
The week’s policy digest covers security challenges and historical perspectives from Roberts and Rice, Middle East strategic recalibration with Abraham Accords-inspired thinking, UK pro-growth policy discussions with Liz Truss, calls for defense reform to streamline support for allies, and domestic debates on DEI, with recognition of religious liberty work. The common thread is a push for practical, collaborative approaches to today’s complex geopolitical and economic landscape.