Serve to Lead® | James Strock

The United States and Iran are at war. Coordinated US-Israel attacks on February 28, 2026, have unleashed a conflict of unclear objectives and uncertain duration.

President Trump unilaterally ordered commencement of offensive operations. There has been no express congressional authorization, much less a constitutionally mandated declaration of war. The administration has not made the case for exigent circumstances, such as defense ...

From Israel and Palestine to Ukraine and Russia, from China to the various European Union member states, nationalism is surging.

The UK Brexit referendum of 2016, followed by Donald Trump’s shock victory in the US presidential election, were milestones in a new populist moment. Nationalism is a defining aspect of the ongoing disruption of transnational elites and centrist consensus.

R.R. Reno is highly respected, widely recognized co...

David S. Brown is a prolific author who applies academic rigor and a literary sensibility to illuminate key moments and personalities through American history.

His highly praised new book, In the Arena: Theodore Roosevelt in War, Peace, and Revolution, analyzes a leader like no other in a time very much like our own.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Brown analyzes Roosevelt’s “complex” mix of conservative and radical views, his prote...

PHILIP K. HOWARD is a distinguished lawyer, best-selling author, and proven civic leader. He is chair of Common Good, a nonpartisan organization aimed at simplifying government.

In his new book, Saving Can-Do: How to Revive the Spirit of America, Howard untangles the gordian knot of populism and broken governance seizing up the American experiment as we approach our 250th anniversary.

Critical minerals are the new oil—and the global competition for the clean energy future is on.

As nations around the world transition toward a cleaner, more diversified portfolio of energy sources, the spotlight is turning to critical minerals.

Lithium and other minerals have uses from electric vehicles and e-bikes to smartphones, computers, medical devices, and drones.

The implications are far-reaching:

—how should environmental cost...

We are in the midst of a series of transformations—political, financial, economic, international, and cultural. At the center of our public affairs for the past decade—for better or worse or a bit of both depending on your point of view—is President Donald Trump.

New York Times reporter Peter Baker said in 2025, “Trump is the most powerful president of our lifetime.”

At the six-month point of Trump’s second term—like Grover Cleveland...

University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer argues that “Nationalism is the most powerful political ideology on the planet.”

Nationalism is flaring across the world in the 2020s. The Russia-Ukraine War can be comprehended as a contest of competing nationalist visions. Nationalist themes are rising in the politics of the United States and United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Turkey, Israel, India, and China.

Nation...

Woodrow Wilson was widely admired throughout the twentieth century. Surveys of scholars often included him among the higher ranks of presidents. Many of his critics acknowledged his administration as among the most consequential in our history.

In the early twenty-first century Wilson’s star has been in eclipse. His positions on race and gender issues have been highlighted for their jarring discordance from those of our time. Some c...

In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, historian, educator, author, and activist Elisabeth Griffith discusses American Women Making History: Past, Present & Future.

Dr. Griffith considers a range of issues, including: her wide-angle view of the state of women in the US today; the significance of “gender equity” in politics; the relative contributions of politics, culture, technology, science, education, and finance in evolvin...

Anthropology is the study of what makes us human.

With memorable elan, Wade Davis applies anthropology as a platform for exploring and illuminating a range of phenomena. A polymath possessing a restless intellect and unflagging energy, Davis explores the further reaches of the planet as well as familiar, often underexamined matters closer to home.

As he gets beneath the surface of things, he reveals interconnections and conjures unex...

In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, author Ken Khachigian discusses his important, highly readable, and critically acclaimed new book, Behind Closed Doors: In the Room with Reagan and Nixon.

Khachigian has achieved a storied career in American politics. He has been a participant in some of the great events of the second half of the tumultuous twentieth century, including:

—the improbable comeback of Richard Nixon, reaching ...

In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, author Megan Gorman illuminates a little explored aspect of our best-known political figures: their personal finances.

We all know George Washington was our first president, our first of all firsts—First in War, First in Peace, First in the Hearts of His Countrymen.

Was Washington also first in his financial and business acumen?

Abraham Lincoln is shrouded in myth. Megan Gorman demonstrate...

Germany sustained a political earthquake in recent elections in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony. The parties of the national governing coalition sustained grievous losses—and a populist surge propelled the right-wing Alliance for Germany to record votes. Some sense ominous echoes of the rise to prominence of the Nazi Party in 1924.

Jürgen Resch is well suited to evaluate the historic changes underway. He leads the respect...

Elliot Ackerman is a widely respected writer. His reach extends across fiction and non-fiction, from novels to essays to memoir and commentary. He is an exemplar of Theodore Roosevelt’s ideal of service combining thought and action.

In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Ackerman discusses his bestselling new book, 2054: A Novel. This is a successor to 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. Each is coauthored with Admiral James...

In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, noted journalist Kourosh Ziabari shares his perspective on the intertwined destinies of Iran and America. Ziabari represents a rising generation in Iran and the US. Currently enrolled in the master’s program of the Columbia Journalism School, he has accrued experiences worthy of an extended career. Ziabari urges Americans to distinguish between our reactions to the authoritarian regime ...

Benn Steil is an award-winning writer in the fields of finance, history, and biography. He is a senior fellow and director of international economics at the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Steil discusses his important new book, “The World That Wasn’t: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century.' He explains the ongoing significance of Henry Wallace to our ...

Philip K Howard is a leading reformer of American law and government. He combines thought and action: A prolific, best-selling writer and frequent commentator who founded the non-partisan group, Common Good.

He is the author of an eagerly awaited new book, Everyday Freedom: Designing the Framework for a Flourishing Society.

In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Howard discusses the urgent need and prospects for change, in tim...

Can America overcome the political polarization and dysfunction afflicting us in recent decades?

Or are our circumstances so dire and unprecedented that decline is inevitable and history holds few lessons?

If you’re a pessimist, veteran political commentator and public official Ted Van Dyk would like a word.

In this episode of the Serve to Lead podcast, Van Dyk applies his extraordinary experiences in politics, government, and academe...

Richard Norton Smith is at the top tier of American presidential historians. He is the author of the highly acclaimed new biography: An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford.

Smith is widely recognized for his regular appearances on the PBS News Hour, as well as a historical commentator on CBS and other networks. He’s a familiar and beloved guide to history on CSPAN.

In this episode of the Serve...