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The Secrets of Statecraft

The Secrets of Statecraft

Hoover Institution 79 Episodes Aug 12, 2026

Secrets of Statecraft is a bi-monthly podcast hosted by Andrew Roberts that explores how the study of history has influenced the careers and decision-making of public figures. The show also asks leading historians about the impact of history on their biographical subjects. The title is inspired by Winston Churchill's advice to a young American on Coronation Day 1953: 'Study History, study History, for therein lie all the secrets of statecraft.'

Episodes

The Secrets of Churchill’s Diplomats with Lord Peter Ricketts | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
The Secrets of Churchill’s Diplomats with Lord Peter Ricketts | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Aug 12, 2026 3523 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 men and women of the wartime Foreign Office, from Churchill’s uneasy relationship with Charles de Gaulle to Freya Stark’s espionage work and the creation of the UN and NATO. He also
The Rise and Fall of Empires with Conrad Black | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
The Rise and Fall of Empires with Conrad Black | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Jul 27, 2026 3881 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 to the outbreak of the First World War. The conversation explores the rise and fall of great empires, the enduring influence of statesmen such as Napoleon, Lincoln, Washington, Bisma
Secrets of Spin with Media Maestro David Yelland | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
Secrets of Spin with Media Maestro David Yelland | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Jul 7, 2026 3401 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, media influence, and crisis management. Yelland reflects on Rupert Murdoch, the decline of tabloid power, the rise of tech platforms and algorithms, Trump’s “flood the zone” media s
This Is Not America: A British Conversation On Race with Tomiwa Owolade | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
This Is Not America: A British Conversation On Race with Tomiwa Owolade | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Jun 16, 2026 2618 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 assumptions. He argues that importing US concepts such as critical race theory, identity politics, and Black Lives Matter into a fundamentally different British historical and social contex
Monarchy as Statecraft: Lessons from Elizabeth II with Hugo Vickers | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
Monarchy as Statecraft: Lessons from Elizabeth II with Hugo Vickers | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Jun 3, 2026 2958 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 decades of access, research, and personal experience, Vickers explains how Elizabeth II used restraint, duty, and quiet persuasion to help heal old wounds—from Germany and Ireland to th
France’s Original Culture War: The Dreyfus Affair | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
France’s Original Culture War: The Dreyfus Affair | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution May 19, 2026 2554 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 stretches from the glittering salons of Belle Époque Paris and the fury of the Dreyfus Affair to Nazi-occupied France and Auschwitz concentration camp. Blending art, aristocracy, scand
Dan Hannan and The Case for Capitalism | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
Dan Hannan and The Case for Capitalism | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution May 8, 2026 3493 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. Hannan reflects on the intellectual legacy of the IEA and argues that the case for free markets, once broadly accepted, must now be made all over again in an age drifting back toward st
Anduril’s Chris Brose on Fighting The Next War | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
Anduril’s Chris Brose on Fighting The Next War | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Apr 21, 2026 3970 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 software-driven platforms). He’s also the author of The Kill Chain. In this interview, he argues that despite massive defense spending, the United States is dangerously unprepared for a prolonge
Is Iran at the Tipping Point? with Shay Khatiri | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
Is Iran at the Tipping Point? with Shay Khatiri | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Apr 7, 2026 3129 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 2009 Green Movement and subsequent exile, Khatiri argues that the regime has evolved into a security state dominated by military interests, while losing both public trust and religio
Nigel Biggar, The Professor They Tried To Cancel | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
Nigel Biggar, The Professor They Tried To Cancel | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Mar 31, 2026 2938 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 “Ethics and Empire” project triggered a coordinated campaign to shut it down, how a major publisher canceled his book at the last minute, and how it ultimately went on to become a bestsell
Dan Wang: Is China Already Winning the 21st Century? | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
Dan Wang: Is China Already Winning the 21st Century? | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Mar 17, 2026 3517 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 manufacturing capacity, rapid electrification, and relentless infrastructure building are giving it a growing edge—even as Western democracies struggle with regulation, litigation, and
Munira Mirza’s Mission: Get Better Politicians | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution
Munira Mirza’s Mission: Get Better Politicians | Andrew Roberts | Hoover Institution Mar 3, 2026 2893 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 non-profit that tries to attract talented people to stand for public office. In this interview, she reflects on her time at the highest levels of British government and delivers a bracing d

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