Five Questions for Stephen Kotkin: Advice for the New Administration (and the Rest of Us)
From Uncommon Knowledge
Stephen Kotkin•Historian and Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
Executive Summary
12 quotes
Concerns Raised
Putin's regime will not negotiate an acceptable peace in Ukraine without direct, existential pressure from the US.
A direct military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities could backfire by rallying the Iranian people around the hated regime.
The incoming Trump administration may misread its narrow electoral mandate and overreach, squandering the opportunity for a durable political realignment.
Insufficient American power and will is the primary driver of current global instability.
Opportunities Identified
Engage with Russian nationalist elites who are dismayed by Putin's actions to create internal pressure for regime change.
Leverage the internal illegitimacy of the Iranian regime to foster its collapse from within, resolving the nuclear threat long-term.
A new US administration has the potential to forge a lasting political realignment and national renewal, similar to the Reagan era.
The tech revolution is empowering interior states like Texas, Tennessee, and Florida, creating new centers of economic dynamism and renewal.