National Security

Revitalizing American Institutions

Lessons From The Hoover Policy Boot Camp

Contributing Scholar: Stephen Kotkin

New World Order: Myth or Reality?

America’s power has never been greater—yet the global order it built is under strain. Drawing on history, Senior Hoover Fellow Stephen Kotkin explains why unprecedented success, technological interdependence, and internal fragility—not decline—now pose the central strategic challenge for US leadership and why restoring a stable global equilibrium will require deliberate choices, institutional resilience, and long-term restraint.

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Q&A: Internal Challenge of Global Leadership

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Published March 20, 2026

Global leadership ultimately depends on internal cohesion. In this Q&A section, Stephen Kotkin argues that social media, not foreign rivals, now poses the most serious test for open societies—raising urgent questions about trust, legitimacy, and the future of democratic self-government.

Check out more from Stephen Kotkin:

Read "The Weakness of the Strongmen" by Stephen Kotkin here.
Watch "Five Questions for Stephen Kotkin" from Uncommon Knowledge here.
Watch "Three Historians Debate the Era of Trump" from Uncommon Knowledge with Stephen Kotkin here.

Learn more about Stephen Kotkin here.

Recorded on August 14, 2025.

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The opinions expressed in this video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University.