Book Talk, Part II: Churchill & Orwell and the Fight for Freedom
Are we living through the 1930s all over again?
On this week’s second episode of The E.R., FP’s executive editor for news Sharon Weinberger continues the discussion with Kori Schake, David Kenner, and Tom Ricks on Ricks’s new book, Churchill & Orwell: The Fight for Freedom, released this week.
On this week’s second episode of The E.R., FP’s executive editor for news Sharon Weinberger continues the discussion with Kori Schake, David Kenner, and Tom Ricks on Ricks’s new book, Churchill & Orwell: The Fight for Freedom, released this week.
In today’s turbulent political environment, there are many parallels between the era of Orwell and Churchill: a sense of foreboding uncertainty about power and nationalism, a questioning of Western society’s fundamental concepts, and a distaste of political speech. While President Donald Trump is the manifestation of a deep divide in America’s electorate, but likewise Churchill and Orwell often struggled with the political and social chasms in British society. Drawing from Ricks’s book, the group takes a hard look at the future of the United States and the world, and whether history is being repeated.
The E.R. team then tries to imagine what Churchill and Orwell would have thought of Trump. How would they see America today? And what would they make of a president who does not read, who trumpets fake facts, has little appreciation of the Constitution, and whose appointments and demeanor speak of complete incompetency for the position?
Tom Ricks is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, penning numerous bestsellers including Fiasco and The Generals. He is a Foreign Policy columnist and edits the daily Best Defense blog. His newest book, Churchill & Orwell: The Fight for Freedom, was released on May 23, 2017. Follow him on Twitter: @tomricks1.
Kori Schake is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where she focuses on military history, and a former foreign-policy advisor to Sen. John McCain. Follow her on Twitter at: @KoriSchake.
David Kenner is FP’s Middle East editor, based in Beirut. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidKenner.
Sharon Weinberger is FP’s executive editor for news. She is the author of The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World. Follow her on Twitter: @weinbergersa.
Tune in, now twice a week, to FP’s The E.R.
Subscribe to The E.R. and Global Thinkers podcasts on iTunes.
More from Foreign Policy

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.