Podcasts about impossible presidency the rise

For our sixth episode of "History and our Current World," Jeremi Suri joins Kelly to discuss how policymakers can effectively use historical analogies without falling into the trap of oversimplification. They discuss how examining multiple historical cases rather than relying on a single analogy like Munich or Vietnam can result in better policy outcomes. Jeremi holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, and is a Professor in UT Austin's Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He is the author and editor of eleven books on contemporary politics and foreign policy, most recently Civil War By Other Means: America's Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. His other books include The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; and The Power of the Past: History and Statecraft, edited with Hal Brands. Link to Civil War By Other Means: https://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Other-Means-Unfinished/dp/1541758544  The opinions expressed in this conversation are strictly those of the participants and do not represent the views of Georgetown University or any government entity. Produced by Theo Malhotra and Freddie Mallinson.  Recorded on April 7, 2025. Diplomatic Immunity, a podcast from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, brings you frank and candid conversations with experts on the issues facing diplomats and national security decision-makers around the world. Funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more, visit our website, and follow us on Linkedin, Twitter @GUDiplomacy, and Instagram @isd.georgetown

In this episode, Ryan and JP sit down with Professor Jeremy Suri to discuss how we as a nation might get out of the political divide and turmoil that we have seen over the last few years. They discuss history, favorite presidents, and navigating conflict by focusing on values, not issues. Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University's Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Dr. Suri is the author and editor of eleven books on contemporary politics and foreign policy, most recently Civil War By Other Means: America's Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. His other books include The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; and Foreign Policy Breakthroughs: Cases in Successful Diplomacy (with Robert Hutchings). Dr. Suri writes for major newspapers and magazines including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Fortune, The American Prospect and Wired — as well as for various online sites and blogs. He is a popular public lecturer, and appears frequently on radio and television. Dr. Suri teaches courses on strategy and decision-making, leadership, globalization, international relations and modern history. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses, and he teaches and serves as academic director for the Executive Master in Public Leadership program (EMPL) at LBJ. His research and teaching have received numerous prizes. In 2007 Smithsonian magazine named him one of America's "Top Young Innovators" in the arts and sciences. In 2018 he received the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. In the same year also received the President's Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas at Austin.

Links from the show:* Civil War by Other Means: America's Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy* Jermi's Podcast* Connect with Jermi at the LBJ SchoolAbout my guest:Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University's Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Dr. Suri is the author and editor of eleven books on contemporary politics and foreign policy, most recently Civil War By Other Means: America's Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. His other books include The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; and Foreign Policy Breakthroughs: Cases in Successful Diplomacy (with Robert Hutchings).Dr. Suri writes for major newspapers and magazines including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Fortune, The American Prospect and Wired — as well as for various online sites and blogs. He is a popular public lecturer, and appears frequently on radio and television.Dr. Suri teaches courses on strategy and decision-making, leadership, globalization, international relations and modern history. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses, and he teaches and serves as academic director for the Executive Master in Public Leadership program (EMPL) at LBJ. His research and teaching have received numerous prizes. In 2007 Smithsonian magazine named him one of America's "Top Young Innovators" in the arts and sciences. In 2018 he received the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. In the same year also received the President's Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas at Austin. Get full access to Dispatches from the War Room at dispatchesfromthewarroom.substack.com/subscribe

This episode is a part of The Realignment's daily end-of-year coverage of the themes and topics that defined 2022. Subscribe to The Realignment to access our exclusive Q&A episodes and support the show: https://realignment.supercast.com/.REALIGNMENT NEWSLETTER: https://therealignment.substack.com/JOIN MARSHALL & SAAGAR AT OUR LIVE CONFERENCE IN DC ON 1/25/2023: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/realignment-live-tickets-443348436107?aff=erelexpmltPURCHASE BOOKS AT OUR BOOKSHOP: https://bookshop.org/shop/therealignmentEmail us at: realignmentpod@gmail.comJeremi Suri, author of Civil War by Other Means: America's Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy and The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office, joins The Realignment to discuss the history of debates over how America should implement its democratic ideals. Jeremi and Marshall also discuss how and why the "democracy" issue defined the midterms in battleground states, expanding responsiveness within the political system, and his critiques of the status quo. 

Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University's Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Professor Suri is the author and editor of eleven books on politics and foreign policy, most recently: Civil War By Other Means: America's Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. His other books include: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office; Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; and Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Détente. His writings appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Atlantic, Newsweek, Time, Wired, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other media. Professor Suri is a popular public lecturer and comments frequently on radio and television news. His writing and teaching have received numerous prizes, including the President's Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas and the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. Professor Suri co-hosts a weekly podcast, “This is Democracy.” His professional website is: http://jeremisuri.net.

This week, Zachary takes a turn at hosting and interviews Jeremi about his new book, Civil War By Other Means: America's Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. Tune in next week for part 2 of this discussion. Zachary sets the scene with his poem, "Every Season Goes." Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University's Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Professor Suri is the author and editor of eleven books on politics and foreign policy, most recently: Civil War By Other Means: America's Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. His other books include: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office; Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; and Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Détente. His writings appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Atlantic, Newsweek, Time, Wired, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other media. Professor Suri is a popular public lecturer and comments frequently on radio and television news. His writing and teaching have received numerous prizes, including the President's Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas and the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. Professor Suri co-hosts a weekly podcast, “This is Democracy.” His professional website is: Jeremi Suri, PhD. This episode of This is Democracy was mixed and mastered by Morgan Honaker.

Professor Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of numerous books including Henry Kissinger and the American Century, The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office and many other excellent works. The following are books and articles pertinent to our conversation today: Henry Kissinger and the American Century The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Détente Liberty's Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama

On the sixth and final episode in our series on the presidency, University of Texas professor Dr. Jeremi Suri discusses his book, "The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office." He explains how the position was created, and how early occupants unwittingly set precedents that would lead to the job of president becoming too big to succeed. He explains how the slew of presidential responsibilities, from domestic and foreign policy, the economy, acting as the head of party, the voice of the people and the commander-in-chief of a gigantic military has weighed down presidents to the point where they're essentially overwhelmed. He also explains how the American people should adjust their expectations of the president, and how the contours of the job can be changed to make it possible to succeed.Dr. Suri can be reached on Twitter @JeremiSuriHis podcast, "This is Democracy" can be found @https://podcasts.la.utexas.edu/this-is-democracyAxelbank Reports History and Today is available on Twitter and Instagram @axelbankhistoryHere is a schedule of release dates for episodes as part of our series on the presidency:***September 29th: James Poniewozik - "Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television and the Fracturing of America"***September 29th: Steven Levingston - "Barack and Joe: The Making of an Extraordinary Partnership"***October 6th: Stephen Knott - "The Lost Soul of the American Presidency: The Decline into Demagoguery and the Prospects for Renewal"***October 13th: Lindsay Chervinsky - "The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution"***October 20th: A.J. Baime - "Dewey Defeats Truman: The 1948 Election and the Battle for America's Soul"***October 27th: Jeremi Suri - "The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office"We do want to invite listeners to our Patreon page, to ask for your support in keeping the show going, which is www.patreon.com/axelbankhistory. We do not accept contributions over $5 and any monthly amount we raise over $31 - which is the exact cost to produce the show - is given to charity.

The cost of victory in WWII, The fiction of American Century, Nixon and Brezhnev, Revisiting Roosevelt: How presidential empathy can improve politics, and Why the presidency is too big to succeed, and how it could be fixed. Prof. Jeremi Suri is the Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the university's Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Prof. Suri is the author or editor of nine books on contemporary politics and foreign policy, most recently The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/scientificsense/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scientificsense/support

The office of the president in the United States is one of the most visible institutions not just in its own country, but around the world as well. The expectations that the office and officeholder carries are considerable, as are the power that goes with the office. And yet, Americans are frequently disappointed in what their chief executive chooses to do, and perhaps as importantly, in what they choose not to do. For all the power an American president wields, he has a number of profound limitations, and the powerful expectations as well as the fear of failure constrain how effective the president can hope to be. In Jeremi Suri’s Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office (Basic Books, 2017), Suri examines how the presidency came to be regarded as one of the most important institutions in the United States by using five different presidents as case studies, respectively discussing George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt. Each of these men established some precedents while overturning others, and the result that their successors found it difficult to ignore the expectations that had been established for them. In one of the book’s more telling and chilling anecdotes, Suri notes that even during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy was attending to multiple different concerns, including ceremonial meetings. The end result has been an office so burdened by ceremonial, domestic, and international concerns that the president simply has no time left in the day to pay close attention to any one thing. Suri’s analysis shows how presidents since Franklin Roosevelt have been effectively unable to meet the expectations held by the public. As polling and other metrics suggest that many Americans believe their government to be dysfunctional and at times corrupt, Suri’s analysis suggests that we need to look backwards to understand how the presidency came to be burdened by unrealistic beliefs in the power of the office. Once we understand how the country collectively crafted an office that can no longer effectively function, we can begin to consider solutions, several of which Suri offers as concluding remarks to this history. Jeremi Suri is a professor of history and holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The office of the president in the United States is one of the most visible institutions not just in its own country, but around the world as well. The expectations that the office and officeholder carries are considerable, as are the power that goes with the office. And yet, Americans are frequently disappointed in what their chief executive chooses to do, and perhaps as importantly, in what they choose not to do. For all the power an American president wields, he has a number of profound limitations, and the powerful expectations as well as the fear of failure constrain how effective the president can hope to be. In Jeremi Suri’s Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office (Basic Books, 2017), Suri examines how the presidency came to be regarded as one of the most important institutions in the United States by using five different presidents as case studies, respectively discussing George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt. Each of these men established some precedents while overturning others, and the result that their successors found it difficult to ignore the expectations that had been established for them. In one of the book’s more telling and chilling anecdotes, Suri notes that even during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy was attending to multiple different concerns, including ceremonial meetings. The end result has been an office so burdened by ceremonial, domestic, and international concerns that the president simply has no time left in the day to pay close attention to any one thing. Suri’s analysis shows how presidents since Franklin Roosevelt have been effectively unable to meet the expectations held by the public. As polling and other metrics suggest that many Americans believe their government to be dysfunctional and at times corrupt, Suri’s analysis suggests that we need to look backwards to understand how the presidency came to be burdened by unrealistic beliefs in the power of the office. Once we understand how the country collectively crafted an office that can no longer effectively function, we can begin to consider solutions, several of which Suri offers as concluding remarks to this history. Jeremi Suri is a professor of history and holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The office of the president in the United States is one of the most visible institutions not just in its own country, but around the world as well. The expectations that the office and officeholder carries are considerable, as are the power that goes with the office. And yet, Americans... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The office of the president in the United States is one of the most visible institutions not just in its own country, but around the world as well. The expectations that the office and officeholder carries are considerable, as are the power that goes with the office. And yet, Americans are frequently disappointed in what their chief executive chooses to do, and perhaps as importantly, in what they choose not to do. For all the power an American president wields, he has a number of profound limitations, and the powerful expectations as well as the fear of failure constrain how effective the president can hope to be. In Jeremi Suri’s Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office (Basic Books, 2017), Suri examines how the presidency came to be regarded as one of the most important institutions in the United States by using five different presidents as case studies, respectively discussing George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt. Each of these men established some precedents while overturning others, and the result that their successors found it difficult to ignore the expectations that had been established for them. In one of the book’s more telling and chilling anecdotes, Suri notes that even during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy was attending to multiple different concerns, including ceremonial meetings. The end result has been an office so burdened by ceremonial, domestic, and international concerns that the president simply has no time left in the day to pay close attention to any one thing. Suri’s analysis shows how presidents since Franklin Roosevelt have been effectively unable to meet the expectations held by the public. As polling and other metrics suggest that many Americans believe their government to be dysfunctional and at times corrupt, Suri’s analysis suggests that we need to look backwards to understand how the presidency came to be burdened by unrealistic beliefs in the power of the office. Once we understand how the country collectively crafted an office that can no longer effectively function, we can begin to consider solutions, several of which Suri offers as concluding remarks to this history. Jeremi Suri is a professor of history and holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The office of the president in the United States is one of the most visible institutions not just in its own country, but around the world as well. The expectations that the office and officeholder carries are considerable, as are the power that goes with the office. And yet, Americans are frequently disappointed in what their chief executive chooses to do, and perhaps as importantly, in what they choose not to do. For all the power an American president wields, he has a number of profound limitations, and the powerful expectations as well as the fear of failure constrain how effective the president can hope to be. In Jeremi Suri’s Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office (Basic Books, 2017), Suri examines how the presidency came to be regarded as one of the most important institutions in the United States by using five different presidents as case studies, respectively discussing George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt. Each of these men established some precedents while overturning others, and the result that their successors found it difficult to ignore the expectations that had been established for them. In one of the book’s more telling and chilling anecdotes, Suri notes that even during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy was attending to multiple different concerns, including ceremonial meetings. The end result has been an office so burdened by ceremonial, domestic, and international concerns that the president simply has no time left in the day to pay close attention to any one thing. Suri’s analysis shows how presidents since Franklin Roosevelt have been effectively unable to meet the expectations held by the public. As polling and other metrics suggest that many Americans believe their government to be dysfunctional and at times corrupt, Suri’s analysis suggests that we need to look backwards to understand how the presidency came to be burdened by unrealistic beliefs in the power of the office. Once we understand how the country collectively crafted an office that can no longer effectively function, we can begin to consider solutions, several of which Suri offers as concluding remarks to this history. Jeremi Suri is a professor of history and holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas in Austin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are back! After an extended spring break, the Out of Order crew is back in the studio to bring you informative and relevant speakers and ideas, exploring how the world was, is and will be ordered. In this episode, we discuss whether the West is a club built on common values or shared interests. Specifically, we look at the case of NATO and Turkey and consider both how democratic backsliding affects and should affect their relationship. NATO’s founding treaty refers includes a statement of common values in its preamble, mentioning the “freedom, common heritage, and civilization of their peoples” and that it is “founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and rule of law.” But how important have these common principles really been for NATO? Is it really a democratic, liberal organization, or is it simply a security alliance against the (then) Soviet Union and today Russia? We discuss the current political situation in Turkey, the prospects for reform and NATO’s proper role in pushing against anti-democratic developments. We also discuss the nature of NATO as an alliance and its history of accepting less-than-democratic members. Co-host Rachel Tausendfreund was joined for the episode by Özgür Unluhisarcikli, Director of GMF’s Ankara office and Jan Techau, the Director of GMF’s Europe program out of the Berlin office. Thinks and Tanks: Özgür’s think: Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War (2010) by Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way. Link: http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/comparative-politics/competitive-authoritarianism-hybrid-regimes-after-cold-war?format=HB&isbn=9780521882521#h0IMKjHeGwJdRV53.97 Jan’s think: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office (2017) by Jeremi Suri and “How the Presidency became Impossible” by John Dickerson in The Atlantic Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/05/a-broken-office/556883/ Rachel’s think: the May/June issue of the Berlin Policy Journal “And Yet it Moves." Specifically the interview with former German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble Link: https://berlinpolicyjournal.com/i-strongly-advise-against-arrogance/

In his latest book, The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office, Jeremi examines the evolution of the office of the President of the United States and the men who have held that position. We discuss how the role has changed and why many of our most recent presidents seem to have failed so miserably. Join us for this exploration of the American presidency and how today’s situation fits in the arc of history. Get full show notes and more information here: http://bit.ly/2Alxdgs

Before the Cold War, the president spent most of his time focusing on long-term problems facing the nation. But ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president has had to devote more time to immediate crises than overarching strategy. Author Jeremi Suri explains how the office of the president has changed so drastically—and whether there’s any way for occupants to succeed now. Suri’s new book is The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office. In the Spiel, more ways to think about gun reform.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before the Cold War, the president spent most of his time focusing on long-term problems facing the nation. But ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president has had to devote more time to immediate crises than overarching strategy. Author Jeremi Suri explains how the office of the president has changed so drastically—and whether there’s any way for occupants to succeed now. Suri’s new book is The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office. In the Spiel, more ways to think about gun reform.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeremi Suri returns to Global I.Q. Minute to discuss his new book, The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office. Suri argues that "the vastness of the [Presidency] makes it almost impossible to fulfill the expectations placed upon it."

Over the past two and a half centuries, the expectations placed upon the office of the President have changed and evolved with each individual charged with holding the position. From George Washington to Barack Obama, each occupant has left his mark on the office. However, since WWII, the occupant of America's highest office has aspired to do more and more, but seems to have accomplished less and less. Have the expectations placed upon the office actually made the position less effective? In his new book "The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America's Highest Office," returning guest Jeremi Suri (UT-Austin) takes a long historical look at what has made presidents successful in the role of chief executive, and asks whether the office has evolved to take on too much responsibility to govern effectively.