Lavin Speaker News

“A clear-eyed take on how liberal democracy fell.” Rave Reviews for Yascha Mounk’s The People vs. Democracy Are Already Rolling In

It’s only been out for a week, but already The Guardian, The New Yorker, Kirkus, and more are lauding Yascha Mounk’s The People vs. Democracy—an incisive analysis on why and how liberal democracy has broken, and what can be done to fix it— as one of the most important reads of the year. And even... Continue Reading →

“He’s Created His Own Ecosystem.” The Lavin Interview with Mark Leibovich: On Trump and Political Disruption

Mark Leibovich’s trenchant take on the elite world of Washington politics—the major and minor players, the whole gilded institution—has earned him the #1 spot on the bestseller list (for This Town) and won him praise as “the reigning master of the political profile” (Washingtonian magazine). One of... Continue Reading →

The Definitive Book on the Islamic State: Graeme Wood’s The Way of the Strangers Arrives Next Week

Graeme Wood’s The Way of the Strangers—a gripping and myth-busting study of ISIS—hits shelves next week. Wood’s full-length expose follows his electrifying Atlantic article “What ISIS Really Wants”: a key text to understanding the theology, psychology, and strategy of the Islamic State. Wood’s... Continue Reading →

What Does ISIS Really Want? Ask Our Newest Speaker, The Atlantic’s Graeme Wood

Graeme Wood’s Atlantic cover story “What ISIS Really Wants” was the most-read article on the Internet—the entire Internet—in 2015. In it, he delves deep into a group few of us truly understand. And in his keynotes, he asks—and answers—vital questions. What does ISIS actually want? Who are they? And... Continue Reading →

Trump Roundup: Ali, Fallows, & Francis

The Donald Trump-Ghazala Khan saga has evolved once again. Khan, the mother of slain U.S. military captain Humayun Khan, came under fire from Trump after remaining silent while her husband spoke at last week’s Democratic National Convention. “If you look at his wife, she was standing there,” Trump... Continue Reading →

Where Do We Go from Here? Lavin Speakers on the Brexit Referendum

Last week, the UK stunned the world when it voted (narrowly) in favour of seceding from the European Union. And at The Lavin Agency, a number of our expert keynote speakers are well-primed to talk about Brexit—what it means for the global economy, international relations, innovation, business, and... Continue Reading →

Mark Leibovich’s NYT Magazine Cover Story on the GOP Identity Crisis

What does Donald Trump’s campaign—both highly public and decidedly unconventional—mean for the party he represents? Will the GOP become inextricably tied to Trump’s manner and viewpoints, win or lose? Two Lavin speakers have recently written high-profile pieces on Trump and the fate of the... Continue Reading →

Foreign Policy Under Fire: Introducing New Speaker Jeremy Scahill

Jeremy Scahill—author, investigative reporter, and a founding editor of The Intercept—is a prominent critic of America's War on Terror, a campaign marked by assassinations, drone strikes, surveillance, and covert ops. An increasingly important figure in the media, he calls into question the... Continue Reading →

Clinton, Trump Winning Same States for Different Reasons: Derek Thompson in The Atlantic

In this morning’s Atlantic, senior editor Derek Thompson reveals a curious trend in the presidential primaries: where Hillary Clinton is winning, so is Donald Trump. Despite heavy losses west of the Mississippi, both candidates have won a stretch of 15 contiguous states—from Louisiana along the Gulf... Continue Reading →

First Look: Andrew Bacevich’s New Book, America’s War for the Greater Middle East

For the past 35 years, the U.S. has been in a perpetual state of warfare in the Middle East. From the Carter Doctrine to Operation Desert Storm, the bombing of Beirut to the covert support of jihadists in Afghanistan, and from ‘Black Hawk Down’ in Somalia to the collapse of Iraq, America has... Continue Reading →