How do leaders wage war or end conflicts when ordinary voters have a different preference? How do democratic leaders make decisions around the use of force when voters can hold them accountable at the polls? In “The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace,” Elizabeth Saunders examines this challenge and argues it is elites—presidential advisers, legislators, and military officials—who are key to understanding this puzzle and shaping the use of force in American foreign policy.
On Monday, May 13, the Foreign Policy program at Brookings hosted a panel discussion to analyze the themes of the book and how leaders must navigate this insiders’ game.
Viewers submitted questions via email to [email protected] and via X (Twitter) to @BrookingsFP using #InsidersGame.
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Agenda
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May 13
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Introduction
Michael E. O’Hanlon Director of Research - Foreign Policy, Director - Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Co-Director - Africa Security Initiative, Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy @MichaelEOHanlon -
Keynote remarks
Elizabeth N. Saunders Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology @ProfSaunders -
Panel discussion
Panelists
E.J. Dionne, Jr. W. Averell Harriman Chair and Senior Fellow - Governance Studies, Center for Effective Public Management @EJDionneMichael E. O’Hanlon Director of Research - Foreign Policy, Director - Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Co-Director - Africa Security Initiative, Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology, Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy @MichaelEOHanlonElizabeth N. Saunders Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology @ProfSaundersKori Schake Director, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies - American Enterprise Institute @KoriSchake
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