The Political Scene | The New Yorker

A Stark Warning About the 2026 Election, with Robert Kagan

January 16, 2026·41 min·4-min readroundtablepolitics
Podzilla Summary (4 min)
TLDR
Robert Kagan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and historian, delivers a chilling assessment of the current state of American democracy, arguing that the authoritarian takeover he warned about in 2016 is now well underway. He contends that Donald Trump, driven by a desire for

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Guest

R

Robert Kagan

roundtable on The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Robert KaganDonald TrumpSusan B. GlasserEvan OsnosJane Mayer

Books

The Jungle Grows Backby Robert KaganOf Paradise and Powerby Robert Kagan

Topics

AuthoritarianismDemocracyForeign PolicyGeopoliticsLong Form JournalismPolitical NewsUs Politics

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