Institute of Politics

No Republican politician illustrates the power and peril of Donald Trump and his takeover of the G.O.P. quite like New Jersey's two-term governor, Chris Christie. Christie, once the exemplar of Republican pugilism, went from competitor to wingman in Trump's successful rise to the presidency only to[...]

The field of international policy bridges a variety of interests and industries, connecting defense contractors and diplomats as well as activists and non-government organizations under a common goal of uniting the globe economically and politically. However, careers in international policy vary in[...]

From the Muslim valedictorian whose speech was canceled at the University of Southern California and a proposed forced sale of TikTok by its Chinese owners to the ban of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the debate over who is censoring whom rages on in American life. How far do the[...]

In his new book, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni examines how perpetual grievance has come to define our political culture on both sides of the aisle. How do we sort grievance as an agent of needed change from invented, ostentatious outrage? Where is the path out of this zero sum game, in[...]

How do we engage with people whose viewpoints we find wrong, or even dangerous? How can we disagree with people without abandoning our most strongly held beliefs? On the heels of Samar Ali’s exploration of listening techniques, David Brooks, author of How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others[...]

Vanita Gupta made history when she became the first civil rights attorney to serve in a top three leadership position at the Department of Justice, a position she left in February after three years. Her portfolio was as high-profile as it was wide-ranging, including civil rights, antitrust, and[...]

From the Oprah Winfrey Show to House music, Black Chicago is the birthplace of many cultural currents that have had an indisputable influence on American society and the world. However, credit is not always given where credit is due. Presented by Chicago Style, this book talk features[...]

South Africa has had an ongoing period of national blackouts due to a rotating electricity supply because there is not enough electricity to meet the demand. Its energy crisis began towards the end of 2007 and continues today. In 2022, the World Bank deemed South Africa to have the highest[...]

Chicago played a vital role in shaping the political identities of Barack and Michelle Obama. This panel will present first person accounts from an oral history project that explores how Chicago's transformation from an industrial hub to a cutting-edge information economy parallels the political[...]