Octavian

The State and Art of Storytelling

A Conversation with Deborah Treisman, fiction editor of The New Yorker

Jul 28 • 

Richard Hurowitz

27

3

June 2025

Wise Man: George P. Shultz on Trump, Russia, and America's Greatest Challenges

"Let’s be realists. That doesn’t mean when you see an opportunity you don’t recognize it, but be realistic about what’s going on."

Jun 12 • 

Richard Hurowitz

May 2025

My Chat(GPT) with Winston Churchill

AI allows the Prime Minister to offer his thoughts on Joe Rogan, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and artificial intelligence itself.

May 12 • 

Richard Hurowitz

5

April 2025

The Neo-Ottoman Sultan: Erdogan and the new Turkish adventurism

The CFR's Steven Cook on the shocking arrest of Istanbul's mayor, Erdogan's strategy, and why Turkey can be a highly disruptive force

Apr 23 • 

Richard Hurowitz

4

Our conversation with Mario Vargas Llosa

The Nobel Laureate passed away on Sunday, his legacy and insights live on.

Apr 16 • 

Richard Hurowitz

5

1

Why tariffs are the anti-MAGA

William Jennings Bryan, perhaps the greatest advocate for the downtrodden in U.S. history, knew protectionism amounted to a tax on Americans.

Apr 7 • 

Richard Hurowitz

3

March 2025

Miracle in Burundi: From Subsistence Farmers to Google Engineers

How Etienne Mashuli is helping the world's poorest children attend the Ivy League and preventing genocide in the process

Mar 27 • 

Richard Hurowitz

5

10

Denzel, Othello and Harold Bloom

"It is heartbreaking, and a true tragedy, and a purifying ordeal."

Mar 25 • 

Richard Hurowitz

2

The Tariff Disaster of 1930

How tariffs destroyed the global economy during the Great Depression

Mar 19 • 

Richard Hurowitz

5

Beware the Ides of March

Barry Strauss on Julius Caesar and the balancing act between resentment and loyalty

Mar 15 • 

The Octavian Report

3

The Forgotten Disasters: Sudan and Congo

Ambassador Michelle Gavin of the Council on Foreign Relations on the two worst crises in the world and why they are ignored

Mar 13 • 

Richard Hurowitz

13

1

The Mind of Xi Jinping

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Xi's strategy for China in a world in turmoil

Mar 6 • 

Richard Hurowitz

9

1