Date: 2026-03-03 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00029304
ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS
THE HOOVER INSTITUTION
Fund raising letter from Condoleezza Rice ... December 2025
THE HOOVER INSTITUTION
Fund raising letter from Condoleezza Rice ... December 2025
Original article:
Dear Friend,
I write today to thank you for your generous support of the Hoover Institution and to update you on the consequential work of our scholars. In a period of uncertainty and change in the world, their research helps us understand this moment and chart a path forward for America.
Recent developments have shaken the international order that has guaranteed peace and prosperity for America and the free world since the end of the Second World War. That order was based on the idea that cooperation among friends and allies, rooted in shared ideas about the value of democracy and free markets, could create benefits that were widely distributed.
While that order largely delivered on the promise, we now witness that it would not stop the reemergence of great-power rivalry on the international stage, fueled by revanchist authoritarian governments in Beijing and the Kremlin. On the domestic front, we see a deepening sense that the benefits of that system were not equally shared across the population.
The world today is vastly different then it was in 1945, and it is evolving in significant ways. The application of technologies like artificial intelligence only increase the pace of change.
But what will this new global commons resemble? How will America chart its new course? We are too powerful a nation to stand aside while the world drifts into uncertainty.
The Hoover Institution, with its consortium of scholars unrivaled anywhere else, coupled with your continued generosity, can help guide a path toward international peace and economic prosperity sustained by American leadership.
To deepen our understanding of the evolving trajectories of the global commons, earlier this fall we brought a delegation of Hoover scholars to Washington, London, and Berlin for a series of discussions with American policymakers and allied leaders. These visits were an opportunity to exchange perspectives, gather insights, and strengthen ideas about how to solve challenges that lie ahead.
This new global commons is being shaped by technological breakthroughs in ways that previous generations could hardly have imagined. To help navigate this terrain, Senior Fellow Amy Zegart and the Technology Policy Accelerator she leads are working to ensure policymakers are equipped to understand advances in AI, bioengineering, space, robotics, and other emerging fields. Their work is critical to keeping America at the forefront of innovation and maintaining our competitive edge, particularly in relation to China, our main rival in these domains.
Just as we must stay ahead in the technological arena, sustaining a strong America also depends on a vibrant civic culture—one where all citizens can participate freely and engage respectfully. Under the leadership of Senior Fellow Brandice Canes-Wrone, Hoover’s Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI) is working to reinvigorate civics education and foster engagement across the country. Earlier this year, Utah Governor Spencer Cox joined us for a public discussion at the Civic Learning Week National Forum, copresented by RAI and iCivics, to discuss strengthening our civic fabric and encouraging meaningful dialogue across diverse perspectives.
A crucial way to understand the trajectory of the international order is to draw lessons from history, especially from the defining challenges of past eras. The Hoover History Lab, led by Senior Fellow Stephen Kotkin, examines the challenges the United States faces today through a historical lens—offering insights that can inform thoughtful policy and decision making.
Building on this work, the lab launched its first History Skills Academy, giving high school students access to fellows and hands-on experience with primary sources from the Hoover Institution’s renowned Library & Archives. By training these emerging scholars, we equip the next generation to interpret the past and, in doing so, gain the tools to navigate the uncertainties of the future.
To extend the reach of our fellows’ analysis, our marketing and communications team launched Freedom Frequency, Hoover’s Substack platform, in early October—introducing a new way to deliver Hoover’s ideas to a world audience. In the first installment of what will become a monthly column, I described the project as a signal rooted in liberty, democracy, and the rule of law—”timeless values tested across centuries but urgently relevant now.”
October also saw us honor a lifetime of contributions to truth and bold inquiry by Senior Fellow Thomas Sowell. We were joined by influential thinkers, including Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK Conservative Party. Both of them spoke of how Thomas’s writing unlocked a newfound sense of identity and realization about the world around them. We also heard from students across the globe who shared research papers highlighting the generational impact of his ideas.
All of this underscores the work Hoover fellows are doing to interpret recent developments and what they mean for America. As this new global commons takes shape, America must lead—and Hoover scholars are equipping us with the insights to do so.
Thank you again for your steadfast support, which makes this essential work possible.
Sincerely,
SIGNED Condoleezza Rice
Your tax-deductible gift will help ensure Hoover’s continued impact on the most pressing policy issues:
Peter Burgess COMMENTARY
I have not been a 'fan' of Condoleezza Rice since her time in Washington with the George Bush administration. I relate to some of her views about the world, but not so much her 'right wing' perspectives.
To be clear ... in some matters, I am quite right wing myself ... or 'conservative'. But I am also a supporter of a lot of ideas that the right wing of politics might label as 'socialist' or even 'communist'.
I ended my formal education more than 60 years ago! A lot of good new ideas have emerged since then ... but the people of the world are not sharing in the world's good possibilities in a manner that is at all fair!
MORE TO COME
Peter Burgess
Transcript