Books and Insight with Frank Lavin

Frank Lavin talks about Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan with Ken Khachigian, author, speechwriter, strategic consultant, and presidential advisor. His book, “Behind Closed Doors,” discusses his work with these two presidents. Ken also recommends Geoff Shepard’s “The Nixon Conspiracy” and Richard Nixon’s “Memoirs.”

Frank Lavin talks about Indonesia and Southeast Asia with Gita Wirjawan, Visiting Scholar at Stanford University and former Minister of Trade for Indonesia. For insights on successful societies and successful lives, Gita recommends “Range” by David Epstein and “The Narrow Corridor” by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson.

Frank Lavin talks about technology, trade policy, and international business with Alex Capri, Senior Lecturer at the National University of Singapore and author of “Techno-Nationalism: How It’s Reshaping Trade, Geopolitics, and Society.” Alex also recommends “Chip War” by Chris Miller, as a nice complement to his book.

Frank Lavin talks about human rights in Hong Kong and China with Mark Clifford, President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, and author of “The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic.” Mark also recommends the memoirs of political prisoner Wei Jingshen, “The Courage to Stand Alone” and Fyodor Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” - given that some say Jimmy Lai has the “soul of a Russian poet.”

Frank Lavin talks about doing business in China with Ken Wilcox, the former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, who went on to run the SVB joint venture in China, the story of which resulted in his insightful book, “The China Business Conundrum.” Beyond his book, Ken also recommends “Red Roulette” by Desmond Shum and “Beijing Rules” by Bethany Allen for those interested in a deeper reading of the challenges U.S. businesses face in China.

Frank Lavin talks about the mid-east with Bucky Apisdorf, President and CEO of the Israeli charity, Let’s Do Something, formed after the tragic attacks of Oct 7, 2023. We discuss how this calamity affected Israel, the Palestinians, and prospects for peace. Bucky recommend’s Herman Wouk’s magisterial novels of World War II, “The Winds of War,” and “War and Remembrance.”

Frank Lavin talks with Anil Ananthaswamy, journalist and author to discuss the role of artificial intelligence. We discuss Anil’s book, “Why Machines Learn” which examines machine learning and the origins of AI, and we learn of Anil’s recommendation of Anil Seth’s “Being You.”

Frank Lavin talks with Jonathan Martin, Senior Political Writer, Politico, to discuss the 2024 presidential race and what Harris and Trump each need to do in the final stretch. We also discuss Jonathan’s book, “This Will Not Pass,” as well as Richard Ben Cramer’s masterpiece of the 1988 presidential campaign, “What it Takes.” At least one swear word in this episode. If you need more than that, you can listen again.

Frank Lavin talks with Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for New American Security, to discuss why the U.S. should shift from a Europe-oriented foreign policy to an Asia-oriented one. We review recent developments in U.S.-Asia policy in a discussion of Richard’s book, “The Lost Decade,” written with Robert Blackwill. Richard also recommends David Fromkin’s, “A Peace to End All Peace,” a look at the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, with implications for the Mideast of today.

Frank Lavin talks with Jason Hsu from the Kennedy School of Government, discussing semiconductors and Taiwan-China-U.S. relations. Appropriately, Jason’s book recommendation is Thomas Schelling’s, Arms and Influence, the classic work of deterrence theory and Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.