

10:30 am EDT - 11:30 am EDT
Past Event
10:30 am - 11:30 am EDT
1775 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC
20036
How do leaders wage war or end conflicts when ordinary voters have a different preference? How do democratic leaders make decisions around the use of force when voters can hold them accountable at the polls? In “The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace,” Elizabeth Saunders examines this challenge and argues it is elites—presidential advisers, legislators, and military officials—who are key to understanding this puzzle and shaping the use of force in American foreign policy.
On Monday, May 13, the Foreign Policy program at Brookings hosted a panel discussion to analyze the themes of the book and how leaders must navigate this insiders’ game.
Viewers submitted questions via email to [email protected] and via X (Twitter) to @BrookingsFP using #InsidersGame.
Panelists
Sophie Roehse, Constanze Stelzenmüller
June 17, 2025
Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Robert Einhorn, Vanda Felbab-Brown, Sharan Grewal, Samantha Gross, Louison Sall, Steven Heydemann, Mara Karlin, Suzanne Maloney, Itamar Rabinovich, Yun Sun
June 16, 2025
Ryan Hass
June 9, 2025