Interview with Barry Strauss

04/17/25 • 32 min

An Interview with Barry Strauss, Esteemed Classicist, Military and Naval Historian, and Best-selling Author

Different civilizations, cultures and countries have experienced the rise of remarkable leaders. While these leaders may have ruled under vastly different circumstances, they often share similar characteristics. Many too, have made the same costly mistakes.

Our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom is Barry Strauss, a leading historian who has explored many fascinating leaders, particularly from ancient classical times. He deepens our understanding about the universal qualities of leadership and shares lessons of the ancient world that remain applicable today.

Topics Discussed on this Episode:

What drew Barry to the study of the ancient world and the leaders who shaped it
Universal qualities of a capable and effective leader
Common mistakes that great leaders have made and what can be learned from them
The ancient leader that fascinates Barry the most
Barry’s experiences in promoting free speech within the academy
Why free speech has been restricted within higher education
What previous civilizations tell us about free speech, including who had the privilege or right to practice it
The history of disinformation and how it was used in the ancient world
Barry’s process of bringing ancient leaders to life through his writing
How to get young people to engage with the classical world
Whether the ideals of the Western tradition are at threat of being lost
Reaction to winning a Bradley Prize

About Barry Strauss

Barry Strauss is a bestselling author, and an esteemed military and naval historian. He is currently the Corliss Page Dean Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Series Editor of Princeton’s Turning Points in Ancient History. Barry is also the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies Emeritus at Cornell University, where he was the Chair of the Department of History as well as Professor of History and Classics.

In addition, he is a 2025 Bradley Prize winner.

An Interview with Barry Strauss, Esteemed Classicist, Military and Naval Historian, and Best-selling Author

Topics Discussed on this Episode:

What drew Barry to the study of the ancient world and the leaders who shaped it
Universal qualities of a capable and effective leader
Common mistakes that great leaders have made and what can be learned from them
The ancient leader that fascinates Barry the most
Barry’s experiences in promoting free speech within the academy
Why free speech has been restricted within higher education
What previous civilizations tell us about free speech, including who had the privilege or right to practice it
The history of disinformation and how it was used in the ancient world
Barry’s process of bringing ancient leaders to life through his writing
How to get young people to engage with the classical world
Whether the ideals of the Western tradition are at threat of being lost
Reaction to winning a Bradley Prize

About Barry Strauss

In addition, he is a 2025 Bradley Prize winner.

Previous Episode

Interview wth James Piereson

An Interview with James Piereson, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute, and Trustee, Thomas W. Smith Foundation

The vigorous forces shaping American society, politics, and the economy today could have a transformative impact on the country’s future. Even amidst a sea of change and political realignments, our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom, says that the Constitution will be an enduring structure that continues to guide us.

James Piereson has dedicated his career to American history, Constitutional thought, and philanthropy. He shares his thoughts on the current environment in the US, the role of ideas in politics today, the state of the Constitution, and more.

Topics Discussed on this Episode:

Jim’s path to the study of American history and constitutional thought
The current political and ideological realignment in the U.S.
Whether the center right needs a “new fusionism”
Areas around which conservatives can coalesce today
The state of the Constitution
How universities should be responding to the realities of today’s environment
Philanthropy’s role in a polarized climate
Ways in which philanthropy can address societal problems
Reaction to receiving a Bradley Prize

About James Piereson:

James Piereson is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Public Policy, where he writes on philanthropy, higher education, and general political subjects.

Previously, he was president and trustee of the William E. Simon Foundation, which was a private grant-making foundation with interests in education and religion. Before that, Jim was the executive director of the John M. Olin Foundation, also a private grant-making foundation, which worked to advance conservative ideals.

He has served on the political science faculties of several prominent universities, serves on the board of many non-profit organizations, and is a distinguished published author.

He is also a 2025 Bradley Prize winner.

Next Episode

Interview with Christopher Rufo

An Interview with Christopher Rufo, Writer, Filmmaker and Commentator

For more than half a century, many of America’s most revered institutions have been infiltrated with ideas that run counter to the country’s founding principles. This ideological capture has been acute within prestigious universities, to the point where the opportunity for viewpoint diversity continues to be under severe threat.

Yet, according to our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom, all is not lost. In fact, he believes that there has been an ideological shift not only within higher education, but in society, politics, culture and in civic institutions. And, he says, it’s only beginning.

Christ Rufo discusses how his unique background, which is rooted in both scholarship and filmmaking, has led him to believe that it’s possible and vital to restore the principles of American exceptionalism.

Topics Discussed on this Episode

Why Chris went into documentary filmmaking upon graduation from Georgetown University.
What Chris learned directing documentaries and why he focused on urban areas
How Chris’ filmmaking experience turned him into an advocate for solutions to the problems he was seeing
Reversing the ideological capture of higher universities and how to turn ideas rooted in scholarship into reality.
Opportunities to change the culture in institutions that seem permanently captured, such as government, higher education, and entertainment
Why the younger generation is gravitating towards values and ideals traditionally tied to free enterprise, liberty and free speech
The rise of independent media and how it has contributed to the cultural shift
What it means to receive a Bradley Prize

About Christopher Rufo Rufo is a bestselling author, filmmaker and commentator, whose work has significantly influenced contemporary American culture and policies. He’s also a senior fellow and director of the initiative on critical race theory at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal.

Rufo is a 2025 Bradley Prize winner.