Jeremi Suri

Professor Jeremi Suri is a historian, bestselling author and political commentator. He is currently the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. There, he is also a professor in the University’s Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Suri is the author and editor of 11 books on geopolitics and foreign policy, most recently Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. The book analyses the lingering societal and political effects of the Civil War in contemporary America. Suri focuses on the persistence of racism while offering a pessimistic perspective on whether the United States will ever become a truly multiracial democracy.

His other books include: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office; Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; and Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Détente.

His writings often appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Atlantic, Newsweek, Time, Wired, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other media. Suri frequently draws upon a historical perspective to comment on current political issues. He is a well-known critic of the complexity of the Presidency, arguing that the job’s vastness makes it impossible to impart bold vision. Meanwhile, Suri also emphasises the importance of transparency and public engagement in the political process.

Jeremi Suri is a popular public lecturer and comments frequently on radio and television news. His writing and teaching have received numerous prizes, including the President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas and the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. Alongside his academic work, Professor Suri hosts a weekly podcast, This is Democracy.