Uncommon Knowledge is a Hoover Institution‘s flagship program that provides an “outlet for political leaders, scholars, journalists, and today’s big thinkers to share their views with the world.”

In a special edition of Uncommon Knowledge at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit, Peter Robinson interviews former presidents and prime ministers on one subject: democracy. Following a unique format, Robinson asks each of the guests the same questions to get their distinctive perspectives on issues such as the rise of authoritarianism in Russia, communist China, and the prospects for democracy.

The guests include the former deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, Nick Clegg; former president of Mexico, Felipe Calderón; former president of Estonia and current Hoover visiting fellow, Toomas Hendrik Ilves; and former prime minister of Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

The guests analyze economic growth in China and how that growth did not lead to the democratic country predicted by economic experts in 90s. They dive into why China does not truly have a free market, nor does it follow traditional Leninist/Marxist communism’s disdain for material goods. The guests go on to analyze changes in Russia in the last thirty years under President Putin and how foreign policy with Russia has affected their respective countries. They discuss the future of Russian and Chinese relations and how they believe those two countries are trying to shape the world.

The guests invited for the interview were:

• Nick Clegg  deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015.
• Felipe Calderón, president of Mexico from 2006 to 2012.
• Toomas Hendrik Ilves Estonia’s president from 2006 to 2016. He is currently a Hoover visiting fellow.
• Anders Fogh Rasmussen Danish Prime Minister from 2001 to 2009, and Secretary General of NATO from 2009 to 2014.

A video of the interview recorded on 22 June 2018 is found below.