John Avlon is Senior Political Analyst at CNN, where he also serves as an anchor. A Yale graduate who holds an MBA from Columbia University, Avlon previously served as Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Beast, columnist for The New York Sun, and chief speechwriter for Rudy Giuliani when the Republican served as New York City’s mayor. Avlon also has authored such books as the recent Lincoln and the Fight for Peace.
He discusses Lincoln’s influence on democracy’s spread in this conversation with David Kramer, the Bradford M. Freeman Managing Director of Global Policy at the George W. Bush Institute; Christopher Walsh, Deputy Director of Freedom and Democracy at the Bush Institute; and William McKenzie, Senior Editorial Advisor at the Bush Institute. Lincoln’s understanding of how to “win the peace,” Avlon believes, made it possible for democracy to take hold in Germany and Japan following World War II. He also reminds us that self-government is work and requires vigorous citizenship.
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