George Packer

Richard Holbrooke sits in a small military vehicle holding a bottle.

In ‘Our Man,’ diplomat Richard Holbrooke is both an egotist and idealist

Politics

Richard Holbrooke was an influential diplomat who’s ideas shaped US foreign policy in the late 20th century. Author George Packer spoke with Carol Hills about Holbrooke and his new book, “Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century,” which explores the complex and often contradictory ideas and lifestyle of Hoolbrooke and gives us an intimate look at the major events and people in his life.

A man in Tokyo's Ginza district reads an extra edition of a newspaper, which reported ISIS' claim to have beheaded Japanese journalist Kenji Goto on February 1, 2015.

The ‘ultra-violent death cult’ at the heart of ISIS

Conflict
Participants in a grassroots anti-Muslim movement hold German flags during a demonstration in Berlin. The rise of the group, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West, has shaken Germany's political establishment.

Germany’s anti-immigrant movement spooks the country’s leaders

Conflict
Displaced people, who fled from the violence in the province of Nineveh, arrive at Sulaimaniya province August 8, 2014. The United States began to drop relief supplies to beleaguered Yazidi refugees fleeing Islamist militants in Iraq, but there was no imm

The situation in Iraq is ‘a humanitarian crisis that could turn into a genocide’

Conflict

George Packer: ‘US Military Strikes a Lost Cause’

Conflict & Justice

Roundtable: The March on Washington & The Future of the Civil Rights Movement

Today we’re recognizing the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for what it was: A turning point in the civil rights movement that motivated Congress to take action on inequality. First came the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and then later the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Those who marched on […]

The GOP’s identity crisis

Global Politics

Divisions within the McCain campaign reflect struggle between GOP party reformers and conservative purists.

Barack Obama’s conflicting priorities

Global Politics

Can Obama fix the economy and spend big money on healthcare and energy independence all at the same time?

Is Silicon Valley Good for the World?

In his most recent New Yorker article, George Packer describes Silicon Valley’s biggest blind spot: namely, that its wealth and its youthful demographics has given way to a distinct political and social worldview that mimics libertarianism. He argues that the tech world’s aversion to government intrusion (and taxation) leaves the rest of us behind. But […]

The World

George Packer on Richard Holbrooke

Global Politics

George Packer, staff writer for The New Yorker, knew Richard Holbrooke not only through his reporting but through many conversations with the diplomatic titan. Packer was supposed to have dinner with Holbrooke this Friday, and joins us now to remember not only Holbrook’s impressive career, but his personality and his humor.