Soho Forum Debates

Hal Brands and Gareth Porter debated the resolution, "The Cold War was a necessary response by the United States to a Soviet and Chinese threat to the global balance of power" at the Soho Forum on June 19, 2025. Senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Hal Brands, defendedthe resolution. He has author multiple books on the Cold War, including The Twilight Struggle: What the Cold War Teaches Us About Great-Power Rivalry Today. Arguing against the resolution was Gareth Porter, an award-winning journalist and historian who authored Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. The debate was moderated by Soho Forum director Gene Epstein. Here is a link to the debate: https://www.youtube.com/live/b-32cncDogM?si=HGb66lxxwVCfXIns