Straight Talk with Rahm Emanuel: A fireside chat with Michael McFaul

Video Description

Stanford University's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) was pleased to host Ambassador, Mayor, Congressman, and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for a fireside chat with Ambassador Michael McFaul, with welcome remarks by Kiyoteru Tsutsui, the director of APARC, followed by a Q&A session. Ambassador Emanuel, most recently the Ambassador of the United States to Japan, is famous for straight talk, relentless drive, and game-changing results. He shared his unvarnished thoughts on America’s relationships with Japan and other key allies, and, more broadly, what it means to lead and the leadership we need at home and abroad at this moment in history. Ambassador Emanuel is a brilliant strategist and an engaging speaker who will hold us accountable. This was a fast-paced and wide-ranging discussion, including important insights from one of our generation’s brightest minds and greatest leaders. Rahm Emanuel has devoted his life to public service, with a remarkable number of impactful leadership positions across government. Appointed the 31st United States Ambassador to Japan by President Joe Biden, he most recently served in Tokyo from 2022 to 2025 during a period of expanding Chinese aggression and massive investment in our Asia Pacific Alliances. As Mayor of the City of Chicago from 2011-2019, he invested in education, providing universal public pre-kindergarten and full-day kindergarten for every Chicago child, and free community college. Chicago led the U.S. in corporate relocations and foreign direct investment for seven consecutive years during his administration, and he prioritized investment in infrastructure, public transportation, open space, and cultural attractions. From 2008-2010, Ambassador Emanuel was President Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff and top advisor, helping secure the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act and the landmark Affordable Care Act. Emanuel was elected four times as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois’s 5th Congressional District (2002-2008). As Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Emanuel helped pass legislation to raise the minimum wage and authored the Great Lakes Restoration Act. From 1993 to 1998, Ambassador Emanuel rose to serve as Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Politics in the Clinton Administration, spearheading efforts to pass the President’s signature achievements, including the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, and the historic Balanced Budget Act, which created the Children’s Health Insurance Program expanding health care coverage to 10 million children. Moderator ========= Michael McFaul, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies in the Department of Political Science, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, all at Stanford University. Welcome Remarks =============== Kiyoteru Tsutsui, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Professor of Sociology, Henri H. and Tomoye Takahashi Professor and Senior Fellow in Japanese Studies at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC), Director of APARC and of the Japan Program at APARC.