Chronological Snobbery and the American Founding

Days before the Fourth of July, Colin Kaepernick expressed his discontent with Nike’s new Betsy Ross Flag shoes because, he claimed, the flag represents the thirteen colonies which stood for slavery. A few of the Democratic presidential hopefuls voiced their agreement with Kaepernick. Then, the Charlottesville, Va., City Council voted to cease recognizing and celebrating Thomas Jefferson’s birthday as an official holiday. Around this same time, the San Francisco school board voted to paint over an 84-year-old, 1,600-foot-long mural depicting the life of George Washington at local George Washington High School. Something has changed. The American Founders find themselves in

The Rise of Anti-Fusionism

In the early days of National Review, William F. Buckley and Frank Meyer coined the term “fusionism” to describe their political philosophy. The goal was to wed classical liberalism (democracy and capitalism) with a kind of generic Judeo-Christian traditionalism. Some of today’s most prominent fusionists include David French, Yuval Levin, and Ben Shapiro. Fusionism has been the prevailing ideology of conservatism for a long time, but some brave anti-fusionists, such as Tucker Carlson and Sohrab Ahmari, are now questioning it.  To better understand this debate, some historical context is needed. In medieval Europe, most governments existed to preserve a hierarchy

President Trump’s Syria Decision Draws on Hard Lessons from History

President Trump recently expressed his intent to withdraw US forces from Syria and Afghanistan. This should not be a major surprise. Trump campaigned in 2016 on an America First message, taking aim at many of the previous two administrations’ policies. He blasted American intervention in Iraq and proclaimed that we should leave Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power, allowing him to fight ISIS in Syria. He voiced a desire to “get along” with Russia and even suggested that NATO may be unnecessary. He criticized nation building and promised to build a military so great and powerful that we would never

Why Macron Is Wrong About Trump and Nationalism

“Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism; nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism,” said French President Emmanuel Macron last Sunday. He continued, “By saying we put ourselves first and the others don’t matter, we erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what makes it great and what is essential: its moral values.” This reminds me of an exchange between Enoch Powell and Margaret Thatcher. At a meeting of the Conservative Philosophy Group in London in the 1980s, the anti-war advocate Edward Norman presented a defense of British nuclear armament. His main point was that a nuclear Britain would

On Afghanistan, Trump Finally Abandons the Bush-Obama Message

… The American people are weary of war without victory. … Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition:  attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge. … Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live,