Yoram Hazony’s 2022 book, Conservatism: A Rediscovery, comes at a time when the conservative movement is soul-searching and questioning. Conservatives are asking what is to be conserved. They seek to know what they are fighting for, not who they are fighting against. As liberalism decays, many, like the author, dispute with those … Read more
The cultural devastation around us leads many to ask where we went wrong. Most realize it did not happen overnight. A long process has brought us to ruin. R. Reno’s book, Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism, and the Future of the West, is an accurate, even refreshing critique of the post-war … Read more
As globalism comes under increasing attack, the right attitude toward the local nation and the global world is hard to find. Too much attachment to a local place can lead to narrow and distorted perspectives that can stifle development. Too little loyalty to a nation in favor of vague global links can … Read more
Nationalism is a phenomenon that has a long history prior to its present form in modern times. It has always been a model that puts national interests above all others. It has also opposed the unity of Christendom that put God and His law above all things. Prior to the nationalist scourge, … Read more
It is not easy for a Catholic writer to evaluate a book by a Jewish author advocating a Protestant political framework. That is the task for the Catholic reading The Virtue of Nationalism by Yoram Hazony. The recent book is a challenging addition to the already complex debate over nationalism that now … Read more
At first glance, nationalism and patriotism seem synonymous. However, the concepts are two poles, two extremes, two irreconcilably antagonistic ideas. Patriotism expresses a sense of fidelity to a people and especially to its traditional authority. It is a virtue close to filial piety, by which children love, honor and serve their parents. … Read more
In July of 1917, Our Lady told the three visionaries at Fatima that Russia would “spread her errors throughout the world.” The Soviet Union spent seventy-four years doing just that. Many hoped that this spread would end when the Soviet Union dissolved the day after Christmas 1991. Early indications were promising. The … Read more
Nationalism is one of those vague terms that appears when a social order is not anchored in moral certainties. The term can take on many meanings, some good, others bad because when nothing is certain, a climate of anxiety takes hold that distorts the national debate. This climate is found in today’s … Read more
“There is no God in this book.” Thus reads the provocative first sentence of Jonah Goldberg’s latest release, The Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy. This declaration is perhaps an unintended summary of the book about the crisis in the … Read more
Words can have a magical effect on people. Their simple usage can even change the way the public views people and positions. Long ago, the left figured this out and has taken full advantage of the fact. Thus, when homosexuals became “gays” and pro-abortionists became “pro-choicers” their status somehow improved, in spite … Read more