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Why I Am Not a Liberal

From the March 2020 Print Edition

I never called myself a liberal. For a long time, however, I ­considered liberalism a sound theory that, whatever its weaknesses, was committed to freedom of discussion, pluralism, and a general attitude of respect for the beliefs of one’s fellow citizens, even when they are wrongheaded. But I . . . . Continue Reading »

The Demon in Middlebury

From the Aug/Sept 2019 Print Edition

The invitation from Middlebury College to speak about my book The Demon in Democracy came last year. I was pleased to receive it, as it seemed to indicate that the book resonated in American academic circles. Middlebury was the sixth or seventh university in America to have issued such an . . . . Continue Reading »

Russian Jeremiah

From the January 2019 Print Edition

Between Two Millstones, Book 1: Sketches of Exile, 1974–1978 by aleksandr solzhenitsyn notre dame, 480 pages, $35 The first volume of Solzhenitsyn’s memoir of exile, Between Two Millstones, begins with the author’s expulsion from the Soviet Union and closes with him viewing the landscape . . . . Continue Reading »

Battle for Europe

From the April 2018 Print Edition

Byliśmy głupi by marcin król czerwone i czarne, 256 pages, zł 39.90 Pravým okem: Antologie současného polského politického myšlení edited by maciej ruczaj and maciej szymanowski centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury, 203 pages, kč 249 Resistance to Communism in Eastern Europe was . . . . Continue Reading »

Trump in Poland

From Web Exclusives

What made the majority of Poles particularly disposed to welcome Trump was precisely what makes him a hate-figure in Germany and among many in his own nation: Trump is thought to be a dissenter. He dissents from the ideologically correct mainstream politics that has been stifling Western civilization for some time. Continue Reading »