One way to delineate the Left vs. Right divide is as a clash between the Ideal and the Real, between the Utopian and the Pragmatic. Or between the experienced and the untested, in the sense that even what had begun as utopianism became, over time, 'established' with a set of dogma and sense of limits,... Read More

Jimmy Carter will almost certainly be remembered as a liberal lion. That reputation, however, stems from his post-presidential work with Habitat for Humanity and his role attempting to mediate peace in the Middle East and elsewhere. His affable manner and trademark smile contributed to that impression. But Carter's leading role was as president. Personal rebranding... Read More

Some years ago (summer 1974) when I was completing a doctorate in history and political science in Europe, I made a journey south from Rome to the Italian city of Naples. Earlier, before traveling to Europe on a Richard Weaver Fellowship, I had managed to read two engrossing volumes on the Bourbon monarchy of the... Read More

"Before disco, this country was a dancing wasteland. You know the Woodstock generation of the 1960s that were so full of themselves and conceited? None of those people could dance." – Charlotte Whit Stillman's films are mainly known for their dialogue and have been compared with the works of Eric Rohmer. And yet, music plays... Read More

Race and conservatism? Yes, that was the title of the panel discussion I'd signed up for, at the Robert A. Taft Club in Arlington, Va. I'd signed up without much thought, being of an insecure and self-deprecating nature (ask anyone), and always flattered to be invited to events at clubs and institutions with impressive-sounding names.... Read More

The people of Britain have spoken, and the Labour Party is back in power with a comfortable, if much diminished, majority of seats in Parliament. The leader of the Conservative Party has said he will step down, forcing the Tories to their fourth leadership election in eight years.* The victorious Labour Party got 36 percent... Read More

So where am I on this "crunchy conservative" business? I haven't a clue. See, I may be a naturalized American, but I still have those English genes (or is it memes? — but read on). One of the most English of mental characteristics is a deep resistance to large abstract theories about society and politics... Read More