Religion & Liberty Online Archives

International Affairs

July 11, 2019

Is there such a thing as ‘good nationalism’?

In the world of Brexit, Trump, Marine Le Pen, Viktor Orbán and all the rest, “nationalism” has become all too frequent a topic. In the 20th century the term became associated with fascism (the word “Nazi” comes from “national,” after all), but the story of nationalism goes back much farther than Nazism and isn’t nearly so one-sided a concept as it’s often made out to be. Continue Reading...
July 11, 2019

Bolsonaro’s first 6 months

Jair Bolsonaro has completed his first 6 months as the president of Brazil. After nearly being killed by a socialist militant during his campaign and a surprising victory in the 2018 elections, the conservative politician has, against the odds, accomplished what few people could have imagined. Continue Reading...
July 09, 2019

Greece: The end of austerity populism?

On Monday, the leadership of the anti-austerity populism passed definitively to Matteo Salvini of Italy, as Kyriakos Mitsotakis was sworn in as the prime minister of Greece. Mitsotakis, the son of former Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis, displaced Alexis Tsipras of the left-wing ruling party, Syriza (literally “the Coalition of the Left”), on a platform of lower taxes, deregulation, and unleashing the free market. Continue Reading...
July 03, 2019

Who are the EU leadership candidates?

The slate for the top positions in the European Union has been released, and the process of selecting candidates was nearly as discouraging as the nominees chosen. Ursula von der Leyen, who was chosen to become the next president of the European Commission, has particularly concerning views on economics. Continue Reading...
July 01, 2019

Dostoevsky: An author for all seasons

“Conservatism,” wrote Russell Kirk, “is the negation of ideology.” Kirk’s tradition rejects ideology, because “[t]he ideologues who promise the perfection of man and society have converted a great part of the twentieth-century world into a terrestrial hell.” Continue Reading...