Fr. James V. Schall on The Openness of the Christian Mind
Ken Masugi continues his series of Advent interviews with political theorist James V. Schall, S.J. The conversation begins with discussion of Fr. Schall's new book, The Mind that is Catholic. Fr. Schall discusses, among other things, what long and short books we should be reading, and the eternal relationship between reason and revelation, or between politics and theology.Sirens of Davos
Fareed Zakaria has been seduced by the conventional wisdom, writes Gerard Alexander in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.When Worlds Collide
It is a sad reflection on the current state of popular historical writing that one approaches any book about Islamic history with the question: what's the angle, writes John Derbyshire in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Political History for a Political Nation
If the key to American history is American politics, is it not time that our historians recognized that reality, asks Richard Samuelson in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Progressive Conservative?
Despite what his enthusiastic modern supporters claim, Teddy Roosevelt was no conservative, writes Jean M. Yarbrough in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Confused About Conservatism
Increasingly, there is a division within American conservatism—or what is called that—about whether the revival of limited government remains a defining goal, writes Douglas A. Jeffrey in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.The Presidential Nomination Mess
It is a peculiarity of American government that after more than 200 years no fixed system exists for selecting the president of the United States, writes James W. Ceaser in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Inside the Box
The policies that are standard issue in the U.S. national security bureaucracy are intellectual novocaine, writes Angelo M. Codevilla in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Georgia on My Mind
Are we doomed to enter into another confrontation with Russia, asks Jakub J. Grygiel in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Reforming Big Government
The welfare state can’t go on indefinitely, but it does, writes William Voegeli in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Eyes Wide Open
Al-Qaeda’s failure to strike our homeland during the last seven years suggests that our policies are working. Why, then, are policymakers, legislators, and Supreme Court Justices scaling back many of the safeguards now in place, asks Steven Emerson in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Fall 2008 CRB (4.3 MB)
abstractFirst, Survive
Israel has been losing almost as steadily in the war of ideas over the Jewish state, as she has, until recently, been winning on the battlefield, writes Edward Alexander in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Raising the Bar
While conservatives can take pride in their organizational and intellectual achievements, liberals can take heart in the remarkable resilience of the liberal legal network, writes R. Shep Melnick in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Bad Little Fictions
Scholars and critics have been only too eager to pick apart the James family’s dysfunctions, almost to the exclusion of their achievements, writes Cheryl Miller in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Leafing Through Old Books
Mark Hulliung’s new book, The Social Contract in America, is not even wrong in interesting ways, writes Jeremy Rabkin in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Property Rights and the Web
The new movement of cyber-world legal academics centered at Harvard and Stanford misunderstands the fundamentals of economics, history, and the wisdom of crowds, writes James V. DeLong in the Fall 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Correspondence
The Critic Who Sometimes Exists
Discrimination used to be a critic's most valuable stock in trade, the touchstone of his own quality or lack thereof. Multiculturalist gourmandise, the eagerness to take in as much as the belly can hold—and the more alien the fare the better, however insipid or scorching it may be—has pretty well put an end to that, writes Algis Valiunas in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.First Things
Central to negotiating the "theological-political problem" at the heart of modern constitutionalism was to cast individual conscience—in a manner that implicated both speech and religion—as beyond the proper care of civil authority, writes George Thomas in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Team of Rivals
The history of war is the history of alliances. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, two very different kinds were on prominent display: the desperate switching to and fro of Josef Stalin, who first joined with Hitler and then Hitler's enemies; and the Anglo-American alliance based on ties of ancestry and shared ideals, writes Lauren Weiner.Our Robed Rulers
Has the science of politics, said by America's founders to have been greatly improved since antiquity, further improved since they wrote the Constitution, asks James R. Stoner, Jr., in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Understanding the Need for a National Missile Defense After 9/11
Without any defense, we would today have to suffer helplessly a ballistic missile attack, just as we suffered helplessly on September 11, writes Brian T. Kennedy.Remaking Humanity
Bold in its claims and wildly arrogant in its approach, the international population control movement of the 20th century provides a stark example of the harms that can occur in the name of benevolence, writes Christine Rosen.There He Goes Again
In The Age of Reagan, Sean Wilentz simply does not want to engage with conservative thought. The book has no discussion of the complexities of conservative thinking, how conservatism relates to modern American culture, or how conservative thought has contributed to the changes of the past three decades, writes John Ehrman.The Great and the Good
Is there a substantive difference between the aims and accomplishments of Nelson Mandela, George Washington, and Winston Churchill on the one hand, and those of Idi Amin, Joseph Stalin, and Neville Chamberlain on the other, asks Paul A. Rahe in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.The Chosen and the Almost-Chosen
The Americans who fought their way from Omaha Beach to Dachau or who held the Chinese army to a bloody stalemate in Korea did so not as crusading knights aiming to justify their privileges before God, but from a sense of what was necessary for their own security—out of love for their neighbors at home—as well as out of love for their neighbors abroad, writes Michael S. Kochin.City on a Hill
In America, devout Christians and secularists alike appear to view religion as a fundamentally private matter (though not necessarily for the same reasons), writes Thomas E. Schneider in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Rich Country, Strong Arms
Worldwide, activists of every stripe, from dilettante movie stars to Tibetans and Uighurs willing to lay down their lives, have seen China's coming into the light because of the Olympics as a point of leverage by which to make its governance more humane and democratic. They are mistaken, writes Mark Helprin in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Beyond the Nation State
The present European Union philosophical framework is, ultimately, incompatible with liberal democracy. It is time to stop engaging in politesse and say so openly, writes John Fonte in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Nixon's the One
Don't expect politicians to credit Richard Nixon as an inspiration. For many voters, his reputation remains radioactive. But if you had to pick the political figure who did the most to shape and model the way we practice politics today, Nixon would indeed be the one, writes John J. Pitney, Jr., in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Why Doesn't the World Understand Us?
There has long been an unwritten Anglo-American strategy for economic and military dominance. The aim has been to create a world-wide system of trade, investment, and military might, based on sea power, writes Andrew Cort in his review of Walter Russell Mead's God and Gold.
A Righteous Wind
It would be painful to imagine two modern politicians locked in a three-hour marathon like the Lincoln-Douglas debates. If held to the single subject rule, each would probably sputter to a halt after 15 minutes. Perhaps there are a few gaseous supermen who could fill three hours with sheer platitudes, weaving bloviated variations on the same insipid theme. But the scene is too awful to contemplate. Judging from reality television, though, it might draw high ratings, writes Charles Kesler in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Civil Rights and the Conservative Movement
William F. Buckley Jr. and Martin Luther King Jr. forged the conservative and civil rights movements, respectively, each of which reshaped American politics in the second half of the 20th century. These two political movements were not, as conceived, antagonists, writes William Voegeli in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.What Howe Hath Wrought
Decades hence, what Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. was to Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, Daniel Walker Howe will be to John Quincy Adams and the Whigs, writes Christopher Levenick in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Summer 2008 CRB (4.6 MB)
Bearing Witness
We might call Clarence Thomas the essential American, a man who loved America from the start, even when that love was painfully unrequited. As the Supreme Court Justice most committed to conservatism and the constitution, it is not too much to say that the success of the American experiment depends in part on whether the opinions of Justice Thomas continue to persuade, writes Wendy E. Long in the Summer 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Faith Friendly?
John DiIulio offers a vision of faith friendly policy that is free from parochialism and cant, but he muddies the waters on faith-based hiring rights, writes Joseph M. Knippenberg.Books in Brief
Correspondence
When Law is Not Enough
Lawyers and legislators can only go so far in directing the conduct of war. Then you need a president, writes Michael M. Uhlmann in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Man of a Thousand Faces
Will the Real Liberal Please Stand Up?
Make the Sudan an Offer It Can't Refuse
A Bright and Active Boy
Puritans and Cavaliers
Yin and Yang
A Monument to Adams
Our Philosophic Constitution
Paul R. DeHart's Uncovering the Constitution's Moral Design argues that the United States Constitution is thoroughly Aristotelian and Thomistic, but one wonders if it is as logically consistent as DeHart's method forces it to be, writes Ryan T. Anderson.
Tyranny of the Majority
Unruly Americans, by University of Richmond historian Woody Holton, is a tendentious and unapologetic neo-populist fable that dismisses the favorable view of the founders advanced in recent scholarship, writes Herman Belz.The Persistence of Religion
Through its radical questioning of all things including religion and tradition, modern thought had made all things questionable, including modernity's confident repudiation of religion and tradition, writes Peter Berkowitz in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Against the Atheists
The case against atheism remains necessary and important. But that case will not suffice against the rivals Christians face, writes Dinesh D'Souza in Spring 2008 of Claremont Review of Books.
Golden Juggler
Joseph Epstein has chosen the Samuel Johnson route to literary renown, in which familiarity breeds affection, and in four decades of brilliant writing he has become his own Boswell, writes Joseph Tartakovsky in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Our American Mind for War
Because of the American mind for war, America's conflicts have fallen into two broad types: professional wars and citizen wars, writes Thomas A. Bruscino, Jr.
A Nicer Form of Tyranny
The Progressives were the first generation of Americans to reject the American Founders' classical or natural rights liberalism, offering instead a vision of the modern state as a kind of god with almost limitless power to achieve "social justice." When modern liberals like Senator Clinton call themselves progressives, therefore, they are telling the truth, even if their audiences don't fully understand the implications, writes Ronald J. Pestritto in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Economics and the Entrepreneur
Joseph Schumpeter put growth and entrepreneurship at the center of economics, illuminating the way forward into the 21st century and showing how the possibility of civilization, with all its blessings and challenges, could spread across the globe, writes Carl J. Schramm in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Thoughts and Adventures
The eight-volume biography of Winston S. Churchill is worthy of a great man, writes Larry P. Arnn in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Correspondence
abstractA Born Teacher
Two new books remind us what made William F. Buckley, Jr., so extraordinary, writes Daniel Oliver in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Spring 2008 Claremont Review of Books Now Available
The Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books is now available, featuring Charles R. Kesler and Daniel Oliver on William F. Buckley, Jr., James W. Ceaser on the 2008 presidential primaries, Harry V. Jaffa on Sen. Obama's reply to Rev. Wright, Michael M. Uhlmann on the war powers, Carl J. Schramm on modern economics, Larry P. Arnn on Sir Winston Churchill, Harvey C. Mansfield on charity, plus discussions of Progressivism, atheism, intelligent design, P.G. Wodehouse, Dick Cheney, Joseph Epstein, Henry Adams, the Glorious Revolution, the Civil War, and more.
Spring 2008 CRB (4.6 MB PDF)
God Bless America
abstractFrom the New to the Old Whigs
McCain Mutiny
Ostracism following tests of ideological purity and "right thinking" is a specialty of the Left. Not that it doesn't exist on the Right, blooming with great malice as it does on the radio, writes Mark Helprin in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Buckley's Legacy
Bill Buckley knew that there is something precious and worth fighting for at the root of the American way of life, at the foundation of the Republic, writes Charles R. Kesler in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
The Common Form of All the Virtues
The reason that liberals give less is that they believe in justice more than generosity. They think that generosity is hit-or-miss, whereas justice covers everyone, at least in principle, writes Harvey C. Mansfield in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.States' Rights and Wrongs
Not only did secession fracture the Union, it did so on behalf of a practice which obliterated the fundamental natural right to liberty, which the federal Constitution was supposed to protect, writes Allen C. Guelzo in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
Property vs. Democracy
Can the American regime combine equality and strong democracy with extensive material prosperity, asks Alan Gibson in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
The Master
P.G. Wodehouse is adored the world over. By the turn of the millennium he had sold some 100 million books in more than 20 languages, writes Cheryl Miller in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
The Education of Henry Adams
In The Education of Henry Adams, the author took history so seriously that he lamented deeply his incapacity to impart any generalizations worthy of being called lessons, much less laws, writes John Patrick Diggins in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Not a Hugger
Cheney Derangement Syndrome is threatening the mental health of the cultural and political Left, writes John J. Pitney, Jr., in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Science and Faith
What are we to make of the fact that thousands of scientists go about their research every day, untroubled by the notion that science and theism are incompatible, asks Joseph M. Bessette in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
He Was No Alexander Hamilton
Aaron Burr concealed, under a pose of languor and nonchalance, a keen ambition and a projecting boldness, writes Michael Knox Beran in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
What a Long, Strange Race It's Been
With little in the way of new thinking to offer, Senators Obama, Clinton, and McCain have focused on the "personal factor," writes James W. Ceaser in the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.
God Bless America
We may understand how Rev. Jeremiah Wright could so awfully misunderstand the American political tradition, inasmuch as it has been so very misunderstood for so long. But this misunderstanding is a cancer which can in the end prove fatal, not only to a political campaign but to our country, writes Harry V. Jaffa in this special preview of the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.What a Long, Strange Race It's Been
With little in the way of new thinking to offer, Senators Obama, Clinton, and McCain have focused on the "personal factor." In this special preview of the Spring 2008 issue of the Claremont Review of Books, James W. Ceaser examines the race so far and wonders what we can expect during the months ahead.For the Children
Over the past four decades, American adults have seemed more concerned with enjoying their own existence than with the generation and welfare of children, writes F. Carolyn Graglia in the Winter 2007/08 issue of the Claremont Review of Books. Kay Hymowitz's Marriage and Caste in America and David Blankenhorn's The Future of Marriage address the consequences of this failure to attend to nature's scheme.The Primaries
The Realist
Two recent books on the life and career of Henry Kissinger offer complementary (or divergent) views of the work of the former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, writes Peter Josephson.The Industrious State
How is it that in the 19th century, England came to have dominion over so many lands and so many peoples, asks Arnold Kling.Loss Upon Loss
Virgil's Aeneid—a poem that requires of its readers something like the largeness of heart shown by its author and its hero—has found a most worthy translator in Robert Fagles, writes Anthony Esolen in the Winter 2007/08 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.Remembering William F. Buckley, Jr. (1925-2008)
All of us at the Claremont Institute are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend, William F. Buckley, Jr., the man who shaped the modern American conservative movement.
Audio from Bill Bennett's Morning in America:
• 
Download Here (mp3)
Senior Fellow Charles R. Kesler recalls Buckley's very early influence on his academic career.
Via National Review Online:
• WFB: A Celebration
A symposium with contributions by Washington Fellow William J. Bennett and Charles Kesler.
From the Claremont Institute archives:
• The Right Stuff by Michael M. Uhlmann
From the Summer 2005 Claremont Review of Books: The success of the conservative movement would have been unthinkable without the inspiration, verve, and genius of Bill Buckley, writes Uhlmann.
• A Life in Speeches by Charles R. Kesler
A review of Buckley's Let Us Talk of Many Things: The Collected Speeches.
• Wine With Lunch by William F. Buckley, Jr.
From the Fall 2000 Claremont Review of Books: Buckley on Wine.
• Amicus Brief by William F. Buckley, Jr.
From the Fall 2006 Claremont Review of Books: Buckley reviews Joseph Epstein's Friendship: An Exposé.
