On Nationhood and Nations

Once in a great while an essay appears that gets to the heart of the matter. It’s rarer and rarer these days to see this kind of article, the kind that raises questions in such a discerning and suggestive manner that thoughtful people are obliged to pay attention. One thinks of Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s 1975 essay “The United States in Opposition” or Jeanne J. Kirkpatrick’s 1979 essay “Dictatorships and Double Standards,” the sort of pieces that Commentary, in a different iteration, used to specialize in. Charles Kesler’s essay “National Conservatism vs. American Conservatism” from the latest issue of the Claremont Review of Books makes precisely such a contribution to thoughtful public debate and discussion. Its elegant treatment of the challenge posed by the emerging movement known as National Conservatism is at once thorough, judicious, well-informed, and equitable (in the true meaning of that venerable term).