Robert Kagan

The Disjunction of Liberal Theory and Liberal Polities
The Disjunction of Liberal Theory and Liberal Polities

The confounding of contentious liberal theories with actual concrete polities stems from the assumption that liberal democratic states are somehow the product of liberal theories.

Dictatorships and Democracy: Kagan Contra Kirkpatrick
Dictatorships and Democracy: Kagan Contra Kirkpatrick

Kirkpatrick has since passed from the scene, but her influence lives on, as evidenced in Robert Kagan’s exhaustive essay “The Strongmen Strike Back.”

Can we Handle the Truth: What Robert Kagan Gets Right About Liberalism

That Robert Kagan’s recent essay, “The Strongmen Strike Back,” has sparked controversy is an unfortunate commentary on our public understanding…

What Robert Kagan Gets Wrong about Liberalism and Authoritarianism
What Robert Kagan Gets Wrong about Liberalism and Authoritarianism

Robert Kagan is correct that there are political movements that oppose neoliberal and neoconservative universalism. Authoritarianism is one of them. So, too, is Tocquevillian liberalism.

Robert Kagan and the Many Meanings of Liberalism
Robert Kagan and the Many Meanings of Liberalism

Despite his extravagant claim that liberalism alone can anchor any decent human life, Robert Kagan does not tell us what liberalism is in his Washington Post article.

Robert Kagan and the Myth of Salvation Liberalism
Robert Kagan and the Myth of Salvation Liberalism

Robert Kagan seems unwilling to consider that there might be something to learn from these “authoritarians.” If he did, he might paradoxically find an ally in the cause of preserving and securing liberal democracy and the rules-based order it helped build.

NATO Compass, Izmir, Turkey
NATO Takes the Fifth

What does NATO need to do going forward? The short answer: more and less.

Conviction in Crisis: The Image of God and Christian Global Responsibility
Conviction in Crisis: The Image of God and Christian Global Responsibility

This essay examines the perspectives of three eminent Christian leaders—Ambassador Charles Malik, Father Richard John Neuhaus, and Reverend Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They were shaped by different theological traditions (Greek Orthodox, Catholic, and Lutheran, respectively), but each wrestled with the political, cultural, and moral crises of their times according to their Christian convictions.

A Costly Education: Great War Lessons on Democracy, Trade, and Arms Races
A Costly Education: Great War Lessons on Democracy, Trade, and Arms Races

The Great War, which America entered a century ago this month, offers lessons for us today on democracy, trade, and arms races.