Is There Really an ‘Antiliberal Tradition’ in America?
Plus: Trump on Cruise Control Before Convention.
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PETER C. MEILAENDER: Is There Really an ‘Antiliberal Tradition’ in America?
FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES, ever since publishing Of Paradise and Power in 2003, Robert Kagan has been our most insightful commentator on international affairs, the changing world order, and America’s role in the world. Already in 2009, his small book The Return of History and the End of Dreams outlined the clash between autocracy and liberal democracy that has come to define the post-Cold War world. Kagan’s ability to discern this earlier than most was rooted in his work on the history of American foreign policy (Dangerous Nation, 2007; more recently a second volume, The Ghost at the Feast, 2023), which situates America firmly within a broader struggle between freedom and autocracy originating with the American and French Revolutions. Kagan portrays America’s advocacy of liberty as a disruptive element within the international order, provoking hostility from defenders of autocracy threatened by our ideals. A master of the book-length essay, Kagan has sharpened this analysis of a democratic-autocratic struggle in The World America Made (2013) and The Jungle Grows Back (2019), books calling on Americans to defend the liberal international order that we have helped create and that has largely served us well.
🎥 PODCASTS AND VIDEOS 🎧
Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: David French: Trump Tries To Run Away from the Christian Nationalists
The Secret Podcast: Dam Busters 🔐
Thursday Night Bulwark is off this week.
The Michael Steele Show: How can we CRUSH the "Second American Revolution"? (with Thom Hartmann)
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MARC CAPUTO: Trump on Cruise Control Before Convention.
WHEN DONALD TRUMP PLANNED HIS RALLY this past week at his golf course near Miami, it was with specific messaging in mind.
The event had been conceived of as a way to stick the proverbial middle finger up at the justice system. Trump would appear alongside a crowd of Cuban Americans, some of his most loyal followers, where he would portray himself (like them) as a victim of state-sponsored political persecution. The timing, too, was quite specific. He would be speaking just two days before he was set to be sentenced in his hush-money case, which—when the rally was being planned—felt like it would be a seismic campaign moment.
But then things changed. Dramatically.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Happy Thursday! I hope you got your free 7/11 Slurpee today! It would have also been the day Trump was sentenced in New York.
A programming note: We’ll be doing a live event in Dallas on September 5. See you there?
In local news… The mayor of Manassas Park has some, uh, thoughts.
Unburden yourself… And embrace the coconut #KHive memes. (Vox)
Did Foxconn’s Trump-Backed Move to Wisconsin… Create Jobs or Catfish the Public? (Daily Show)
You Can’t Imagine All The Technology Omega Uses… As The Official Timekeeper Of The 2024 Paris Olympics (Fratello)
Introducing Women 4 Us… A grassroots group of women dedicated to defeating Trump in battleground states. Check them out, as well as the list of advisors and supporters, with some names you’d recognize. If you have time to get involved, get involved!
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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.
