ISI's president and CEO suggests a plan to prepare the future leaders of America in The American Mind.| Read Intercollegiate Review every week for the best of intellectual conservative thought.

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CATEGORY: POLITICS (13 MIN)

Blueprint for leadership

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Americans’ perception of our country’s leadership has plummeted. According to Gallup, congressional approval has not reached 40 percent since the mid-2000s. President Biden’s rating has also sunk below the 40 percent number. And popular conceptions about the government and its competence are by and large negative, sometimes comedically so.

How can America’s leaders reclaim honor and respect from our people? Maybe, ISI president Johnny Burtka argues

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, they should start by learning what leaders ought to do.

Burtka, editor of the new book Gateway to Statesmanship: Selections from Xenophon to Churchill

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, sets out his prescription for U.S. political governance in The American Mind

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. He urges up-and-coming American leaders to dig into the history of “mirrors-for-princes” literature, which advises statesmen on moral and practical manners.

From this rich tradition, Burtka draws four points to help save the nation from its current malaise. He lays them out: a “politics of transcendence,” a new flourishing focus for the common good, a return to great aesthetics, and a rise of Americans with the moral backbone and practical skills to truly lead. If the country focuses on these classical steps, Burtka says hope for an American rebirth still lives.

Read Burtka’s entire article right here

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Read Now

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CATEGORY: POLITICS (9 MIN)

Tussle in Tuscaloosa

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With the first Republican caucus in Iowa merely a month away, GOP candidates not named Donald Trump are growing desperate to cut into the former president’s huge lead. The depleted field of remaining contenders—Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie—took to yet another debate stage in Alabama last week looking for some way to set themselves apart as the clear Trump alternative.

Once again, the New York Times

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opinion staff, including ISI alumnus Ross Douthat and Modern Age editor Daniel McCarthy, provided their takes on the latest battle. McCarthy did not seem much impressed by the performances on stage, giving every candidate a 5 or less out of 10. His highest mark went to Ron DeSantis, who holds a narrow lead over Haley for second place in most primary polls. McCarthy said DeSantis’s attacks on Haley for her more moderate positions put him on better footing for the Iowa caucuses.

Douthat, meanwhile, argued Christie had the best performance of the bunch, rating him a 7 out of 10. Noting that Christie has essentially no chance of winning, Douthat said the former New Jersey governor took advantage of that freedom in his loose style. Douthat predicted Christie might possibly drop out before an early primary and endorse Haley.

To read all the debate thoughts from McCarthy, Douthat, and the NYT opinion staff, use our guest link here

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Read Now

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Weekly Poll

RESULTS: 12/7/23

Last week, we asked: Do you think young men today are struggling more or less than prior generations at flourishing as adults? Here are the results:

[A] Young men are struggling more than prior generations. - 90%

[B] Young men are struggling less than prior generations. - 1.1%

[C] Young men are struggling about the same as prior generations. - 7.8%

[D] Unsure - 1.1%

After the fourth debate, who is your favorite Republican presidential candidate?

[A] Chris Christie

[B] Nikki Haley

[C] Ron DeSantis

[D] Vivek Ramaswamy

[E] Donald Trump

[F] Unsure

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CATEGORY: PODCAST EPISODE

Eugene Meyer on the Legacy of Fusionism, the Life and Thought of Frank Meyer, and Movement Conservatism

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In this episode, Eugene Meyer, son of Frank S. Meyer and President and CEO of the Federalist Society, joins to talk about:

the legacy of Fusionism, the philosophy pioneered by his father

Frank Meyer's conversion from communism to championing politics centered around individual freedom

the enduring debate over the timeless principles of freedom and virtue in American political history

Texts Mentioned:

In Defense of Freedom

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by Frank S. Meyer

"Common Good Originalism"

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by Josh Hammer

The Lord of the Rings

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by J.R.R. Tolkien

Watch Now

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​​​​41st Annual Viennese Waltz Ball

​​​February 17th, 2024

Join ISI on Saturday, February 17th, at The Organization of American States for the 41st Annual Evening of Viennese Waltzing.

It will be a night of silk top hats, furs, dance cards, champagne, and flaming crepes as more than 200 couples recreate the sumptuous balls of turn-of-the-century Vienna.

Join us in Washington, DC >>>

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Because our student editors and writers are bravely bringing conservative ideas to their campuses, we’re highlighting their efforts here.

Stanford’s Role in Suppressing Speech

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via The Stanford Review

“A recent report

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led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan reveals the Department of Homeland Security created a Stanford University ‘disinformation’ team to censor Americans before the 2020 election. The Stanford Internet Observatory volunteered to lead the ‘disinformation’ group—officially titled the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP)—in collaboration with the University of Washington, Graphika Inc., and the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab).”

BREAKING – Penn President Liz Magill Resigned

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via The Cornell Review

“Liz Magill, President of the University of Pennsylvania, and Scott L. Bok, Penn Board of Trustees Chair, resigned

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on Saturday... Magill, along with the Presidents of Harvard and MIT, testified on December 5 before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce

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held a five hour hearing. At the hearing

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, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., asked

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whether ‘calling for the genocide of Jews’ would violate each school’s code of conduct. Magill responded that it would be ‘context dependent.’”

Antisemitism and Free Speech

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via The Harvard Salient

“On Tuesday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce questioned Harvard President Claudine Gay about rising antisemitism at the university. Lawmakers accused Gay—and the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania—of failing to properly respond to the harassment of Jewish students and recent rise in antisemitic behavior on their campuses.”

Make Conservatism Relatable Again

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via The Princeton Tory

“When Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy began rapping

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Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” during the Iowa State Fair, many were rightfully confused. Why would a highly accomplished individual who seeks to occupy the highest office in the land do something so over-the-top? The answer is that Ramaswamy understands the importance of connecting conservative values to likable people. This is a lesson that would do conservatives a lot of good to internalize.”

CATEGORY: CONSERVATISM (28 MIN)

Models and magnanimity

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The idea of a strong leader to many people around the world in 2023 might involve the qualities of power, finances, self-confidence, volume, and other superficial factors. And although some of these certainly help leaders convey their abilities, they do not get at the heart of what makes a statesman great: virtue and moral excellence.

For this week’s Intercollegiate Review

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archive, Daniel Mahoney, the winner of the 2023 ISI Conservative Book of the Year Award for The Statesman as Thinker: Portraits of Greatness, Courage, and Moderation, discusses the true forms of statesmanship, using examples throughout history to bolster his argument.

Mahoney points to men like Cicero, the great Roman orator who both strove for political success and delved deep into the soul of virtue. Cicero wrote about virtues like courage, temperance, prudence, and justice, which Mahoney argues ought to mark the best of leaders. Mahoney then contrasts unmoderated leaders like Napoleon with prudent statesmen like Churchill, urging today’s generation to take the latter’s example to heart.

“This model of reflective statesmanship, judiciously melding thought and action, greatness and moderation, and humble deference to the divine and moral law, rivals contemplative philosophy as an enduring peak of human excellence,” Mahoney writes.

Read Mahoney’s full discussion of statesmanship here

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Read Now

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Thought of the Day:



“What the statesman is most anxious to produce is a certain moral character in his fellow citizens, namely a disposition to virtue and the performance of virtuous actions.”

- Aristotle

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Join ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club

It’s never been easier for you to support our mission—and stay part of our community—with ISI’s new Alumni Giving Club!

For just $19.53 a month, you can join the fight and “pay it forward” by educating the next generation for ordered liberty.

Join the Club

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