This week, AEI’s scholars contributed important pieces about conservatism’s past and present, Russia’s strategy against Ukraine, the ultimate cost of inflation, and other major concerns facing our country.

Matthew Continetti analyzes the surprising similarities between today’s GOP and the Republican Party of 100 years ago. “In its protectionism, resistance to immigration, religiosity, and antipathy to foreign entanglements,” Continetti writes, “Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement resembles the conservatism of the 1920s.” The piece is adapted from Continetti’s new book, The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism (Basic Books), which will be available on April 19.

In a new report as part of the Continuity of Government Commission, John C. Fortier, Norman J. Ornstein, and their coauthors recommend ways to maintain the effective functioning of Congress after a catastrophic event. The centerpiece of their proposal is a constitutional amendment that would permit temporary appointees, each drawn from a list provided by each House member, to replace deceased and incapacitated representatives.

Among the many surprises regarding Russia’s attack on Ukraine is that Vladimir Putin’s aggression has not included cyberattacks. Klon Kitchen considers possible reasons behind this decision and advises us to recognize that despite their absence in the current war, “cyber operations are a critical part of modern warfare that pose a serious threat to international peace.”

Robert Pondiscio questions the effectiveness of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives. “To call diversity a strength is more than a pleasant homily; it is a core civic value embraced by large majorities of our people,” he writes. “But what if we’re doing it wrong?” Similarly, in the latest report for AEI’s Conservative Education Reform Network, Kimberly Hermann of the Southeastern Legal Foundation explains why critical race theory must be fought in the court of law and the court of public opinion. 

Desmond Lachman warns that the record-breaking March inflation numbers might herald an impending recession. While the Federal Reserve may soon take steps to control inflation, he says, “the Fed will be forced to do so at a time that we are experiencing an equity, housing, and credit market bubble that very likely will not be able to withstand a shift towards a more hawkish Fed monetary policy stance.”