National ConservatismEdit
National Conservatism is a political-intellectual current that seeks to re-center politics around the nation-state and its enduring cultural foundations. Proponents argue that political legitimacy, social trust, and long-run prosperity hinge on a shared sense of belonging, a stable civic order, and a sober assessment of national interests. In contrast to universalist ideals that treat all societies as interchangeable, national conservatism treats the nation as the primary political community—a community with rights, duties, and a unique heritage worth safeguarding. The movement has been advanced by thinkers such as Yoram Hazony and organizations like the Center for National Conservatism, and it has been crystallized in documents such as the Jerusalem Declaration that outline its normative commitments. Its program combines traditional conservative instincts about family, religion, and order with a pragmatic view of state capacity, borders, and strategic competition in a reformulated international order.
National conservatism presents a critique of both liberal cosmopolitanism and late-empire globalization. It contends that the erosion of national boundaries and the retreat of sustained common institutions threaten social cohesion and political legitimacy. In practice, supporters advocate preserving national sovereignty, strengthening civic education, prioritizing the welfare of citizens over open-ended migration, and pursuing foreign policies that favor democracies with shared values while resisting efforts to remake national orders from abroad. The movement envisions a polity whose legitimacy rests on citizens’ consent and continuing obligations to their posterity, rather than a technocratic elite’s abstract code of universal rights.
Origins and intellectual roots
National conservatism emerges from a reaction to what its proponents see as the disorienting effects of liberal universalism and unbounded global integration. In the late 2010s, scholars and policymakers began to coalesce around a framework that emphasizes belonging as a political good, alongside a realistic assessment of power, culture, and security. Key ideas were articulated in debates, essays, and conferences that sought to articulate a cohesive program without simply marrying traditional conservatism to today’s moment. The movement drew attention through scholarly work such as The Virtue of Nationalism and through formal declarations such as the Jerusalem Declaration, which spell out a normative map for national communities. Institutions like the Center for National Conservatism have hosted conversations that translate these ideas into policy proposals and institutional reforms.
Notable figures associated with these discussions include Yoram Hazony, whose work on the dangers of universalist pretensions and the value of national communities helped crystallize the intellectual core; and journalists and commentators who’ve helped frame national conservatism as a serious alternative to both liberal internationalism and aggressive populism. The movement also points to historical traditions of national self-government, civic republicanism, and the belief that institutions—family, church or synagogue, schools, and local government—bind citizens into a durable political order.
Core ideas and principles
Sovereignty and national belonging: The nation is the primary political unit, with distinct civic bonds, language, and culture that warrant self-government and a degree of autonomy in foreign and domestic policymaking. Citizenship comes with duties as well as rights, and political legitimacy rests on a shared sense of common life.
Family, culture, and religion: Social cohesion rests on stable family structures, civic education, and shared moral foundations. Institutions that nurture trust—marriage, parenthood, religious community—are seen as pillars of a healthy polity and a successful economy.
State capacity and rule of law: A strong, competent state is viewed as essential to secure borders, enforce laws, and sustain public goods. Policy should be pragmatic and evidence-based, emphasizing accountability, fiscal responsibility, and clear limits on government power where appropriate.
Foreign policy and national security: A realist approach prioritizes national interests and durable alliances among democracies. National conservatism favors a principled, strategic stance toward rivals, cautious interventionism, and resistance to projects that expand liberal universalism at the expense of national autonomy.
Immigration and assimilation: Immigration policy is framed around national self-government and social integration. The aim is to welcome newcomers in a manner that strengthens social trust and civic participation, while maintaining security and cohesion within the national community.
Economic nationalism: Economic policy seeks to secure the homeland’s productive capacity and workers’ livelihoods. This includes favors for domestic investment, skilled labor, and strategic industries, along with fair trade practices and a measured approach to globalization that protects national interests without retreating into isolationism.
Education and public culture: Curricula and cultural programming emphasize national history, civic virtues, and critical thinking that reinforces shared commitments. There is skepticism toward teachings that could fracture national unity along racial, ethnic, or ideological lines, while protecting individual rights within the national framework.
Civil liberties and liberal order: Proponents insist that a healthy national order can protect civil liberties while remaining rooted in a shared national narrative. They argue rights should be understood in the context of membership in the political community and its duties.
Policy proposals and programmatic directions
Borders and immigration: Favor selective, merit-based immigration that aligns with national needs and social cohesion. Emphasize secure borders, fair enforcement, and pathways to citizenship tied to integration and civic participation.
Welfare and the social compact: Maintain a safety net that protects the vulnerable but link benefits to work, family formation, and civic responsibility. Support policies that encourage stable households and intergenerational continuity.
Education and culture: Strengthen civics education and national history programs. Encourage schools and content that promote shared civic virtues while respecting pluralism within the national frame.
Domestic economic policy: Promote domestic investment, workforce training, and strategic industries. Use targeted subsidies, incentives, and regulatory reforms to bolster competitiveness while guarding against financial instability.
National security and alliances: Prioritize alliances with democracies and partner states that share core values. Maintain a strong defense, deter adversaries, and resist attempts to impose foreign norms that undermine local legitimacy.
Governance and institutions: Improve government efficiency and public-spirited leadership. Emphasize the rule of law, transparency, and accountability to ensure that political power serves the national community rather than remote or technocratic elites.
Foreign cultural influence: Be selective about international cultural and academic exchanges, ensuring they contribute to national resilience and do not dilute shared commitments.
Controversies and debates
National conservatism sits at a crossroads between traditional conservatism and a more explicit rejection of global liberalism. Critics argue that its emphasis on belonging can slide toward exclusion or discrimination against minorities and non-citizens, and that a serious emphasis on national identity might erode universal rights and protections for minority populations, including black and white communities and others who navigate citizenship in plural societies. They warn that a heavy focus on shared culture could undermine individual rights, due process, and equal protection under the law.
Defenders of national conservatism respond that the aim is not to diminish the rights of individuals within the political community but to anchor those rights in a stable, self-consciously governed order. They argue that universal rights can lose practical force when a polity lacks social trust or clear legitimacy, especially in contexts of rapid demographic change or economic stress. Proponents insist that a strong sense of national belonging can coexist with inclusive citizenship, provided the terms of belonging are anchored in constitutional norms, civic participation, and a fair, rules-based system.
Within conservative circles, debates have also arisen over the tension between openness to foreign ideas and the defense of national traditions. Critics from other strands of conservatism warn that an overemphasis on patriotism or culture can veer toward illiberal practices or hostility to reform. National conservatives respond by stressing the necessity of disciplined reform that reinforces social trust, protects equal citizenship, and resists foreign policy adventurism that undermines domestic stability.
In foreign policy, critics often argue that a focus on realism and sovereignty could enable disengagement from global challenges such as climate change, humanitarian crises, or democratic backsliding. Proponents counter that sovereignty is a prerequisite for principled engagement: a nation cannot responsibly influence the world if it cannot govern itself. They also contend that alliances among democracies can be strengthened by shared commitments to national resilience, rather than by exporting a universal blueprint that may ignore local realities.
Woke critiques frequently describe national conservatism as prioritizing power politics and cultural regimentation over individual rights and pluralism. Proponents respond that the aim is to safeguard civic cohesion and political legitimacy, not to police private beliefs, while maintaining robust protections for minority rights within the framework of a shared national project. They argue that a functioning nation-state with clear common norms is a prerequisite for meaningful rights protections and durable social peace.