The rationalist philosophy that was put forth by the Enlightenment undermined the role of tradition and religion as a source of ideas in politics. The view that individuals could use their unaided reason to discover truth in ethics and politics came to dominate universities and religious institutions, and from there shaped the culture and politics of the West. Today we see the tragic results of this mistake: in the United States and Europe, the family is disintegrating with shrinking marriage and birth rates; the study of the Bible and prayer have been erased from schools and government institutions; and Western countries are losing their national identity through mass immigration, with their economies not able to compete with those of their enemies. Revitalizing Western nations can only be achieved through bringing back the authority of tradition, religion and especially the Bible in putting forth ideas that shape our public square. For this we need the collaboration of Jews and Christians who share an appreciation of the biblical teachings and are committed to their political importance.
In the past ten years Herzl Institute scholars Yoram Hazony and Ofir Haivry have led the movement that is reviving National Conservatism in the West. Together they have published essays and books that define the concepts of national conservatism and teach its history. In collaboration with the Edmund Burke Foundation, they have run conferences that bring together the intellectual and political leaders that are setting a nationalist conservative agenda and developing its policies for government. Hazony’s Conservatism: A Rediscovery (Regnery, 2022) offers a comprehensive view of the National Conservative ideas, their history, and how to defend them in our current political moment.
Yoram Hazony, Timon Cline and Josh Hammer, “Everson Must Fall”, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Vol. 48, (Winter 2026).
Yoram Hazony, “The Iran Strikes and the Trump Doctrine”, Free Press (July 2025).
Ofir Haivry, “How Conservatism Can Make Democracy Work Again”, Hungarian Conservative (September 2023).
Ofir Haivry, “Traditions of the Future”, The Critic (May 2023).
Ofir Haivry, “An Appeal from the Old to the New Conservatives”, Hungarian Conservative (January 2023).
Yoram Hazony, “The Challenge of Marxism”, Quillette (August 2020).
Yoram Hazony and Ofir Haivry, “American Nationalists”, American Conservative (June 2020).
Yoram Hazony, “Conservative Rationalism Has Failed, Part II: Honor and Self-Constraint Can Stave Off Tyranny”, American Mind (July 2019).
Yoram Hazony, “Conservative Rationalism Has Failed, Part I: Unfettered Reason Cannot Conserve Anything”, American Mind (June 2019).
Yoram Hazony, “Conservative Democracy”, First Things (January 2019).
Yoram Hazony and Ofir Haivry, “What Is Conservatism?”, American Affairs 1 (Summer 2017).
Yoram Hazony, “Nationalism and the Future of Western Freedom”, Mosaic (September 2016).
