Matthew Downhour writes about liberal theory and the liberal tradition, and teaches history and economics.
Perhaps the most salient feature of American individualism that has asserted itself in political culture has been a particular affinity for describing systemic problems in terms of individual decisions. In cases where more sweeping explanations are sought, cultural degeneration provides a handy scapegoat. The flexibility of these explanations knows no
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed the world—and the Ukrainian counterattack in Kharkiv Oblast may have changed it again. While it’s too soon to say what will ultimately end up happening in Ukraine, at this point the continued existence of the Ukrainian state (if not its borders)
“Fantasy Roleplaying is Hurting America” shouted a provocative title in Christianity Today in July. The article focused on Steve Bannon and his realization that many people yearned for a more exciting life—the kind they could explore in a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG)—and how he managed
The declaration of War on Terror in 2001 was enthusiastically greeted by a more-than-usually jingoistic American population rallying around the flag after September 11th. George W Bush’s sky-high approval ratings granted him wide latitude to engage with ‘terrorists’ (and other members of the ‘axis of evil’) around the world,
As an answer to the realist position that the world is anarchic and thus military might is necessary for any state to maintain its power and, by extension, independence, liberals have often answered that the world has moved beyond all that. Liberals often point to the supposed “Kantian triangle”—international
The UN has long been held up as a model of international idealism—supporters see it as a possibility to create a better world, while even detractors tend to characterize it as if anything too idealistic to achieve its goal of global peace. Indeed, looking at UN documents like the
American theorist John Mearsheimer has been making the rounds claiming that the West bears the majority of the responsibility (this month in The Economist) or fault (in 2014 in Foreign Affairs) for the war in Ukraine. It is perhaps odd for a proponent of a Realist international relations theory—which
A popular saying, often used when discussing the uncertainties of the past, is that “history is written by winners.” The implication is that the powerful create our narratives of the past, and the point of view of the various “losers” in history is unknowable. This truism is not, however, particularly
The debate over housing policy cuts to the core of people’s lives. For many families it is their largest expense, and certainly losing one’s home is a disruption that few economic setbacks can match. Thus, the sheer ferocity of housing debates should come as no surprise: generally, on
In designing a curriculum or writing a textbook, the primary considerations have to be, first, to whom is the material addressed, and second, what it is hoped they will do with the information. The second question is important as it has two basic answers: some courses are designed to impart
For decades after World War Two, the signing of the Bretton Woods agreement, and the creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, systematic removal of barriers to trade dramatically increased the role of international trade in the global economy. The economic gains were immense, and while critics pointed
It is difficult to offer a definition or even description of liberalism without referring to some kind of individualism. Liberalism assumes an inherent moral value in each person and defends their right to make their own decisions for their own lives. This has frequently put it into tension with nationalism,