Mac’s

1. Which countries are America’s “best friends”?

We have never been the type of country to have “best friends.” In the early days of the republic, France was our best friend, but then we allowed the King who succored us to be arrested, beheaded, and then joined in a quasi-war against the new revolutionary regime. The English were our parents whom we rebelled against and now that we’re relatively older, we just don’t trust them. We didn’t trust them when they seemed supportive of maintaining the cotton economy during the Civil War, we were skeptical of them after World War II, and we don’t trust them completely right now. Some might claim Israel as our best friend, but I think they are simply a strategic friend. They are the type of friend that we pal around with because we get bored; a drinking buddy, in short. There are some in the U.S. foreign policy apparatus and in some erratic Protestant sects who claim that we have a mandate from God to protect Israel (through a very specific reading of certain scriptures). But, in our highly Machiavellian and realist world, I don’t think these arguments are used in any seriousness except by a few.

1. Is Trump’s policy of denying federal funds to schools with DEI programs a good idea?

Yes, the federal government should absolutely deny schools with DEI programs funding. This is not an alien concept. The federal government forced states in the 1980s to adopt drinking age laws through federal funding and they did the same with seat belt laws. It is not surprising that an administration would use federal funding to achieve the ends it desires and those who claim this is new are just naive. It is time for DEI to DIE.

1. What is the best book you have ever read about politics?

I think this question has been asked before, but I would have to say Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France is the best book about politics that I’ve read. Burke is one of the first “conservative” political theorists and his insights into culture, laws, and tradition are a sure northern star for conservatives and those who wish to understand the intellectual underpinnings of traditionalist politics both now and in the past. 

Owen’s

1. Ah, friendship: that deep bond of love that makes both parties better. It’s not the most common thing between nations, but the USA exists to defy the common. Of our friends, the island nations of Japan and the United Kingdom boldly stand out as our closest. Japan and America have come a long way since Pearl Harbor. In terms of values, style of government, and self-interest, America and Japan see relatively eye to eye. Since World War Two, the US has served as a democratic role model for Japan, and in turn they have been our number one partner in East Asia. Consequently, the people of Japan have a very high respect for America (67%), and so do the people of America for Japan (84%). We have a friendship based on both values and expediency: a rare and durable combo. The UK is our other closest friend, a position it gains due to our maternal relationship. Our values and legal system were imported from the UK, as were a lot of us. Naturally, we probably see the world more similarly than any other countries. Having gone through two World Wars together, there is also a level of respect and trust that is only made possible by shared sacrifice. It is a bond consecrated by blood.
2. No. The simplest issue with this policy is that what DEI means is very ambiguous. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion may be very well-defined values, but what that looks like in policy is entirely up for debate. Is it DEI to include both Catholic and Protestants in the same classroom? I mean that’s diversity. Is it DEI to let women and men eat together in Dav? That’s inclusion. Is that now reason to invalidate an institution of education, and take away its money? In the simplest sense, saying a school can be defunded for DEI is tantamount to saying a school can be defunded for anything the current administration doesn’t like. DEI is a general moral guideline, one very much in line with fundamental American Values, but not a policy set. The government has no right to legislate your morals or decide what you get based on the thoughts in your head or values in your heart. That goes for you, and it goes for schools too. This policy is nothing more than a ripple of totalitarian thought control, something I believe every American can say is evil and wrong.
3. The best book on politics I have ever read was War on Peace by Ronan Farrow. The book’s remarkable in that it manages to convey both the story of politics and the ideas, while making both digestible. The book charts the decline of American influence abroad, and the lives of those diplomats who have played in the dramatic end of the American Century. Farrow brings to life that most important principle: philosophy matters only as much as the handshake guaranteeing it. If you want to understand global politics today, be it the messes in the Middle East, the War in Ukraine, or what on Earth Trump is doing to USAID, you must know the dynamics that have got us here. War on Peace is a history of the present that is every bit as timely today as it was in 2021. I would recommend it to anyone with a spark of curiosity and at least an 8th grade reading level.