Welcome to the carnegie and almond for international peace. I am a senior fellow of the endowment and its a great pleasure for me to welcome all of you to this Book Discussion of colin duecks age of iron which is a marvelous analysis of conservative nationalism. I see a couple of things about the book in the moment but before i do, i want to extend on your behalf and mind a warm welcome to colin himself and to our two distinguished commentators, danny pletka and Richard Fontaine. As you know colin is a professor at the start school of policy and government at George Mason University read and is also a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise institute, our neighbor next door literally. Colin has made his mark thinking deeply about american politics. And this book is trademark colin dueck. It examines the concept of conservative nationalism, a phenomenon that has been brought to public attention conspicuously through the rise of President Trump. In terms of both the history of idea
At the end of this book i realized after a long period of thoughtfulness and i went into the wilderness. Is that america goes through these divisive periods roughly every 40 years. Why . We are a very dynamic country. Socially, economically. We are constantly reinventing ourselves. Not just as individuals but as a nation and government by its nature, its a status quo institution. This is how weve always done things. We will do things the same way again. Its people will then gets dark. America is set up to have these revolutions. Political revolutions. We had one in the beginning but ever since then, weve mostly had the revolutions that have played out and thats what we are in the middle of now. One of the things you said in the beginning of your book. You said without definitions, we are talking past each other or more likely just screaming at each other. Before we spoke, we had a conversation about the idea we can have constructive dialogue across the aisle. Which might make for good
Washington and we the people. Im going to get right into the idea of revolution. You say in the book america has been through divisive. Before, some worse than the ones were iwe are in today with the hindsight of history can see them as Inflection Points, the transitional period between the old system that is broken down and a new one so largely. Are we in an Inflection Point . Guest absolutely. We are in the middle. The best example is in 2016 in the republican primaries there was a real civil war that the Establishment Republicans represented by jeb bush and others didnt get the nomination, didnt get the support of the American People. It was the revolutionary donald trump. The democrats are going through the same thing right now they are having a civil war in their party but is it going to be the traditional democrats, is it going to be some outsider, is it going to be a socialist but that is indicative of the fact washington doesnt work. It hasnt kept up with the country and i gues
America has been through viciously divisive periods before far worse than what we live through today with the hindsight of history we can see that as the Inflection Point between an old system that is broken down and a new one sorry at the Inflection Point . Absolutely right in the middle of it the best example is that in 2016 with the republican primary there was a real civil war and the Republican Party the establishment representatives like jeb bush and others didnt get the nomination or the support of the American People it was donald trump the democrats are going to the same thing right now they are having a civil war in their party is it going to be a traditional democrat or the outsider or socialist and then to govern the people but after a long period of thoughtfulness to go through the divisive periods we are a dynamic country geographically economically we are costly reinventing ourselves as individuals and as a nation and government by our very nature and then they get stuck
Revolution and trump in washington. I will get right into the idea revolution. We say in the book, america has been through viciously divisive. Far worse than today. With history we can see them as points in the transitional periods between old system that is broken down and a new one largely information. Are we at an intersection point absolutely enter the best example of it, isnt in 2016 in a republican primary it was a real civil war on the Republican Party that the establishment rep. Five jeff bush and others, couldnt get the nomination are they making people who got it, revolutionary donald trump. And the are going to the same thing right now. And theyre having a civil war in the party. What is going to be the traditional democrats, is it going to be some outsider. It will be a socialist. But i think that is indicative of the fact that it just doesnt work pretty and the things that have worked for the last 40 years to govern the people, it really has not kept up in the country. An