Contemporary challenges to the western liberal tradition argue for the need to seriously and fundamentally rethink the foundations of modern liberalism. Indeed, dissatisfaction and frustration with the liberal script lead to fundamental questions about how well the tradition still works for all members of society. And yet, proponents argue that liberalism, despite some flaws, is still the best philosophical tradition available. What is 'liberal' in the political tradition? Should these components be upheld or revised?

This speaker series, organized by the Illiberalism Studies Program and the Loeb Institute for Religious Freedom at the George Washington University, proposes to provide a space for intellectually stimulating discussions surrounding liberal and non-liberal ideologies. We want to promote substantive discussion of political and economic visions for the future. By facilitating open dialogues, this series seeks to transcend ideological boundaries and foster a deeper comprehension of each other's viewpoints.

Speakers

Sohrab Ahmari  is a founder and editor of Compact and a contributing writer for The New Statesman. Prior to that, he spent nearly a decade at News Corp., as a columnist and editor with the Wall Street Journal opinion pages and as the op-ed editor of the New York Post. In addition to those publications, his writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New Republic, The Spectator, Times Literary Supplement, Commentary, Dissent, and The American Conservative, for which he is a contributing editor. His books include The Unbroken Thread (2021) and Tyranny, Inc., both published by Penguin Random House.

Matt McManus is a Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Michigan and the author of The Political Right and Equality: Turning Back the Tide of Egalitarian Modernity (Routledge) and the forthcoming The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism amongst other books.

Moderators

Marlene Laruelle is a Research Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES), and Director of the Illiberalism Studies Program.

Samuel Goldman is executive director of the John L. Loeb, Jr. Institute for Religious Freedom and director of the Politics & Values Program. His first book God’s Country: Christian Zionism in America was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2018. His second book, After Nationalism, was published from the University of Pennsylvania Press in early 2021. In addition to his academic research, Goldman’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.