Arts & Letters

Portrait of Roger Sherman by Ralph Earl

Constitutional Calvinist

Roger Sherman’s role in the creation of the American republic

Gwen Roolf (cc)

The Rise of Nullification

Why Vermont’s secession movement matters

George F. Kennan in 1947  (Library of Congress)

Why Kennan Matters

He conceived the winning strategy for the Cold War, and his classic work American Diplomacy still imparts urgent lessons.

Billy Campbell in "Copperhead"  © Copperhead The Movie Ltd.

For President Buchanan

The screenwriter of the new Civil War movie “Copperhead” on historical fiction and one of America’s least loved leaders.

Alexis de Tocqueville   Théodore Chassériau (1819–1856)

Don’t Despair of Democracy

American self-government survives in a form that Tocqueville would recognize.

Scott Wentworth (centre) as Tevye with members of the company in Fiddler on the Roof. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

Mazel-Tov, Stratford. And Yasher Koach While We’re At It

Learning to love Fiddler on the Roof

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A Temperance In The Torrent Of Passion

Last night, the Stratford Festival opened with a production of Romeo and Juliet that …

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Community or Leviathan?

E.J. Dionne overlooks the ways in which centralized government undermines communities.

‘Good Guys’ Make Bad Generals

How poor leadership loses wars for the U.S. military

There Ain’t No Cure For Love

I am a huge fan of immersive theatrical experience, the kind of …

Full Immersion

I’m taking the opportunity of just having seen Then She Fell, an immersive …

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Duets

George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s collaborations are as complex as their relationship was.

The Coup

Ah, Julius Caesar. That old middle school torture. Shakespeare’s most-heady, least-sexy play, the …

What Keeps the States United?

America is too large for self-government, a new book argues—but there’s a remedy.

Two Intifadas and a Flawed Theory

What one of the Marine Corps’ leading minds reveals about war, terror, and insurgency.