Prof. Dobski Assesses America’s “National Form” Using Hamilton’s Federalist Papers 

In a recent essay published by The Heritage Foundation, Assumption University Associate Professor of Political Science Bernard Dobski, Ph.D., defends the American ideals of liberty and civic republicanism. The essay, “America, the Republican Nation: A Response to Critics of the Nation-State,” was written while Prof. Dobski served as a visiting scholar at the Simon Center for American Studies. 

Prof. Dobski summarizes his essay, writing that “Dedication to America’s national form is not about the thoughtless valorizing of one’s own that is so often at the heart of uglier forms of nationalism. It is about an understanding of the critical role played by size, scope, and dimensionality in the creation of stable and secure communities, the emergence of a citizenry attached to the public good, the rule of reasoned law, the preservation of diversity and minorities, and political transparency and accountability, the very things that critics of the nation tacitly seek to preserve.”

He proposes that critics of the national form fail to appreciate the conditions necessary to preserve the rights they claim to cherish. They also fail to understand that the ability to grasp the virtues of the national form, defend their preservation, and respect their power does not require being a liberal or a conservative,” he adds.  

Prof. Dobski commended early U.S. documents, mainly Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Papers, as vitally important to Western political philosophy. He criticizes the contemporary political ideals of global humanitarianism and identity politics as problematic forces that undermine the values of U.S. republicanism. To support his claim, he presents extensive research in the matter, ranging from the early writings of Aristotle to the ideologies of the 20th and 21st centuries. 

Prof. Dobski’s essay is available on the website of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington D.C.