Classicist

In the final Classicist of the year, Victor Davis Hanson takes a look back at the intellectual and political trends that defined 2020 — and predicts what they mean for the year to come.

Victor Davis Hanson describes the foreign policy challenges facing the incoming Biden Administration, analyzes the makeup of the incoming national security team, and prescribes a formula for the new president’s success in international affairs: change the rhetoric, not the policies.

Victor Davis Hanson explains the concept of the “tragic hero” — a figure both uniquely suited to address the issues of his time but destined to be reviled — and explains why the label may apply to Donald Trump.

Victor Davis Hanson looks at Donald Trump’s transformation of the Republican Party, the shifting of the conservative coalition, the implications of sharply divided federal government, and the foreign policy challenges ahead.

Victor Davis Hanson describes the transformative effect Donald Trump has had on the Republican Party — and explains how it will shape the party in the years to come, regardless of the outcome of the 2020 election.

Victor Davis Hanson examines the strategic mistakes made by President Trump in the first debate, gives pre-debate pointers on how the candidates should handle their final confrontation, and considers whether presidential debates have outlived their usefulness.

Victor Davis Hanson analyzes the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, explains why Biden’s positions have become hard to pin down for the first time in nearly 50 years, and looks at what the differences between the candidates might mean for the future of American foreign policy.

Victor Davis Hanson describes the myriad dysfunctions besetting state government in California, a state once known as a national pacesetter.

Victor Davis Hanson explains how the social unrest unleashed in 2020 threatens urban decline, increasing political animosity, and the erosion of Americans’ common identity.

On the 75th anniversary of World War II’s conclusion, Victor Davis Hanson looks at how the war continues to shape international affairs, and points listeners towards some of the war’s underappreciated figures.