Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization

Debating America’s power—and peril—in a time of instability

Rachel Sauer — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:59:45 +0000

Debating America’s power—and peril—in a time of instability Rachel Sauer Tue, 04/14/2026 - 10:59

Bradley Worrell

Veteran national security advisors John Bolton and Susan Rice sparred over whether America is committing “superpower suicide,” headlining the Conference on World Affairs week

“The United States is not committing superpower suicide,” veteran national security advisor John Bolton told a capacity audience gathered Monday evening in the �鶹��Ѱ��’s Glenn Miller Ballroom. He paused, then added a qualifier, “So far.”

Seated a few feet away, veteran national security advisor Susan Rice offered a very different take.

“Sadly and dangerously,” she said, “the United States, under the current administration, is indeed in the process of committing superpower suicide.”

Susan Rice (left) and John Bolton (second from right) with Jennifer Schubert-Akin (second from left), chairman and CEO of The Steamboat Institute, and Chancellor Justin Schwartz (right).

The stark disagreement between the two policy experts set the tone for a wide-ranging debate, during which the pair clashed over the extent to which America’s status as the world’s sole superpower has been damaged. Monday’s debate, sponsored by The Steamboat Institute and the Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, headlined �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder’s 78th Conference on World Affairs week.

While the debate’s title—“Is the United States is in the process of committing superpower suicide?”—was deliberately provocative, what emerged during the roughly two-hour debate was a respectful disagreement on certain subjects and a fair amount of common ground between Bolton, a staunch Republican, and Rice, a lifelong Democrat.

Bolton and Rice both have extensive experience shaping American foreign policy for U.S. administrations. Bolton was a national security advisor during President Trump’s first term in office and was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006. Rice’s previous roles in government include serving as a U.S. national security adviser (2013–17), U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (2009–13) and domestic policy adviser (2021–23).

Opening salvos contrasted views

In her opening remarks, Rice issued a sweeping indictment of the Trump administration. She accused the administration of undermining the “five key pillars” of America’s postwar superpower status: military strength, economic power, alliances, domestic resilience and soft power.

“On each of these five dimensions, we are far weaker today than we were even 18 months ago,” she argued. She specifically accused the administration of politicizing the Pentagon and purging senior officers, implementing an unpredictable tariff policy, damaging the European alliance and openly threatening allies. She also took the administration to task for making cuts to research funding, attacking universities, expressing hostility to public health institutions, dismantling USAID and rolling back environmental protections.

Bolton did not dispute that American foreign policy under Trump—as well as previous administrations—had gone badly wrong. What he rejected was the claim that the damage was fatal.

“We have made multiple mistakes since the end of the Cold War,” he said, arguing that both political parties share responsibility. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Western leaders mistakenly believed history ended and rapidly reduced military spending, he told the audience, adding, “we have never recovered from that mistake.”

Bolton said U.S. leaders misunderstood Russian nationalism and ignored Vladimir Putin’s warnings that he viewed the Soviet collapse as a geopolitical tragedy. Failures to deter Russian aggression in Georgia and Ukraine flowed from that misreading, he said.

John Bolton (left) and Susan Rice (right) discussed whether the United States is committing "superpower suicide" during a Conference on World Affairs event Monday evening.

Meanwhile, China represents another long-running error, Bolton said. American officials assumed economic integration would produce political liberalization, but “we were wrong on both counts,” he said, warning that China today is more autocratic and more aggressive.

Yet Bolton insisted these failures—serious as they are—do not mean America’s greatest days are behind it.

As for President Trump, Bolton said, “We are suffering undeniably by his mistakes, but it is not superpower suicide. He is an aberration and will pass from the scene.”

United on alliances and the UN

Despite their opposing conclusions, Rice and Bolton did find agreement on the importance of alliances.

“NATO is the greatest alliance in human history,” Rice said, emphasizing its deterrent value and reminding the audience that Article 5, which regards an attack on one NATO member as an attack on all, had only been invoked once—following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Undermining NATO, she warned, benefits Russia and China.

“NATO is the envy of Russia and China, which is why they are trying to subvert it,” she said.

Bolton largely agreed.

“What has provided peace and security in the world since 1945 was American power and the system of alliances that we built,” he said. He dismissed the idea of a “rules-based international order” as a myth, arguing that stability came from American strength.

Their disagreement was on tone and trust. Rice said Trump’s threats regarding his desire to see the U.S. acquire Greenland and annex Canada and his transactional rhetoric have damaged allies’ confidence in America, while Bolton emphasized the long-standing failure of European allies to meet defense commitments, acknowledging that Trump’s confrontational style prompted allies to increase defense spending.

Bolton and Rice also agreed that the United Nations is largely dysfunctional, but disagreed about whether it can be fixed.

“The UN’s main political bodies are broken beyond usefulness,” Bolton said, while acknowledging some of its specialized agencies do valuable work.

“The UN is a mess, but we would be worse off without it,” Rice said. “The challenge is reform—not abandonment.”

As for China and its aspirations to reclaim Taiwan, Bolton argued that the United States should abandon its policy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding the island nation in favor of a stated commitment to defend Taiwan to deter possible Chinese aggression.

“I think if we lose Taiwan, even slowly, to China … all of East Asia and Southeast Asia are in real jeopardy, because our credibility would be shot beyond repair,” he said.

Rice did not offer an opinion as to whether the U.S. should formally commit to defend Taiwan but she said Trump’s foreign policy regarding Asia is distracted.

Susan Rice (left) and John Bolton (right) during Monday night's Conference on World Affairs discussion.

Experts divided on Iran

Iran exposed the deepest philosophical split between the two national security experts.

Bolton argued that a hostile regime bent on acquiring nuclear weapons and supporting terrorist networks ultimately leaves America with only one option: “If a regime that’s hostile to the United States can’t be persuaded or forced to change its behavior, regime change is the only option.”

Rice forcefully disagreed.

Noting that she would welcome regime change in Iran, she added, “Regime change through the barrel of a gun virtually never works … and it definitely never works without a ground invasion.” Preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons was best pursued through diplomacy rather than sustained military escalation, she argued.

Bolton said he believes that, as a result of recent U.S. strikes on Iran’s leadership and military sites, the Iranian regime is at its weakest point since it took power in 1979 and it could experience a “slow-motion collapse” before the end of the year if the U.S. applies sufficient pressure.

Rice countered that by taking out the country’s leadership in a U.S.-Israeli first strike, Iran’s new leaders are now willing to do whatever they believe is necessary to remain in power—which has made Iran more dangerous.

What Bolton and Rice did agree on is that the United States currently has not clearly improved its strategic position against Iran.

“That spirit—open inquiry, civil discourse and the exchange of ideas across differences—is the fundamental role of universities in the United States and exactly what the Conference on World Affairs was created to advance."
Chancellor Justin Schwartz

The U.S. and Iran are now engaged in brinkmanship, waiting to see if their opponent blinks, Rice and Bolton agreed. “If it depends upon Trump’s resilience, we’re screwed,” Bolton said, drawing laughter from the crowd. Trump fired Bolton during the president’s first term due to sharp disagreements over foreign policy.

The Steamboat Institute allowed those in attendance and watching online to take a poll as to whether they believe the United States is committing superpower suicide. Before the night’s debate, 77% of those casting votes said the country is committing superpower suicide, 9% said it is not and 14% were undecided. After the debate, 75% of respondents said the country is committing superpower suicide, 13% said it is not and 12% were unsure.

CWA designed to foster civic debate

Kicking off Monday’s debate, �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz noted that higher education is often criticized for failing to platform diverse political opinions.

“Tonight, we are here and we are pushing back on that perception,” he told the audience, adding,

“That spirit—open inquiry, civil discourse and the exchange of ideas across differences—is the fundamental role of universities in the United States and exactly what the Conference on World Affairs was created to advance. At the �鶹��Ѱ��, we believe democracy depends on our willingness to debate hard questions with rigor and with civility. Tonight, that belief is alive and visible.”

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Veteran national security advisors John Bolton and Susan Rice sparred over whether America is committing “superpower suicide,” headlining the Conference on World Affairs week.

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Top image: Susan Rice (left) and John Bolton (right) during Monday night's Conference on World Affairs discussion. (All photos by Glenn Asakawa/�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder)

Renowned German-Jewish scholar to speak at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Sept. 2

Rachel Sauer — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 20:44:14 +0000

Renowned German-Jewish scholar to speak at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Sept. 2 Rachel Sauer Thu, 08/28/2025 - 14:44

Michael Brenner, an American University distinguished professor of history, will present ‘When Democracy Died in Darkness: German-Jewish Responses to Hitler’s Rise’

A pre-eminent scholar of German-Jewish studies will present a lecture Tuesday focusing on democracy and the German-Jewish responses to Adolf Hitler’s rise.

Michael Brenner, a distinguished professor of history and the Seymour and Lillian Abensohn Chair in Israel Studies at American University and the Chair of Jewish History and Culture at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany, will present “When Democracy Died in Darkness: German-Jewish Responses to Hitler’s Rise” at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the Norlin Library’s Center for British and Irish Studies Room; tickets are not required. The presentation will also be streamed on Zoom. For more information, email Eli Sacks.

Brenner’s visit is co-sponsored by the �鶹��Ѱ�� Center for Humanities and the Arts; the departments of German and Slavic Languages and Literatures and History; the Program in Jewish Studies; the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization; �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder Hillel; and the Louis P. Singer Chair in Jewish History.

His lecture will address the different ways in which German Jews of all shades responded to the revocation of their equal rights of being German citizens, answering the questions: What were their expectations as 1933 began; how did they react to the rapidly changing circumstances after Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933; and what is the relevance of these events in the light of present threats to American democracy?

Brenner was born to Holocaust survivors in Germany shortly after the war and genocide. He has received many prizes and fellowships, including the Baron Award for Scholarly Excellence in Research of the Jewish Experience. He is the author of 10 books that have been translated into more than a dozen languages. His latest are In Hitler’s Munich: Jews, the Revolution, and the Rise of Nazism and In Search of Israel: The History of an Idea.

Brenner also will present a special research colloquium for students and faculty on various aspects of his work at 8 a.m. Tuesday in E250 at the Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE). For more information email Thomas Pegelow Kaplan.

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Michael Brenner, an American University distinguished professor of history, will present ‘When Democracy Died in Darkness: German-Jewish Responses to Hitler’s Rise’

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Todd Zywicki named new visiting scholar in conservative thought, policy

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 19:25:53 +0000

Todd Zywicki named new visiting scholar in conservative thought, policy Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 06/06/2023 - 13:25

Todd J. Zywicki, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia School of Law, will join the Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization at the �鶹��Ѱ�� as the Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy for fall 2023.

Zywicki is described as a distinguished legal scholar with expertise in law and economics, the regulation of consumer finance and bankruptcy law. He has testified before Congress on consumer-bankruptcy law and consumer credit and is the author of more than 130 law review and peer-reviewed economics journal articles.

At �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, Zywicki will offer undergraduate courses on "The Rule of Law" and "Hayek and his Critics" and host public events for students, faculty, staff and the broader community.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the �鶹��Ѱ��community for the fall semester,” Zywicki said, adding:

“For years, I have watched the Benson Center grow as an intellectual force on the �鶹��Ѱ��campus and the national academy. In this time of national polarization, I applaud the support of the university administration to encourage dialogue and diversity of thought on campus and to do my part to live up to that charge."

Zywicki received his JD from the University of Virginia, an MA in economics from Clemson University, and an AB from Dartmouth College.

Top of the page: Todd J. Zywicki is an expert in Bankruptcy Law, Consumer Credit and Consumer Lending, Consumer Protection Law, Law and Economics, Obesity and Advertising.

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�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder reappoints visiting scholar in conservative thought, policy

Anonymous — Thu, 12 May 2022 17:44:59 +0000

�鶹��Ѱ��Boulder reappoints visiting scholar in conservative thought, policy Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/12/2022 - 11:44

Historian Alan S. Kahan, who has held the position this year, to continue in fall

Alan S. Kahan has been appointed as the fall 2022 visiting scholar in conservative thought and policy at the �鶹��Ѱ��, the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization has announced.

Kahan served in this role this academic year. Kahan, a historian, political theorist and author, is professor of British civilization at the Université de Paris-Saclay. He will teach two courses for the fall semester, “The European Union” and “History of Liberalism.”

At the top of the page: �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder has reappointed professor Alan S. Kahan as the fall 2022 visiting scholar in conservative thought and policy. Above: Professor Kahan will teach two courses for the fall semester and initiate a speaker series on the theme of why the Western tradition is worth studying.

He will also initiate a speaker series for fall semester on the theme of why the Western tradition is worth studying. This series is aimed at a general audience from the campus and community.

Kahan said he’s “delighted” to be reappointed: “I've much enjoyed teaching at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder this past year and look forward to doing it again next fall.”

In the past year, he’s completed a book manuscript titled Liberalism: An Incomplete History, which will be published soon by Princeton University Press.

Kahan said he’s enjoyed speaking to groups like the Boulder Rotary Club and the Boulder Freedom Group, and he’ll also be speaking during Constitution Week next September in Grand Lake, Colorado. He added that he’s been grateful for the opportunity to run a “very successful speaker series this year on capitalism and ethics.”

Benson Center Director Daniel Jacobson said he is delighted to have Kahan continue his work in the center.

“Professor Kahan has been a great addition to the Benson Center and ambassador for it. His scholarship and teaching, as well as the events he’s organized, have added to the richness of the intellectual atmosphere at CU,” Jacobson said, adding:

“Kahan’s work on the liberal tradition is especially exciting because, like Tocqueville, he brings an outsider’s understanding to bear on his examination of American democracy.”

Kahan is the author of Aristocratic Liberalism: The Social and Political Thought of Jacob Burckhardt, John Stuart Mill and Alexis de Tocqueville; Liberalism in Nineteenth-Century Europe: the Political Culture of Limited Suffrage; Alexis de Tocqueville; Mind vs. Money: The War Between Intellectuals and Capitalism; and Tocqueville, Democracy and Religion.

He is also the translator of Alexis de Tocqueville’s The Old Regime and the Revolution and Benjamin Constant’s Commentary on Filangieri's Works.

Kahan has lived in France since 2007. Previously, he taught at Florida International University in Miami. He received his PhD in history from the University of Chicago in 1987.

The Benson Center promotes study of the intellectual, artistic and political traditions that characterize Western civilization.

Professor Kahan’s scholarship and teaching, as well as the events he’s organized, have added to the richness of the intellectual atmosphere at CU.”

“Central to this mission is our commitment to fostering dialogue about fundamental values and controversial questions,” the center states, adding:

“The center provides a forum for free inquiry and open debate, and it promotes academic freedom and intellectual diversity on campus in a time of increasing political polarization and homogeneity.”

The conservative thought and policy search committee includes five voting members, which comprise four tenured �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder faculty representing political science, economics, philosophy and history and one additional faculty member. The committee also includes five external, nonvoting advisory members.

Historian Alan S. Kahan, who has held the position this year, to continue in fall.

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Benson Center appoints new visiting scholar and first sabbatical scholar

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:53:04 +0000

Benson Center appoints new visiting scholar and first sabbatical scholar Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/19/2021 - 09:53

Historian Alan S. Kahan and philosopher David McPherson to join �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder for the 2021-22 academic year

The Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization at the �鶹��Ѱ�� has appointed Alan S. Kahan as the visiting scholar in conservative thought and policy for the 2021-22 academic year, and it has appointed David McPherson as its first-ever sabbatical scholar.

Kahan, a historian, political theorist and author, is professor of British Civilization at the Université de Paris-Saclay.

Kahan is the author of Aristocratic Liberalism: The Social and Political Thought of Jacob Burckhardt, John Stuart Mill and Alexis de Tocqueville; Liberalism in Nineteenth-Century Europe: the Political Culture of Limited Suffrage; Alexis de Tocqueville; Mind vs. Money: The War Between Intellectuals and Capitalism; and Tocqueville, Democracy, and Religion.

At the top of the page, Colleen Sheehan was the 2019-20 visiting scholar in conservative thought and policy. Above, Alan S. Kahan is the visiting scholar in conservative thought and policy for the 2021-22 academic year.

He is also the translator of Alexis de Tocqueville, The Old Regime and the Revolution and Benjamin Constant’s Commentary on Filangieri's Works.

He is currently working on Liberalism – An Incomplete History, which will be published by Princeton University Press.

Kahan says that his current book project is “very much in line” with the Benson Center’s aims, characterizing the work as an effort to “reorient debate about liberalism through an analytical history of its development, from the proto-liberalisms of the 18th century to the libertarian and egalitarian liberalisms of the late 20th.”

Kahan has been living in France since 2007. Previously, he taught at Florida International University in Miami. He received his PhD in history from The University of Chicago in 1987.

McPherson is the Benson Center’s first sabbatical fellow and will serve as a visiting research professor during the next academic year.

McPherson is an associate professor of philosophy at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. He received a PhD in philosophy in 2013 and an MA in philosophy from Marquette University, and a BA in philosophy summa cum laude from Bethel University.

Benson Center Director Daniel Jacobson said he is “delighted to welcome Professors Kahan and McPherson to the Benson Center and the �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder campus. Kahan’s work on the liberal tradition is especially exciting because, like Tocqueville, he brings an outsider’s understanding to bear on his examination of American democracy and McPherson is an extremely energetic and original philosopher exploring central issues in virtue theory and the philosophy of religion.”

“They bring different perspectives and approaches, both of which will contribute to the community of scholars we aspire to build at the Benson Center.”

Jacobson noted that for several years, it has been fundamental to the center’s mission to bring a diversity of voices into the university by sponsoring annual fellowships, both for academics from other institutions and from �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder, of diverse political, intellectual and philosophical thought from various academic fields. These scholars teach, research, present papers and provide outreach to the larger community.

Jacobson commented, “This new sabbatical program offers a further opportunity to expand the reach and national impact of the Benson Center’s model to other academic institutions by hosting visiting research scholars on the �鶹��Ѱ��campus.”

David McPherson is the 2020-21 sabbatical scholar.

At the Benson Center, McPherson will work on a book project titled Spiritual Alienation and the Quest for God. This book articulates, explores and responds to the problem of spiritual alienation, which is the state of being “estranged from human fulfillment,” and which he argues is a perennial feature of the human condition but is exacerbated within the conditions of Western modernity, such as secularity.

This book project builds on his previous book monographs, Virtue and Meaning: A Neo-Aristotelian Perspective and The Virtues of Limits (forthcoming), as well as his edited volume, Spirituality and the Good Life: Philosophical Approaches.

His research specializations are in ethics (especially virtue ethics), political philosophy, meaning in life, and philosophy of religion.

McPherson said he is “excited to be a part of a scholarly community at the Benson Center, where intellectual and political diversity are genuinely valued, and where exchanges across different viewpoints are encouraged.”

He added: “Given that my book project is concerned with the spiritual condition of the modern West, it is also wonderful to be at a place that values and seeks to explores the riches of our Western tradition. My family is also excited to explore the beauties of Colorado!”

Sabbatical fellowships, a longstanding tradition in academia, are an opportunity for faculty to focus intensely on scholarly research and production, usually after a period of successful teaching and accomplishment. Such work is vital to themselves, their students and their home institutions and also provides access to new knowledge that benefits to the scholar’s visiting institution.

Along with his scholarly pursuits, McPherson also intends to be fully immersed in family life while at �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder. Outside of work, he loves spending time with his wife Kirstin and their four children, Clare (8 years old), John (5 years old), Peter (two and a half years old), and Andrew (four months old).

He said, “My wife and I both play folk music together (I play guitar, and she plays fiddle and guitar), and our daughter Clare is now joining us on piano, and she and I also like to sing John Prine songs together. With John and Peter, I like building and playing with Star Wars Legos.”

Historian Alan S. Kahan and philosopher David McPherson to join �鶹��Ѱ��Boulder for the 2021-22 academic year

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Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization

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