For those of you who missed the debate over illiberalism, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. Basically, illiberals say that Western politics is wrong to place so much emphasis on personal freedom, small government, etc. They believe that a paternal state is needed to advance the common good. Most illiberals support protective tariffs and trust-busting. Others (like the Catholic integralists) go further and say the government should ban pornography and promote public worship.

I’m not quite a liberal, whether or not anyone would call me an illiberal. Yet Russia’s invasion of Ukraine surely marks the end of our illiberal moment. Nobody watching this war unfold could help but develop a healthy fear of state power. Nobody with an internet connection could seriously believe that liberalism is the single greatest threat to humanity today.

An autocrat, consumed by pride and greed, is terrorizing the civilians of another country. Suddenly, terms like “conservative” and “liberal” are meaningless. Politics is irrelevant. As G.K. Chesterton said, “What is wrong with the world is the devil, and what is right with the world is God.”