In the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq, a number of observers noticed that
the Bush administration’s policies seemed to resonate with the writings of
Leo Strauss, a political philosopher of the classical tradition and
professor at the University of Chicago.  Strauss died in 1973, yet some
speculated that Strauss was influencing national policy from “beyond the
grave.”

On February 23, Nathan Tarcov, a political science professor at the
University of Chicago and executor of Strauss’ literary estate, sought to
explain how Strauss thought about the practical applications of his
ideas and to address the claims of those who saw Strauss’ hand in the Iraq
invasion.

According to Tarcov, Strauss only rarely discussed the
practical aspect of his philosophy—the three notable exceptions being in
1942, 1943, and 1962.  In the first instance, a speech entitled “What Can We
Learn from Political Theory?,” Strauss – in what Tarcov noted was typical
Thomist fashion –  concluded that political philosophy, though it is limited in its ability to offer
solutions to real-world problems, is nonetheless useful, even essential, as
an apologetic tool.   While emphasizing Strauss’ opposition to earthly utopias, Tarcov said that Strauss believed political philosophy could help to
guide policy to
secure peace for the next generation.

In that same 1942 speech, Strauss advocated for an alliance with Russia
against the Nazis.  According to Tarcov, he expected that the best chance for post-war peace lay in establishing an “Anglo-Saxon” empire: The fight would not be between
numerous free states and an evil empire, but between a tolerable and benign
imperialism and an aggressive and radical imperialism, with the former
Allies on one side in the postwar world and the Soviets on the other.

Tarcov observed that Strauss did not foresee a purely American empire, and not
merely because the British Empire was still near the height of its power.  In
Strauss’ mind, the United States could not act unilaterally if it was to be
sure that it was acting justly.  According to Tarcov, this meant that the
United Nations would come to serve as a check on American hegemony.

The second instance in which Strauss spoke of the practical implications of
political philosophy was in 1943, when he examined the prospects for
re-building Germany after the war.

For Strauss, the challenge in shaping a peaceful Germany lay in the fact that a new government imposed by the Allies
could not last. A lasting and peaceful government would have to come from
the German people themselves, building on German
national pride and cultural awareness.  The Allies could influence the
process of creating a new government, but they could not try to control it
directly.

In his third discussion of the implementation of political philosophy,
Strauss spoke on the way in which the United States should view and interact with the
Soviet Union.  At the time, both Democrats and Republicans agreed that
Russian communism was hardly a good thing, but it was unclear whether it
would be possible to have a “modus vivendi” (way of living)with the communist
empire.

For Strauss, the answer was relatively clear: It was not necessarily
the case that the United States would have to overthrow the Soviet Union.  As long as
the Russian leadership clung to a dream of communist utopia, it would not be
possible to craft a real peace with them in any sense.

From allowing the Afghan and Iraqi peoples to write their own constitutions,
to ensuring that other nations supported the Iraq invasion to the refusal to
negotiate with radical regimes, Strauss’
hand seems evident in the policies of former President George W. Bush.  Even the word “regime,” along with phrases such as “axis of evil,” may have been borrowed from Strauss’ writings.

Tarcov concluded that it is not difficult to see how Strauss’ reflections on political philosophy can be compared to Bush
administration policy. He also observed, however, that there is no conclusive
proof that any senior member of the Bush administration considered Strauss
an influence or even mentioned his work in the development of policy.

Tim Kirchoff is a freshman political science major who took time out of his
busy video gaming schedule to write this article. He can be contacted at
tkirchof@nd.edu