Over the decades, the Munich Security Conferences have produced many famous and memorable speeches. Few of them have been as unusual as the one U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivered last Friday. Much of the audience, composed of high-ranking politicians and experts from EU and NATO countries, expected detailed policy outlines on transatlantic security and the war in Ukraine. But Vance focused on the basics, the common heritage, freedom, free speech, and true democracy.
Although not many in the audience may have been receptive to these messages, there is certainly a growing number of people in Europe who are willing to work with the backbone, the patriots, the “hillbillies” of America on these fundamentals: the conservative sovereigntist forces of Europe such as the Patriots for Europe. What do these values have to do with geopolitics and security? Everything. They point to three main principles that unite the new American and European conservative movements: faith, national sovereignty, and peace through strength.
Patriots on both sides of the Atlantic are convinced that our values are ultimately rooted in the principles of our Western civilization, in our faith, in our Christian heritage. It is the most cherished value to be preserved. Because of its uniqueness, Patriots do not believe that any other culture or nation outside the West should or could apply all of our values, principles, or laws. We take it for granted that all men are created equal—it’s a Christian idea, after all—but we have learned the lessons of our own recent history about the dangers and costs of “searching for monsters overseas,” even when doing so in the name of liberal democratic values.
Patriots believe that we are in this world to have a home somewhere, to be part of a nation. National sovereignty is about solidarity and inclusion. The nation-state is the largest and most successful community of peoples bound together by common history, culture, and norms. When people question the value of the nation and either fantasize about globalist universalism or try to transcend national boundaries with imperial ambitions, they always end in disaster.
Faith and national sovereignty recognize the realities of this world. America first, Europe first, Italy first, Hungary first also means that our interests in security, economics, and trade sometimes differ. But despite the critics, at their core, today’s patriots have much more respect for other nations than liberal Western elites because they understand the fundamental value of national sovereignty.
Finally, peace through strength. Patriots recognize power as the driver of international politics, so they see strong defense and deterrence as a necessity. At the same time, deterrence is enhanced not only by military strength, but also by clearly defining the boundaries of our genuine fundamental interests based on proper risk and cost assessments. Fighting endless unwinnable wars only undermines deterrence. As the Cold War taught us in the Koreas or Vietnam, winning the peace is sometimes more important than winning the war.
The West faces daunting challenges. There is much common ground on both sides of the Atlantic among those who believe that the West needs a new kind of Reformation—one that looks boldly to the future, nourished by the wellsprings of original truths.
At a recent meeting of the Patriots, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán quoted another famous Hungarian, Ferenc Puskas, the greatest soccer player of all time, referring to conservative forces in Europe, “The team is very much together.” When it comes to bold and powerful solutions in the Western political arena, an American quarterback in the team could change the name of the game for the better.
Hillbilly Meets Europe: A New Transatlantic Vision for the West
U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers his speech during the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany on February 14, 2025.
Photo: THOMAS KIENZLE / AFP
Over the decades, the Munich Security Conferences have produced many famous and memorable speeches. Few of them have been as unusual as the one U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivered last Friday. Much of the audience, composed of high-ranking politicians and experts from EU and NATO countries, expected detailed policy outlines on transatlantic security and the war in Ukraine. But Vance focused on the basics, the common heritage, freedom, free speech, and true democracy.
Although not many in the audience may have been receptive to these messages, there is certainly a growing number of people in Europe who are willing to work with the backbone, the patriots, the “hillbillies” of America on these fundamentals: the conservative sovereigntist forces of Europe such as the Patriots for Europe. What do these values have to do with geopolitics and security? Everything. They point to three main principles that unite the new American and European conservative movements: faith, national sovereignty, and peace through strength.
Patriots on both sides of the Atlantic are convinced that our values are ultimately rooted in the principles of our Western civilization, in our faith, in our Christian heritage. It is the most cherished value to be preserved. Because of its uniqueness, Patriots do not believe that any other culture or nation outside the West should or could apply all of our values, principles, or laws. We take it for granted that all men are created equal—it’s a Christian idea, after all—but we have learned the lessons of our own recent history about the dangers and costs of “searching for monsters overseas,” even when doing so in the name of liberal democratic values.
Patriots believe that we are in this world to have a home somewhere, to be part of a nation. National sovereignty is about solidarity and inclusion. The nation-state is the largest and most successful community of peoples bound together by common history, culture, and norms. When people question the value of the nation and either fantasize about globalist universalism or try to transcend national boundaries with imperial ambitions, they always end in disaster.
Faith and national sovereignty recognize the realities of this world. America first, Europe first, Italy first, Hungary first also means that our interests in security, economics, and trade sometimes differ. But despite the critics, at their core, today’s patriots have much more respect for other nations than liberal Western elites because they understand the fundamental value of national sovereignty.
Finally, peace through strength. Patriots recognize power as the driver of international politics, so they see strong defense and deterrence as a necessity. At the same time, deterrence is enhanced not only by military strength, but also by clearly defining the boundaries of our genuine fundamental interests based on proper risk and cost assessments. Fighting endless unwinnable wars only undermines deterrence. As the Cold War taught us in the Koreas or Vietnam, winning the peace is sometimes more important than winning the war.
The West faces daunting challenges. There is much common ground on both sides of the Atlantic among those who believe that the West needs a new kind of Reformation—one that looks boldly to the future, nourished by the wellsprings of original truths.
At a recent meeting of the Patriots, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán quoted another famous Hungarian, Ferenc Puskas, the greatest soccer player of all time, referring to conservative forces in Europe, “The team is very much together.” When it comes to bold and powerful solutions in the Western political arena, an American quarterback in the team could change the name of the game for the better.
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