As I write these very words, I am humming the tune of a Pete Seeger song—one that, though written decades ago, speaks to the strange, ironic truth of our times. The title resonates not only with the man’s absence from mainstream discourse but also with the fading voice of reason in American politics. Buchanan—a fierce advocate for non-intervention and American sovereignty—has been swallowed up by the Neocons, now at the Wall Street Journal and the Atlantic. His brand of patriotism and pacifism, once a pillar of American conservatism, now seems like a distant echo, drowned out by the cacophony of war-hungry rhetoric and political ignorance.
Pat Buchanan’s career has been one of both intellectual depth and defiance against the tide of modern political currents. His writings, including his key articles in the National Reviewduring the 1960s and 1970s, were instrumental in shaping the conservative movement. But as the magazine veered into the arms of the neoconservative faction, Buchanan’s restrained, America-first philosophy became increasingly out of place. He advocated for limited government, a firm stance on American sovereignty, and a foreign policy that favored peace over intervention. During his time at the National Review, the magazine morphed into a neoconservative mouthpiece, as Buchanan became the odd man out, dismissed by those pushing for empire rather than republic.
In his 2007 book, A Republic, Not an Empire, Buchanan lays out the foundation of his foreign policy philosophy, critiquing the expansion of American interventionism that has shaped the past century. His argument is simple: America must be a republic—focused on its own sovereignty—rather than an empire entangled in the affairs of foreign powers. Buchanan warned against the very policies that would soon drag America into the quagmire of the Iraq War, proving that his foresight wasn’t empty rhetoric. Yet, as his views became increasingly out of step with mainstream conservatism, Buchanan was fired from MSNBC in 2012 after his blunt comments on race and culture. That moment marked the end of an era—when it was still possible to speak the truth without being branded an extremist.
Buchanan, ever ahead of his time, was able to predict the consequences of mass immigration, multiculturalism, and the erosion of national identity long before they became mainstream concerns. His books, controversial as they may be, continue to sound the alarm on the dangers of globalism and cultural fragmentation. While his steadfast wisdom earned him scorn from the warhawks of both parties, today’s globalist agenda has led the United States into endless wars, none of which have had a clear purpose—Ukraine being the latest one, where the geopolitical ambitions of the neoconservatives have again dragged us into a spell of seemingly endless violence. These wars—ranging from the Middle East to Eastern Europe—are driven by the same forces that have pushed the US military into foreign lands for decades, discarding the well-being of ordinary Americans in the process.
Amid all of these conflicts and conflagrations, it’s critical that we take a step back and reconsider the true cost of war—not just in terms of lives lost but in terms of the moral and financial toll it takes on society. We’ve been conditioned to view wars as necessary, inevitable, and even noble. However, if we strip away the fog of globalist agendas, Middle East influence, and the corporate-driven push for perpetual conflict, a far darker picture emerges. Buchanan’s work often pointed out the naked truth that wars are fought not for noble causes but for power, money, and control. The casualties—both military and civilian—are often little more than pawns in a geopolitical game. So the question we must ask ourselves is: how much longer will we let ourselves be led down this bloody path?
Pat Buchanan was flawed, but he was a courageous patriot who saw the dangers that lay ahead of America and was unafraid to speak out, even when it cost him professionally and personally. His many writings, like A Republic, Not an Empire, and his critiques of both the American left and right show a man who understood the trajectory of American politics long before others did. Buchanan was the rarest of political thinkers—one who was not afraid to stand alone, when necessary, in order to fight against the prevailing winds of his time. It’s now up to us to heed his warnings, embrace a true America-first philosophy, and restore the republic that he so deeply believed in.
The answer to the title is another question: When will we ever learn, when will we ever... learn?