The Essence of Conservatism Is Loyalty to Inherited Values

At a panel discussion during the Baile Tusnad Summer University and Student Camp, Jonathan Price, visiting fellow at the Danube Institute; David Campanale, one of the founding members of the event; Peter Canny, a congressional journalist; and moderator John O’Sullivan, president of the Danube Institute, explored key questions about the future of conservatism in the wake of Donald Trump’s re-election. The takeaway: conservative thought has never been more contested.

Tusvanyos, July 25, 2025 (Photo: Magyar Nemzet)

According to Mr. Price,

the situation of the American and European right differs in that, while in Europe the Christian tradition can still serve as a unifying force, in the United States, political divisions are increasingly shaped by deep cultural fault lines.

The panel also raised the question of whether conservative politics can still function as a moral compass, or whether it has become merely a tool of power strategy. Mr. Campanale suggested that Trump demonstrated how a conservative movement can be built on political cynicism and the dismantling of shared norms—but it remains an open question whether this approach ultimately destroys the very values it seeks to protect. Mr. O’Sullivan closed the discussion with the remark:

the future of conservatism is not a matter of ideology, but of cultural survival instinct. Without that, political labels are meaningless.

“The question is whether we can still explain to the younger generation why the values we have inherited are worth holding onto,” he said.

Cover photo: Tusvanyos, July 25, 2025 (Photo: Magyar Nemzet)