Todd Huizinga

To save the West, we must choose life. In this essay for @RestoringWest, I argue that @MelanieLatest’s The Builder’s Stone makes a powerful case for Jewish-Christian solidarity as essential to defending civilization against barbarism.

The ideas that shape civilizations are forged in books — and in the conversations that test them. 📯We’re pleased to launch the Restoring the West Book Club, beginning with @andrewdoyle_com on The End of Woke. 💬Discussion and Author Q&A ⏰ Monday, April 13 | 7:00 PM ET 📺The discussion will be led by @TreyDimsdale, Senior Editor for Law and Liberty at @RestoringWest. 🎁 Paid subscribers may submit questions in advance. 📌This is also a great opportunity for followers and free subscribers to upgrade to paid if they want access to the Book Club and similar activities we’ll be hosting on our Substack. Read more here: ayaan.restoringthewest.com/restoring-the-… #BookClub #AndrewDoyle #RestoringTheWest

Citizenship is not a passport—it is loyalty. In this conversation for @RestoringWest, I speak with @Ayaan about why the West cannot be renewed until citizenship once again means commitment—not access.

My latest

Glad to be part of this team

After 20 years as a U.S. diplomat, I can tell you: a passport is more than a travel document—it’s a statement of national identity. In my @RestoringWest essay, I argue it should reflect America’s spirit and confidence—not a muted, bureaucratic design. restoringthewest.com/p/make-america…

A passport is not merely a travel document—it is a statement of national identity. In this essay for @RestoringWest, @Todd_Huizinga argues that America’s passport should reflect the spirit, history, and confidence of the nation it represents—not a muted, bureaucratic aesthetic. Read: restoringthewest.com/p/make-america…

Funny how something as small as a passport design can say something much bigger about a country. In this essay for @RestoringWest, @Todd_Huizinga makes the case that America’s passport should feel unmistakably American—not muted, generic, and bureaucratic. Make American Passports Great Again Read the full piece here: ayaan.restoringthewest.com/make-american-… #Passport #America #Design

At @RestoringWest, we believe the West is worth defending. In her inaugural weekly column, @Ayaan explains why the fight for Western civilization is not nostalgic rhetoric, but a moral and civic necessity. Why the Fight for Western Civilization Matters Ayaan Hirsi Ali reflects on freedom, cultural inheritance, and why the principles of the West are still worth preserving. Read the full piece via @Ayaan & @RestoringWest Link: ayaan.restoringthewest.com/why-the-fight-… #WesternCivilization #AyaanHirsiAli #Freedom

What happens when a civilization forgets its own story? In The Strange Death of Europe, @DouglasKMurray argues that Europe’s crisis stems from two forces: mass immigration and the collapse of Christian faith. @Todd_Huizinga explains why this book remains essential reading at @RestoringWest. Read the full piece via @Ayaan & @RestoringWest URL: ayaan.restoringthewest.com/western-civili… #WesternCivilization #Christianity #DouglasMurray

In The Strange Death of Europe, @DouglasKMurray argues that Europe’s crisis stems from two forces: mass immigration and the collapse of Christian faith. At @RestoringWest, I explain why this book still matters. substack.com/home/post/p-19…

Thank you, @Ayaan. It’s an honor.

Dear Reader, Welcome to Restoring the West. We're excited to introduce you to the five editors who will be guiding our coverage across the pillars essential to Western civilization. Each brings deep expertise, sharp thinking, and a commitment to the ideas that make free societies possible. You'll hear from them every weekday, and we hope you'll get to know them through their work. — The Editors Read the full text here: restoringthewest.com/p/meet-the-res…

The Restoring the West Manifesto I spent the first part of my life living under oppression. I know what it means to be silenced, to have your freedom stolen, to watch a civilization reject the very values that make human flourishing possible. I also know what it means to be free. And I know that freedom is not inevitable — it must be defended, understood, and taught anew to every generation. The West is at risk of losing that fight. And too many people who should be leading the defense have no idea how to do so. That’s why we’re launching Restoring the West. The Crisis We Face The civilization that gave the world individual liberty, the rule of law, scientific inquiry, and human dignity is under siege — not primarily from external enemies, but from internal collapse. Many of our institutions have been captured. Too many of our universities teach students to despise their own inheritance of broad thought and discourse. Our media amplifies every grievance to leftist ideology, while ignoring threats from intolerant ideologies and forces. Our leaders lack the moral vocabulary and fortitude to defend what we’ve built. Meanwhile, illiberal ideologies — from political Islamism to postmodern identity politics — advance unchecked, demanding submission to group identity over individual conscience, censorship over free speech, and tribal loyalty over universal human rights. Classical liberals and conservatives? Too often, we’re losing. We win elections but lose the culture. We defend policies but surrender the principles. We react to provocations but fail to plant ideas that endure. We even wage wars to liberate oppressed people in other nations, yet we fail to explain—both to outsiders and to our own citizens—the moral absolutes that demand we use our power against evil, such as the death cult that served as the operating system of Iran’s Islamist regime. The West will not be restored by winning news cycles. It will be restored by winning the argument for why the West is worth preserving. Our Guiding Principles: DEFEND JUDEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES, UNAPOLOGETICALLY The features that have uniquely made our civilization a place where all can flourish are rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition: individual liberty, equality before the law, freedom of conscience and expression, and the dignity of every human being. These values built free societies. These values are now under attack. We will defend them without apology or equivocation. FIGHT ILLIBERALISM IN ALL ITS FORMS Whether cloaked in religious orthodoxy or academic jargon, illiberalism seeks the same end: the suppression of individual freedom in service of collective control. We oppose political Islam, which seeks to impose religious law on free societies. We oppose postmodern ideologies that replace individual rights with identity hierarchies. We refuse to choose between these threats. We recognize them both as enemies of Western civilization. PLANT IDEAS THAT ENDURE This publication is not about outrage or affirmation. It's about intellectual ammunition. Every piece we publish will advance a clear argument, address serious objections, and connect to the project of civilizational renewal. We write for people who need to be persuaded, not just people who already agree. Our goal is to shape minds, change debates, and arm veterans and new generations for the work ahead. SPEAK WITH MORAL CLARITY I did not escape one form of oppression to tolerate another. I will not pretend that all cultures are equal, that all ideas are equally valid, or that we can restore the West through euphemism and evasion. Moral clarity is not extremism — it's the precondition for moral action. We will say what is true, even when the truth is uncomfortable. FIVE PILLARS, ONE MISSION Everything we publish connects to the civilizational foundations we must restore: Faith & Family - The roots of free societies Education - Where the future is won or lost Law & Liberty - Without which we are subjects, not citizens Nation & Citizenship - The framework for self-governance Media, Arts & Culture - Where values are formed or deformed These aren't talking points. These are the fronts in a war for civilization itself. SMART BREVITY, SERIOUS PURPOSE Busy people need clear arguments, not bloated essays. We respect your time by making every word count. But efficiency serves substance, not the other way around. We will never sacrifice intellectual rigor for algorithmic reach or dumb down complex arguments for easier consumption. Excellence is the standard we want restored in our civilization — it’s the standard we hold ourselves to here. Why This Matters I have seen what happens when civilizations abandon their principles. I have lived under the thuggish sandal of illiberalism. I know the price of freedom because I know what life costs without it. Too many of the institutions that once defended Western civilization have failed or been captured. The task of restoration falls to us — to those who understand what’s at stake and refuse to surrender what generations before us built and bled for. This is not pessimism. This is realism coupled with resolve. The West can be saved. But only if we’re willing to make the argument for why it deserves to be saved — and then do the work required to save it. Welcome to Restoring the West. — Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali today announced the launch of Restoring the West, a redesigned and expanded publication focused on defending the principles of Western civilization through rigorous opinion journalism, cultural criticism, and ideas-driven commentary. Formerly known as Restoration, the publication has been relaunched with a broader mission and enhanced editorial structure organized around five essential pillars: Faith & Family, Education, Law & Liberty, Nation & Citizenship and Media/Arts/Culture. “The West is worth defending—and worth restoring,” said Hirsi Ali. “This publication exists to plant ideas, challenge assumptions, and equip readers with the intellectual ammunition needed for the civilizational debates of our time.” Restoring the West will publish daily commentary and analysis addressing the threats to, and the enduring triumphs of Western civilization, featuring contributions from leading classical liberal, conservative, and freedom-oriented thinkers alongside emerging voices. The publication emphasizes fact-based analysis and opinion journalism that engages readers with essential debates about liberty, culture, and governance. Regular contributors include Daisy Mae Inglese on Faith & Family, Jenna A. Robinson on Education, Trey Dimsdale on Law & Liberty, Todd Huizinga on National & Citizenship, Grace Salvatore on Media/Arts/Culture. Ayaan will anchor the publication with a weekly essay and her Saturday wrap-up column, “The World According to Ayaan,” offering her candid interpretation of global and cultural developments. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a renowned human rights activist, author, and champion of Judeo-Christian values. Born in Somalia and raised under oppressive conditions, she has become one of the world’s leading voices for individual freedom and against political Islamism. She is the author of several bestselling books and is a sought-after public intellectual whose work spans human rights advocacy, cultural commentary, and the defense of Enlightenment principles. She is a recent convert to Christianity. Hirsi Ali is also the founder of AHA Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to renewing confidence in the values that have made our civilization great. Since 2007, AHA Foundation has been a leading voice defending the rights of women in Islamist communities, advancing free speech, and combating the corrosive ideologies that threaten our institutions.