Fighting Enemies Foreign and Domestic: The Legacy of Angelo Codevilla

Angelo Codevilla, a towering intellect and prolific scholar, left an indelible mark on the study of political philosophy and statesmanship. An Italian immigrant, Codevilla embraced America with a fervent belief in its republican ideals. His academic journey took him to Rutgers, where his early promise in physics hinted at the analytical rigor he later applied to political philosophy. Pursuing his passion for understanding human governance, he earned a PhD under Harry Jaffa at Claremont Graduate School, where he also studied under Leo Strauss. A naval intelligence officer, foreign service officer, and staffer on the US Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence, Codevilla bridged the worlds of strategic policy and classical thought. His advocacy for missile defense during the Reagan administration – a concept many deemed visionary – was matched only by his sharp critiques of the bipartisan political class. Codevilla’s profound engagement with the writings of Machiavelli, Tocqueville, and America’s founders informed his incisive works, including The Character of Nations and America’s Rise and Fall Among Nations. A translator of Machiavelli’s The Prince and an unrelenting critic of technocratic governance, he inspired a generation of thinkers to confront uncomfortable truths about modernity and the American regime. This festschrift gathers the reflections of prominent scholars who honor Codevilla’s enduring legacy and the clarity he brought to questions of liberty, statesmanship, strategy, and the fate of nations. Essential reading for students of history, politics, and statecraft, it celebrates a man whose insights continue to resonate with patriotic Americans and lovers of freedom across the West.