As we pass peak globalization and find ourselves in the midst of new proxy wars such as that in Ukraine, the ongoing restructuring of global order necessitates that we reframe a new concept of the national interest. The phrase is conspicuous by its muted appearance and sometimes even total absence from contemporary political discussion across the West. The proposition I want to advance here is that the reemergence of the national interest is less about shifts in the global balance of power and first and foremost a matter of internal democratic politics…