First published 2010
Daniel Hannan draws on his experience as a British conservative politician to deliver a stark warning to American readers. The author, who gained international attention in March 2009 after confronting Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the European Parliament, argues that Barack Obama's policies threaten to transform America into a European-style social democracy. Hannan contends that Americans possess a deeper understanding of liberty than Europeans, rooted in their founding documents and traditions. He urges his American audience to resist the temptation of expanded government programs and social safety nets that have characterized European Union nations. The book presents Hannan's case that America's founding principles have made it a global symbol of freedom, and that abandoning these ideals would lead the country down a dangerous path toward the kind of statist governance he has witnessed firsthand in Europe.
Genres: american, political-science, politics, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary
Setting: America, Europe, European Union
Period: 2009
224 pages · Hardcover · Harper