Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy

Jonah Goldberg argues that American and other democracies face serious danger because they have abandoned the values and institutions necessary to sustain freedom and prosperity. Goldberg contends that in the last 250,000 years, humans have only once discovered a way to escape the cycle of poverty, hunger, and war that characterized most of history. The emergence of democracy, individualism, and free markets was, he argues, unprecedented. Americans benefit doubly because the ideas enabling this development were embedded in the Constitution and in American culture, creating a uniquely prosperous society. These foundational ideas include: rights derive from God rather than government; government serves the people, not vice versa; individuals are sovereign and not bound by circumstances of birth; and people own the fruits of their labor. Goldberg claims that in recent decades, these political virtues have been reframed as vices. As traditions are increasingly viewed as systems of oppression and exploitation, principles of liberty and rule of law face attack from across the political spectrum. He argues that Western civilization must recover gratitude for its achievements and rediscover the ideals and habits that moved humanity away from historical violence and suffering, or risk returning to that past.