Fight for Liberty, Mark Lasswell
Fight for Liberty, Mark Lasswell
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Fight for Liberty
Defending Democracy in the Age of Trump

Author: Mark Lasswell, Jon Meacham

Narrator: Aaron Abano, Ewan Chung, Nimo Gandhi, Susan Hanfield, Alex Hyde-White, Jane Oppenheimer, Eric Pollins, Paul Rogan

Unabridged: 9 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: PublicAffairs

Published: 01/07/2020


Synopsis

Anne Applebaum, Garry Kasparov, Richard North Patterson, and a constellation of other thinkers make the urgent case for liberal democracy -- reinvigorating its central values in an age of doubt and discord.

Liberal democracy is in crisis around the world, besieged by authoritarianism, nationalism, and other illiberal forces. Far-right parties are gaining traction in Europe, Vladimir Putin tightens his grip on Russia and undermines democracy abroad, and America struggles with poisonous threats from the right and left.

But the defenders of democracy are strong too. Taking their cues from the 1788 Federalist Papers, the Renew Democracy Initiative is a collective of pro-democracy advocates from across the political spectrum, including Anne Applebaum, Garry Kasparov, Max Boot, Bret Stephens, Ted Koppel, and Natan Sharansky. This book is their foundational document, a collection of essays that analyze the multi-pronged threats to liberal democracy in the U.S. and abroad, and offer solutions based on fundamental democratic principles such as freedom of speech, a free press, and the rule of law.

Fight for Liberty is a roadmap for the struggle against the rising tide of extremism and a cri de coeur in defense of the liberal world order, which sees itself threatened as never before today.

Reviews

Goodreads review by R. Gabriel on January 31, 2019

A summary on foundations of Open Societies that transcend [precede?] left/right priorities/programmes. If the current vogue for authoriarian/illiberal "solutions" brought this self-examination on, all is not lost. The book is foundational, so it points more to what needs to be conserved, what princi......more

Goodreads review by Paul on March 02, 2020

Compilation of mixed quality. There are some good ideas and insights here as well as some which seem to be merely reactionary.......more

Goodreads review by Oanh on December 28, 2018

"Fight for Liberty" has persuasively articulated what many have been thinking for the past several years. The dangers to our liberal democracy and the world's aspiration to follow is not simple to assess or cure. We've neglected to sustain our collective understanding of the foundations that keep ou......more

Goodreads review by Sharon on December 07, 2018

A fascinating collection of essays by renowned authors including Max Boot and Richard North Patterson. So much of what was stated needs to be announced to the world at large, especially in our own country. Some notable quotes: The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want. They sp......more

Goodreads review by Ricky on December 06, 2023

Relatively balanced. Interesting read knowing everything that has happened since publication......more


Quotes

"The voices are familiar but fresh. And the topics they explore are handled with a deftness and texture richer than one might expect from a cohesive battle cry....There is a subtle (or not so subtle) prophecy that underlies these essays - the prophecy that such a turn of events is not only possible but probable if liberty is not defended now. Is this truly the fate of things to come? If we don't stand up and 'fight for liberty,' the text suggests, our greatest fears may be realized. The good news is these authors, and many of their devotees, will not go quietly into that good night."—Martha's Vineyard Times

"Fight for Liberty should be required reading for every college student-indeed, for every American and, regardless of their nationality, every person capable of reading and understanding the 1776 Declaration of Independence and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To comprehend the threats confronting our world and consider what to do about them, reading and re-reading this book's essays will be worthwhile."—Walter Clemens, New York Journal of Books

"The strongest point of this useful collection is the depth and breadth of its opposition to our current illiberal atmosphere...A valuable addition to the literature of democratic resistance."—Kirkus Reviews