The Retreat of Western Liberalism

Edward Luce

Jul 2017 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Julian Elfer

About this audiobook

In his widely acclaimed book Time to Start Thinking, Financial Times chief U.S. columnist and commentator Edward Luce charted the course of America's relative decline, proving to be a prescient voice on our current social and political turmoil. In The Retreat of Western Liberalism, Luce makes a larger statement about the weakening of western hegemony and the crisis of liberal democracy-of which Donald Trump and his European counterparts are not the cause, but a terrifying symptom. Luce argues that we are on a menacing trajectory brought about by ignorance of what it took to build the West, arrogance towards society's economic losers, and complacency about our system's durability-attitudes that have been emerging since the fall of the Berlin Wall. We cannot move forward without a clear diagnosis of what has gone wrong. Combining on-the-ground reporting with intelligent synthesis of the literature and economic analysis, Luce offers a detailed projection of the consequences of the Trump administration, the rise of European populism, and a forward-thinking analysis of what those who believe in enlightenment values must do to defend them from the multiple onslaughts they face in the coming years.

Ratings and reviews

Outstanding tome of enlightenment thought and the implications of the attack on liberal institutions

About the author

Edward Luce is the Financial Times Washington columnist and commentator. Previously, he worked as a speech writer for the treasury secretary in the Clinton administration and as the South Asia bureau chief for the Financial Times. He is also the author of In Spite of the Gods and Time to Start Thinking.

British-born Julian Elfer is an award-winning New York City-based actor and audiobook narrator. With over 100 titles to his credit, Julian brings a unique facility for characterization in fiction and an empathy for the personalities and events of the past.