cover image The Reckoning: Debt, Democracy, and the Future of American Power

The Reckoning: Debt, Democracy, and the Future of American Power

Michael Moran. Palgrave Macmillan, $27 (256p) ISBN 978-0-230-33993-4

In this solemn examination of the severe problems facing the U.S. today, geostrategy analyst Moran explores the country’s recent decline from various angles, from the immense deficit and political indecision that resulted in Standard & Poor downgrading the country’s credit rating, to the rise of nations like China, India, and Brazil, with their growing economic and industrial power enabling them to assert themselves on the international stage, sometimes at odds with American interests. Moran touches on how communications technology, such as cellphone cameras and social media networks, assisted in the recent protest movements in the Middle East; much of this technology originated in America, yet many of the protestors distrust the U.S. due to its history of supporting the region’s dictators. Arguing that America has become too comfortable with its status as the most powerful country in the world, with its leaders either ignoring signs of their decline or designing impractical schemes to regain their standing, Moran suggests several possible solutions: reducing the American military presence in places like Japan and Germany and encouraging those countries to strengthen their own defense forces. The book offers a practical, useful roadmap for change if politicians will follow. Agent: Leah N. Spiro, Riverside Creative Management Inc. (Apr.)