American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century

From America's premier political analyst, an explosive examination of the axis of religion, politics, and borrowed money that threatens to destroy the nation.

In his two most recent New York Times bestselling books, American Dynasty and Wealth and Democracy, Kevin Phillips established himself as a powerful critic of the political and economic forces that are ruling — and imperiling — the United States. Now, Phillips takes an uncompromising view of the political coalition, led by radical religion, that is driving America to the brink of disaster.

From Ancient Rome to the British Empire, Phillips demonstrates that every world-dominating power has been brought down by a related set of causes: a lethal combination of global over-reach, militant religion, resource problems, and ballooning debt. It is this same axis of ills that has come to define America's political and economic identity in the past decade. Military miscalculations in the Middle East, the surge of fundamentalist religion, the staggering national debt, the costs of U.S. oil dependence — together these factors are undermining our nation's security, solvency, and standing in the world. If left unchecked, the same forces will bring a debt-bloated, preachy, energy-starved America to its knees. With an eye on the past and a searing vision of the future, Phillips has written a book that no American can afford to ignore.

"The title of political analyst Phillips's latest book may overstate his case (in the text, he prefers the term 'theocratic direction'), but his analysis likely will strike chords among those troubled by our current political moment. Phillips (American Dynasty) expounds upon historical parallels for each of his three subjects. In his section on 'Oil and American Supremacy,' for example, he points to Britain's post-WWI involvement in the Middle East as an analogy to Iraq, and in his section on radicalized religion, he warns of 'the pitfalls of imperial Christian overreach from Rome to Britain.' The five major measures of U.S. debt — from national to household — keep setting records, he observes in his section on 'Borrowed Prosperity,' and the real estate boom spurred by the Federal Reserve, he argues, cannot continue. Phillips identifies the escalating clout of the financial services industry and suggests that Americans should emulate policies in Asia that encourage savings and in Europe that encourage manufacturing. The lesson of the past, he warns, is that intractable national issues 'generate weak and compromising politicians or zealous bumblers.' A critic of the Bush family, Phillips sees little hope in Hillary Clinton. Expect him to make some provocative appearances on chat shows." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"A dazzling treatise....Phillips's historical essay/polemic is provocative, though plenty of folks in Houston — to say nothing of Washington — won't like it at all." Kirkus Reviews

"If Phillips's political allegiance has changed over the decades, the sharpness of his observations and the historical depth and range of his arguments — as well as the wit and style gracing them — have not." Library Journal

"If you consider yourself a Southerner, a born-again Christian fundamentalist, an oilman, a hedge fund manager, or even simply the driver of an SUV...American Theocracy should make you hopping mad, because in it he describes with fervid cogency just why he thinks you're part of what's wrong with the country today." Baltimore Sun

"[A] thoughtful and somber jeremiad, written throughout with a graceful wryness. Its brilliance is so abundant even its asides are insightful...Everyone should have access to what American Theocracy so powerfully tells us about our country at this critical time." Chicago Sun-Times

Kevin Phillips has been a political and economic commentator for more than three decades. A former White House strategist, he is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times and NPR and writes for Harper's and Time. His books include New York Times bestsellers The Politics of Rich and Poor and Wealth and Democracy.