Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The West has long been a font of stability, prosperity, and security. Yet when faced with global instability and economic uncertainty, it is tempting for states to react by closing borders, hoarding wealth, and solidifying power. We have seen it in Japan, France, and Italy in the past, and today it is infecting all of Europe and also the United States. This rigidity, together with income inequality, is the enemy of the liberal democracy of the Westa force for good which is now needed more than ever.
Fortunately, this fate is avoidable. States such as Sweden in the 1990s, California, or Britain under Thatcher all halted stagnation by clearing away the powers of interest groups and restoring their societies' ability to evolve. In this forward-thinking book, Emmott argues that in order to regain its strength, the West needs to be porous, open, and flexible. If liberal democracies are able to maintain confidence in their values and act on their core beliefs in policies like free trade and innovation, they will be able to avoid a rigid future with international consequences. From reinventing welfare systems to redefining the working age, and from reimagining education to embracing automation, Emmott lays out the changes the West must make to revive itself now and thrive in a better future.
"
Synopsis
The West seems to be in retreat--even from itself--and cracks have appeared in the structures of international collaboration built after 1945. We live in a time of disintegration and rekindling of old nationalisms.
Yet the end of the West has been predicted by academics, philosophers and rival statesmen for more than a hundred years. The West has proved itself to be tough--adaptable, flexible and able to evolve to meet the challenges of changing times. In this bold new book, Bill Emmott argues that in the face of new threats, we must resist attempts to close borders and minds, and work to remove obstacles that are blocking this evolutionary change.
The fight is not lost. The Fate of the West reveals that our record of overcoming our doubters and demons should give the world confidence that the idea of the West will again prevail. But to do so, we will have to return to our lodestars of openness and equality, keeping firmly in mind that without openness, the West cannot thrive; but without equality, the West cannot last.