Transatlantic Traumas: Has Illiberalism Brought the West to the Brink of Collapse? - Pocket Politics (Paperback)

'The conceit of this aptly titled, provocative book is reflected in the question its subtitle poses. The book appears in Manchester University Press's new "Pocket Politics" series, which is designed to provide "short pithy summaries of complex topics on socio-political issues ... aimed at the interested general reader." The book is commendably distinctive in that Sloan (visiting scholar, political science, Middlebury College) eschews any pretense of academic objectivity in favor of a decidedly opinionated, advocatory stance. He argues that the present malaise (hence, the use of the word trauma in the title)-as revealed in Brexit, Trumpism, and the ascendancy of right populist parties in Europe-draws strength from threats from Russia and the Islamic State. As a curative he makes the case for a new "radical centrist populism" to stem the current tide and reassert Western supremacy. Sloan's twofold prescription calls for active deterrence of and resistance to external threats and a reinvigoration of liberal democracy. As relevant as today's headlines, this book is both an eminently readable primer on the current state of transatlantic relations and a call to action.' D. Ettinger, George Washington University, Choice Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers -- .