Decline and Fall: The End of Empire and the Future of Democracy in 21st Century America

Decline and Fall: The End of Empire and the Future of Democracy in 21st Century America

by John Michael Greer
Decline and Fall: The End of Empire and the Future of Democracy in 21st Century America

Decline and Fall: The End of Empire and the Future of Democracy in 21st Century America

by John Michael Greer

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Overview

The political theorist and author of After Progress examines the future of U.S. dominance on the world stage in this persuasive and provocative book.

The decline and fall of America's global empire is the central feature of today's geopolitical landscape. How we respond to this reality will determine much of our future trajectory, with implications that reach far beyond the limits of one nation's borders. In Decline and Fall, John Michael Greer examines the path we’re on and presents a persuasive challenge to the conventional wisdom of empire.

Rather than asking if today's American empire should survive, Greer asks whether it can—and goes on to demonstrate that the answer is "no.” After exploring the inevitable consequences of imperial collapse, Decline and Fall proposes a renewal of democratic institutions as the only constructive way forward.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780865717640
Publisher: New Society Publishers
Publication date: 04/01/2014
Pages: 304
Sales rank: 884,659
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

John Michael Greer is a scholar of ecological history and an internationally renowned Peak Oil theorist whose blog, The Archdruid Report, has become one of the most widely cited online resources dealing with the future of industrial society. He is the author of more than 30 books including Green Wizardry and The Wealth of Nature . He has been active in the contemporary nature spirituality movement for more than 25 years.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Understanding Empire 1

Part 1 The Course Of Empire

1 Origins of American Empire 23

2 The Struggle Over Empire 37

3 America at Zenith 53

Part 2 The Widening Gyre

4 The Failure of Politics 81

5 The Economic Unraveling 105

6 The Specter of Defeat 139

7 The Consequences of Collapse 161

Part 3 A Republic, If You Can Keep It

8 The Future of Democracy 187

9 Reinventing Society 211

10 Facing a Hard Future 241

Afterword: A Choice of Tomorrows 267

Notes 277

Bibliography 281

Index 287

About the Author 295

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"John Michael Greer writes with unsurpassed clarity about the predicaments of energy and economy mankind faces. And he does it with a wonderfully kind, genial, and wise spirit."
—James Howard Kunstler, author, The Long Emergency and the World Made by Hand novels

"The enormous virtue of John Michael Greer's work is that his wisdom is never conventional, but profound and imaginative."
—Sharon Astyk, author, Depletion and Abundance and Independence Days , www.SharonAstyk.com

"When we find ourselves falling off the lofty peak of infinite progress, our civilization's mythology predisposes our imaginations to bypass reality altogether, and to roll straight for the equally profound abyss of the Apocalypse. Greer breaks this spell, and instead offers us a view on our deindustrial future that is both carefully reasoned and grounded in spirituality."
—Dmitry Orlov, author, Reinventing Collapse and The Five Stages of Collapse

Greer's work is nothing short of brilliant.
—Richard Heinberg,Senior Fellow, Post-Carbon Institute, and author, The Party's Over and The End of Growth

Greer ... offers us not only an excellent read, but tangible tools for navigating the transition.
—Carolyn Baker, author, Speaking Truth to Power, www.CarolynBaker.net

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