The American Spectator : Books for Christmas

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Books for Christmas

From the December 2011 - January 2012 issue

Our annual list of holiday gift suggestions from distinguished readers and writers.

Doug Bandow

WHAT IS A Washington Christmas without receiving a few policy books as stocking stuffers? Still, it might be better to start with America’s historical foundation. Our nation faces more than a few challenges, but it always has come through even the most serious crises. Let us hope that history repeats.

Americans tend to have a rose-colored view of the country’s founding. For instance, patriots rose up against British oppressors and united to create a new nation. But it was a bit more complicated than that. A worthwhile read is An American Crisis: George Washington and the Dangerous Two Years After Yorktown, 1781–1783, by William M. Fowler, Jr. (Walker & Company).

Although fighting ended in 1781 and the British government had reluctantly recognized the necessity of granting independence, America’s future by no means looked bright. Negotiations with London were difficult — especially since the colonies were bankrupt, Continental Army soldiers were mutinous, and nationalists were scheming to use others’ misfortune for their political advantage.

A few decades later the union cobbled together only with great difficulty fell apart. David Goldfield takes a new look at America’s costliest war in America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation (Bloomsbury Press). The conflict thankfully ended slavery, though Goldfield questions whether the country needed a war to do that. The other enduring impact was to dramatically transform the United States, then considered to be a plural. The outcome was a new industrial behemoth that exalted commerce, reason, and science. One of Goldfield’s more interesting contentions is that evangelical Christianity helped bring on the conflict by hampering political compromise — a theory that so offended an editor at Washington’s long-time conservative newspaper that he killed my review of the book. On this, the 150th anniversary of the start of the war, the results should give pause: extraordinary centralization of power and imperialistic nationalism threaten both liberty and virtue.

This helps explain why long ago I decided that politics was hopeless and we are all doomed. In The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What’s Wrong with America (PublicAffairs) Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch do their best to prove me wrong. I still think we are doomed, but I hope they are right when they pronounce: “the future will be so bright, we’ll have to wear shades or, preferably, money-back-guaranteed optical implants with complimentary lifetime upgrades.”

Many of the political battles that Gillespie and Welch describe are rooted in a deeper economic and philosophical conflict captured by Nicholas Wapshott in Keynes Hayek: The Clash That Defined Modern Economics (Norton). These two intellectual giants did much to drive government economic policy starting with the Great Depression. For many years Keynes was victorious, and Western economies suffered disastrously as a result. Intellectually Hayek came to dominate the end of the 20th century, but during the 2008 financial crisis, mostly caused by foolish government interventions, Keynesianism again became the rage. Yet thankfully the public continues to be skeptical of politicians claiming to bear gifts financed by more deficits and debt.

Some of America’s most troublesome issues are international. Many of them grow out of religion, to the consternation of secular-minded Washington policy-makers. The international role of religion is ably detailed by Monica Duffy Toft, Daniel Philpott, and Timothy Samuel Shah in God’s Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics (Norton). In this “enlightened” age reason, science, commerce, and globalization were supposed to have marginalized and largely buried religion, but the latter is alive around the globe. In fact, it is hard to understand many of today’s international conflicts without understanding religion.

For instance, America’s most pressing foreign policy challenge is terrorism, which revolves around Islam. Muslim nations also tend to be isolated economically and authoritarian politically. While worse systems exist—North Korea and Burma come to mind—the vast majority of Muslim nations, even after the “Arab Spring,” suffer under various forms of tyranny. Genuine reform will need to come from within Islam. In Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty (Norton), Turkish journalist Mustafa Akyol explores elements within Islamic tradition and history that support freer and more tolerant economic and political systems. Akyol is doing important work that should have an impact well beyond his native Turkey.

Related to terrorism is Pakistan, a semi-failed nuclear state. The mess—and there seems to be no better word to describe that tragic land—is explored by James P. Farwell in The Pakistan Cauldron: Conspiracy, Assassination & Instability (Potomac). He looks at this chaotic nation’s recent history, particularly the roles of former president Pervez Musharraf and the late Benazir Bhutto, and the relationship between Islamabad and Washington. Frankly, one of the best reasons for America to leave Afghanistan is to get as far away from Pakistan as possible.

Likely more difficult over the longer term for Washington will be dealing with a wealthier and more powerful China. What to do? Panda-huggers and China-bashers take radically different perspectives. Henry Kissinger, who helped engineer the dramatic Cold War rapprochement between Washington and Beijing, assesses Chinese history and the future prospects of the U.S.-China relationship in On China (The Penguin Press). Kissinger hopes a Pacific Community might avert the risk of violent confrontation.

In A Contest for Supremacy: China, America, and the Struggle for Mastery in Asia (Norton), Aaron L. Friedberg takes a more pessimistic view. Yet even a more aggressive China would have little ability to threaten America, in contrast to Washington’s dominant position in East Asia. And the U.S. cannot permanently preserve the latter, at least at reasonable cost. Indeed, Americans would not stand idly by if another power, say, China, attempted to maintain military superiority along their coasts. Rather than attempting to defend the undefendable, Washington should back away, encouraging friendly states, starting with Japan, to develop potent deterrent forces of their own.

Finally, one of the most important practitioners of foreign policy—a true giant of international relations—was Germany’s Iron Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck. Jonathan Steinberg has written an encyclopedic but fascinating biography: Bismarck: A Life (Oxford). Bismarck had much ability and knew how to do good, working to defuse conflicts and maintain peace when he believed doing so was in Wilhelmine Germany’s interest. But he was without moral scruple and did much bad, reinforcing Germany’s unbalanced authoritarian political system. Steinberg explores the complexity of this extraordinary person.

Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan.

*****

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Letter to the Editor View all comments (16) | Leave a comment Leave a comment

J. Edgar Hodgkins of Ole Miss| 12.14.11 @ 8:37AM

Please allow me, a retired history professor from Ole Miss, to recommend a few of my Christmas selections, dear readers:

TOYS FOR BIG BOYS by Ben Stein. Ben shows off his cars, boats, motorcycles, etc. Lovely photos of Ben barechested in his boat, leather-clad on his motorcycle. This coffee talbe book will appeal to both men and women. $175 Rizzoli.

NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED by Margie (a children's book). It's a story about a little girl who loans her lovely doll to her friend, and her friend, in a fit of anger, bashes the doll's head on a radiator pipe. $5.99 Tulip Press.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF DEATH PANELS by Garcia Gomez-Phillipe. A psychological thriller about a man who's been in a vegetative state for 15 years, and the hospital decides to pull the plug. The wife not only objects, but demands that fresh flowers be delivered to her husband's room daily. $29.95 Fascista Press.

WHEN JESUS LAID HIS HANDS ON ME by Ken (Old Texican). Ken tells about the time he pulled a muscle in his right shoulder while helping his friend Margie move an upright piano up a staircase. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but the theme is this: Jesus will answer your prayers if you really believe. $17.50 Glory Road Press.

A SEXUAL HISTORY OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH by Miss Alabama. Miss Alabama, an Episcopalian and social and cultural doyenne of the South, writes about the ravenous sexual appetites of Southern Baptist men. Using her husband, Hank, his male friends and relatives, Miss Alabama rips open a sordid social fabric of unbridled sexual depravity. You'll need to turn on the air conditioner before opening this steamy tome. $45.00 Pavlova and Bertolucci.

Betty Jean Dowless| 12.14.11 @ 10:48AM

Can't wait to read Miss Alabama's book. Having been invovled with alot of Southern Baptist men, I can testify to their disgusting sexual appetites.

All I will say is that they left me bruised and battered and leave it at that.

But I could go on and on about their peculiar "tastes."

Seek| 12.14.11 @ 1:26PM

But these men profess Christian piety and virtue. Is there, then, a credibility gap?

Prunella S.| 12.14.11 @ 10:52AM

Betty Jean, honey, a lot is two words: a lot.

Example in a sentence:

I loved Rufus a lot, but he was an unfaithful S.O.B. and got the choir director of our local Baptist church pregnant!

Vern Crisler| 12.14.11 @ 10:58AM

I was a little shocked that Bandow would blame Christianity for the Civil War, but I guess when it comes to purist libertarians, such nuttiness is to be expected. Amazingly, many of these same libertarians are defenders of Southern intransigence, witness the foolish writings of Tom DiLorenzo.

Peppermint Tea| 12.14.11 @ 11:09AM

In order to understand Mitt Romney, conservatives and liberals alike should read Lexi Bjornholt's "My Boyfriend is a Mormon Vampire." Find on amazon.

David March| 12.14.11 @ 11:22AM

My recommended reads,

West of Honor, by Dr. Jerry E Pournelle, a good solid story of a soldier on a far frontier who has a chance to do something right. Pournelle himself was apparently a job at this magazine, so Im sure his work is familiar to somebody.

General Kenney Reports: A Personal History of the Pacific War, by General George C. Kenney. A great story of the pacific war told by MacArthurs senior airman. The Pacific comes alive as you relive the stories of his fights with rear areas, his attempts to keep his planes a fly and his coverage of several areas of battles that are not well remembered in these days of the island hopping campaigns.

A State of Disobedience by Tom Kratman. A story set in the near future when a Democrat Presidents policies leads to an armed insurrection in the south. Very scary and very realistic stuff, a foreshadowing of things to come.

David March is a contributor to a World at War and Against the Odds Magazines. His recent articles included the Mau Mau Insurgency and The Battle of Loos.

Purp| 12.14.11 @ 11:24AM

"The strategic genius of Roosevelt and Churchill in encouraging Stalin to take more than 90 percent of the casualties in fighting Hitler, as between the three major allies, while snatching Germany, France, Italy, and Japan, all hostile dictatorships at the end of 1940, back into the West as democratic allies, is rigorously but very readably recounted. " - Really? Do you really think this lesson was lost on the Soviets? Is this not why they felt justified overrunning Eastern Europe as their prize for so many casualties? How was that strategically brilliant?
Moreover, France was no dictatorship in 1940, where did you get that factoid?

Naturalborn Texicanette| 12.14.11 @ 2:50PM

Book reccomendation:

"Beautiful Outlaw" by John Eldridge

Margie| 12.14.11 @ 8:46PM

Every true Christian ought to read this book on the Reformation. It is being read aloud on Christian radio daily right now. It is the best book I have heard of, ever on the subject.

"The Reformation in England", by By Jean Henri Merle d'Aubigné.

Originally published in 1866, reprinted by Banner of Truth Trust, 1972.

"The introductory material in Volume 1, Book 1 is especially interesting as it deals with the planting of apostolic Christianity in Roman Britain, its later subversion by the forces of the Papacy, and the beginnings of reformation in the work of Wycliffe and the Lollards. This is great history and the reader is encouraged to read and study those events that in God's providence were used to reestablish apostolic and Biblical Christianity among the English speaking peoples." ~americanpresbyterianchurch.org.

Titles of some of book one chapters:

CHAPTER 1 Christ Mightier than Druid Altars and Roman Swords
CHAPTER 2 Iona versus Rome
CHAPTER 3 Rome "Converts" Britain
CHAPTER 4 The Conflict with Papal Supremacy
CHAPTER 5 The Iron Age of Spiritual Slavery
CHAPTER 6 Grosseteste and Bradwardine
CHAPTER 7 Light Streams from Lutterworth
CHAPTER 8 The Morning Star of the Reformation
CHAPTER 9 The Lollard Burnings
CHAPTER 10 The New Learning and the New Dynasty
CHAPTER 11 War, Marriage and Preaching
CHAPTER 12 Wolsey’s Rise to Power
CHAPTER 13 The Need for Reformation

Jesus is LORD~ Merry Christmas christians!

Sister Anna Maria Spiccata| 12.14.11 @ 9:06PM

And Merry Christmas to you, Margie.

Take time to listen to "Ave Maria," Shubert's version, and meditate on our Blessed Holy Mother as you drink in the divine melody and lyrics.

Margie| 12.14.11 @ 9:13PM

I prefer Handel's Messiah.
The lyrics are all from the Bible, which do not include any such "Holy Mother." That's bunk, and I never did go for bunk.
Merry Christmas Troll~ oh, and remember to keep the CHRIST in Christmas!

Nick| 12.14.11 @ 11:57PM

Margie,

Why are you promoting the Presbyterian church? I thought you didn't believe in denominationalism?
Aren't Presbyterians also a bunch of lying Papists? Isn't RCV a Presbyterian?
Merry Christ's Mass, and God Bless!

Vlady| 12.15.11 @ 9:03AM

"remember to keep the CHRIST in Christmas!"

Even better, it seems old Margie is promoting the Knights of Columbus.... Isn't that one of their yearly things, keeping Christ in Christmas?

POST American| 12.15.11 @ 1:02AM

"Understand, religion is the KEY
to history. Among the Christians, ONLY
the Calvinists possessed the faculty for
self-government, and ONLY the Calvinists
would fight."
-Lord Acton

"John Calvin was America's REAL founding
father."
-George Bancroft
America's First Historian
1830

SO, start grabbing that Geneva Bible,
start downloading that John Gill, John Bunyan
and John Calvin.

START cleaning out your churches or staring your own.

Make a defintive break with RED China wampum, franchise slum X---Miss.

---------YOUR LIFE NOW DEPENDS ON IT---------

Vasu Murti | 12.24.11 @ 3:23PM

(The folk song below receives airplay on KFOG 104.5 here in the SF Bay Area during the holiday season.)

"Well, Jesus was a homeless lad
"With an unwed mother and an absent dad
"And I really don't think he would have gotten that far
"If Newt, Pat and Jesse had followed that star