Fear's Empire

Benjamin Barber, a political theorist, takes apart the foreign policy pursued by the Bush administration in this book, which carries the subtitle War, Terrorism, and Democracy. He questions the push to spread democracy by force into other countries, asking whether such an approach can produce the freedom it promises.

Barber also points to what he sees as double standards in American conduct abroad, arguing that the country's professed ideals sometimes clash with its own actions. The book suits readers interested in US foreign relations, the ethics of war, and the relationship between security and democratic values.