The Empire and the Five Kings

America's Abdication and the Fate of the World

De: Bernard-Henri Lévy

Narrado por: P.J. Ochlan

The United States was once the hope of the world, a beacon of freedom, and the defender of liberal democracy. Nations and peoples on all continents looked to America to stand up for the values that created the Western world, and to oppose autocracy and repression. Even when America did not live up to its ideals, it still recognized their importance, at home and abroad.

But as Bernard-Henri Levy lays bare in this powerful and disturbing analysis of the world today, America is retreating from its traditional leadership role, and in its place have come five ambitious powers, former empires eager to assert their primacy and influence. Levy shows how these five - Russia, China, Turkey, Iran, and Sunni radical Islamism - are taking steps to undermine the liberal values that have been a hallmark of Western civilization.

The Empire and the Five Kings is a cri de coeur that draws upon lessons from history and the eternal touchstones of human culture to reveal the stakes facing the West as America retreats from its leadership role, a process that did not begin with Donald Trump's presidency and is not likely to end with him. The crisis is one whose roots can be found as far back as antiquity and whose resolution will require the West to find a new way forward if its principles and values are to survive.

©2019 Bernard-Henri Levy; Translation copyright 2019 by Steven B. Kennedy (P)2019 Tantor

Difficult but worthwhile?

The florid writing and barking narration impede the interesting points of the book. Best look for a summary of the book.

The narrator can make or break an audiobook

I was excited about this book, but this narrator is just awful. He's got this monotone that makes me feel like I'm on hold with my bank. I suppose I'll have to read this one the old fashioned way.

anti-Israel blather

anti-Israel blather ruins his argument. dated and slanted. stuck in out-of-date French leftism. Don'y bother.