What Is America? : A Short History of the New World Order

In the six years since 9/11, as the bush regime has squandered domestic solidarity and international goodwill, many of the archetypes and ideals with which we've traditionally framed the American enterprise now seem endangered, even hollow. This raises the question, has America ever been what it thinks it is? What Is America? goes to the heart of that inquiry. Ranging with dazzling expertise through anthropology, history, and literature, Wright reconfigures our self-perception, arguing that the “essence” of America can be traced to the foundations of our history-literally to the collision of worlds that began in 1492, as one civilization subsumed another-and exploring how these currents continue to shape our world. Ronald Wright Shows How The New World Created The Modern World - And How The New World Now Threatens To Undo It All. He Lifts The Veil On Our Advanced Society To Reveal The Deeply Archaic Forces That Are Undermining It: Religious Extremism, Militarism, And An Unshakable Faith In Often-dangerous Ideals Like Endless Progress, Unfettered Capitalism, And A Universal Mission. What Is America? Is A Passionate - And Essential - Look At A Thoroughly Puzzling, And Thoroughly Troubling, Time.--jacket. The New World Order -- Loot, Labour And Land -- Very Well Peopled And Towned -- Religion And Profit Jump Together -- White Savages -- Manifest Destiny -- A Sort Of Empire -- The Winds Of Fear -- The World's Best Hope. Ronald Wright. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [329]-349) And Index. 1. The 1. The -- 2. 1. The -- 2. -- 3. 1. The -- 2. -- 3. -- 4. 1. The -- 2. -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. 1. The -- 2. -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. 1. The -- 2. -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. A 1. The -- 2. -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. A -- 8. The 1. The -- 2. -- 3. -- 4. -- 5. -- 6. -- 7. A -- 8. The -- 9. The 1. The-- 2.-- 3.-- 4.-- 5.-- 6.-- 7. A-- 8. The-- 9. The Author's foreword -- 1. The new world order -- 2. Loot, labour and land -- 3. Very well peopled and towned -- 4. Religion and profit jump together -- 5. White savages -- 6. Manifest destiny -- 7. A sort of empire -- 8. The winds of fear -- 9. The world's best hope -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgments -- Index. Following his international bestseller, A Short History of Progress, Ronald Wright provokes once again, as he explores the oldest American myth: the endless frontier.