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Endangered American Dream
Indicting U.S. political and economic systems, the author proposes a master plan for becoming an economic superpower with staying power in the changing world economy. By the author of The Pentagon and the Art of War. 35,000 first printing. National ad/promo.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 1993
About the author
Edward N. Luttwak
67 books224 followersEdward Nicolae Luttwak is a military strategist, political scientist and historian who has published works on military strategy, history, and international relations. Born in Arad, Romania, he studied in Palermo, Sicily, in England, LSE (BSc) & at Johns Hopkins (PhD). He speaks five languages. He serves or has served as a consultant to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force; he is/has been an adviser to Treaty Allies of the United States. He is chairman of the board of Aircraft Purchase Fleet Limited (APFL), an aviation lessor, and he founded and directs a conservation cattle ranch in the Bolivian Amazon. He is the author of various
books and more articles including: The Rise of China vs the Logic of Strategy, Coup d'Etat: a practical handbook, Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, The Endangered American Dream, and Turbo-Capitalism: Winners and Losers in the Global Economy. His books are also published in: Arabic, Chinese (both Beijing simplified and Taipei traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian (Bahasa), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (and Brazilian Portuguese) Romanian, Russian, Spanish (Castilian, Spain, in Argentina and in Venezuela), Swedish, and Turkish. Before ever writing of strategy and war, he was combat-trained (Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry) and fought as a volunteer or a contractor in several countries on two continents. He likes Hebrew songs and the Greek & Latin classics. His best article is "Homer Inc." in the London Review of Books.
books and more articles including: The Rise of China vs the Logic of Strategy, Coup d'Etat: a practical handbook, Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, The Endangered American Dream, and Turbo-Capitalism: Winners and Losers in the Global Economy. His books are also published in: Arabic, Chinese (both Beijing simplified and Taipei traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian (Bahasa), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (and Brazilian Portuguese) Romanian, Russian, Spanish (Castilian, Spain, in Argentina and in Venezuela), Swedish, and Turkish. Before ever writing of strategy and war, he was combat-trained (Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry) and fought as a volunteer or a contractor in several countries on two continents. He likes Hebrew songs and the Greek & Latin classics. His best article is "Homer Inc." in the London Review of Books.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 9, 2022
This book was written in 1993 and so refers to many statistics from the 1980s and early 1990s. The Endangered American Dream outlines why the author believes America is in danger of becoming a third-world country from around 2020 onwards and what can be done to remedy this situation.
The book is written in a penetrating style and the opinions are certainly well backed with examples of what Mr Luttwak is referring to. The author's main criticisms of America at the time the book was written are that the public school system wasn't educating people, that the gap between the super-rich and the rich, and between the rich and the rest of America was widening, that people weren't saving enough money and so weren't able to invest in the country's future, and that there were too many lawyers resulting in large amounts of litigation that companies had to set aside money for, so they could defend themselves in court, when this money could be better spent investing in modern equipment and plant.
The author is not a fan of free trade or free marketeers and believes that globalisation should be controlled otherwise the vast majority of American workers will be driven closer to the poverty line, increasing the likelihood of third-world levels of poor people. He advocates adding a sales tax to curb consumer spending, so encouraging people to save their hard-earned salaries.
It would be interesting to read a sequel to this book, written in 2022 in which Mr Luttwak would decide whether America had succeeded in not becoming a third-world country by following his suggestions.
The book is written in a penetrating style and the opinions are certainly well backed with examples of what Mr Luttwak is referring to. The author's main criticisms of America at the time the book was written are that the public school system wasn't educating people, that the gap between the super-rich and the rich, and between the rich and the rest of America was widening, that people weren't saving enough money and so weren't able to invest in the country's future, and that there were too many lawyers resulting in large amounts of litigation that companies had to set aside money for, so they could defend themselves in court, when this money could be better spent investing in modern equipment and plant.
The author is not a fan of free trade or free marketeers and believes that globalisation should be controlled otherwise the vast majority of American workers will be driven closer to the poverty line, increasing the likelihood of third-world levels of poor people. He advocates adding a sales tax to curb consumer spending, so encouraging people to save their hard-earned salaries.
It would be interesting to read a sequel to this book, written in 2022 in which Mr Luttwak would decide whether America had succeeded in not becoming a third-world country by following his suggestions.
August 29, 2017
I came across this book at the mention by Richard Rorty in Achieving Our Country. Rorty got much attention post-election for noting the corrosive rise of inequality and the detachment of our parties and from it foreseeing the coming of American fascism -- all in 1997. But Rorty noted that many of themes were explored by Luttwak five years before that, so I sought out his work in a mini-quest to explore the oracles who saw 2016 coming decades in advance in a way to get some handle on what I missed.
Luttwak's work is more economic than philosophical, and too slap-dash and disorganized. It is also dated, with its discussions of the rising Japan. Nor do I find many of his prescriptions at the end when it comes to fixing national education particularly convincing. But his discussions of America's crumbling infrastructure (amazing that our airports were gross and decrepit even then!), its disaffected and forgotten working classes distinct from the poor of inner cities, and the rapaciousness of our corporations are uncanny to read now. It is on this last point, the greed of Fortune 500 players and their hollowing out of American creation, that seems strongest now. If only this book was read then by political leaders and taken to heart.
Luttwak's work is more economic than philosophical, and too slap-dash and disorganized. It is also dated, with its discussions of the rising Japan. Nor do I find many of his prescriptions at the end when it comes to fixing national education particularly convincing. But his discussions of America's crumbling infrastructure (amazing that our airports were gross and decrepit even then!), its disaffected and forgotten working classes distinct from the poor of inner cities, and the rapaciousness of our corporations are uncanny to read now. It is on this last point, the greed of Fortune 500 players and their hollowing out of American creation, that seems strongest now. If only this book was read then by political leaders and taken to heart.
July 22, 2021
The author says the United States is not investing enough, is too concerned with consumers at the expense of producers (jobs), and is getting beaten in geo-economic warfare. Very interesting.
One could go back and look at this again and see whether or not his warnings were heeded (doubtful) and how things have turned out (probably not well). If he were to write a book today (2021), he'd probably be even bleaker.
And since he's apparently still alive, perhaps he HAS written such a book!
One could go back and look at this again and see whether or not his warnings were heeded (doubtful) and how things have turned out (probably not well). If he were to write a book today (2021), he'd probably be even bleaker.
And since he's apparently still alive, perhaps he HAS written such a book!
October 7, 2023
someone who spoke up decades before others with the decay of America (if not the west)
where education was decaying in the schools
he's got some skeptical views on globalization and trade, much like political scientist Kenneth Waltz
and in a way it feels a bit like a complement to Huntington's Clash of Civilizations and Who Are We?
Like Samuel P. Huntington and Kennedy historian and adviser Schlesinger he takes on a dim view of multiculturalism
On the minus he's for a GST/VAT tax, and well, i think taxing the richest 0.2% does far more than a dreary federal tax with a lot more efficiency. Fix it with the tax forms, not at the cash register. Yes, luxury taxes might fix some things, but you're better off charging the top one five hundredth of society right in the tax forms, and simplify the stuff at the cash register.
[one could make similar arguments about the Carbon Taxes which will just ruin economic efficiency, and burden the middle-class and poor. Why not give 'intelligent' tax breaks to mega corporation technology to clean up pollution? Carbon Taxes aren't dumped on the airline industry, and well, if you want to seriously make a dent, it's in the use of bunker oil, burning endlessly with international shipping, it does way more damage than every car on the road.]
Definately one of the better books by the Strategists of Doom
and it's still highly relevant
mind you, i think many works of the 60s 70s 80s were highly relevant than a lot of the wasted trees put out by academia and pop science
---
Amazone
A clarion call to stop decay in its tracks
Edward N. Luttwak's text does not fit into any traditional political or economic molds. On the one hand he calls for pragmatic, standardized education which will train folks for the rigors of the modern education.
He critiques a multicultural agenda which holds that teaching tolerance of other cultures is more important than raising children to be tomorrow's economic leaders. On the other hand, he calls for a value added tax similar to what exists in Europe to encourage savings rather than excessive consumption.
Luttwak's proposals, from tightening security along the US Mexico border to reforming the legal system to curb excessive and frivolous lawsuits, are all viable. The book's only shortcoming is that it comes across as aggressive to the point of being hostile. I certainly agree with much of what he has to say, but I fail to understand why he chooses to employ rhetoric of warfare and belligerence in describing the country's economic situation and the solution.
I would much rather see a call for fairness and compassion in economic decisions rather than the belligerance of Luttwak. Still, his book is readable and offers solutions that are highly viable nine years after its publication.
Eric
---
Shockingly important and relevant...
I wish I had discovered this book in 1994 when it was published, and smart enough to apply it. The good news is I've discovered it now, and 'am' wise enough to apply it.
I read a book every three days or so and this might be the most important book I've read in at least a decade...
Brian Williams
where education was decaying in the schools
he's got some skeptical views on globalization and trade, much like political scientist Kenneth Waltz
and in a way it feels a bit like a complement to Huntington's Clash of Civilizations and Who Are We?
Like Samuel P. Huntington and Kennedy historian and adviser Schlesinger he takes on a dim view of multiculturalism
On the minus he's for a GST/VAT tax, and well, i think taxing the richest 0.2% does far more than a dreary federal tax with a lot more efficiency. Fix it with the tax forms, not at the cash register. Yes, luxury taxes might fix some things, but you're better off charging the top one five hundredth of society right in the tax forms, and simplify the stuff at the cash register.
[one could make similar arguments about the Carbon Taxes which will just ruin economic efficiency, and burden the middle-class and poor. Why not give 'intelligent' tax breaks to mega corporation technology to clean up pollution? Carbon Taxes aren't dumped on the airline industry, and well, if you want to seriously make a dent, it's in the use of bunker oil, burning endlessly with international shipping, it does way more damage than every car on the road.]
Definately one of the better books by the Strategists of Doom
and it's still highly relevant
mind you, i think many works of the 60s 70s 80s were highly relevant than a lot of the wasted trees put out by academia and pop science
---
Amazone
A clarion call to stop decay in its tracks
Edward N. Luttwak's text does not fit into any traditional political or economic molds. On the one hand he calls for pragmatic, standardized education which will train folks for the rigors of the modern education.
He critiques a multicultural agenda which holds that teaching tolerance of other cultures is more important than raising children to be tomorrow's economic leaders. On the other hand, he calls for a value added tax similar to what exists in Europe to encourage savings rather than excessive consumption.
Luttwak's proposals, from tightening security along the US Mexico border to reforming the legal system to curb excessive and frivolous lawsuits, are all viable. The book's only shortcoming is that it comes across as aggressive to the point of being hostile. I certainly agree with much of what he has to say, but I fail to understand why he chooses to employ rhetoric of warfare and belligerence in describing the country's economic situation and the solution.
I would much rather see a call for fairness and compassion in economic decisions rather than the belligerance of Luttwak. Still, his book is readable and offers solutions that are highly viable nine years after its publication.
Eric
---
Shockingly important and relevant...
I wish I had discovered this book in 1994 when it was published, and smart enough to apply it. The good news is I've discovered it now, and 'am' wise enough to apply it.
I read a book every three days or so and this might be the most important book I've read in at least a decade...
Brian Williams
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews