In this post I will review a new book called “Suicide of The West” by Jonah Goldberg. The main thesis of the book is that the west has developed because of a miracle and the miracle is the combination of democracy and capitalism. According to the author, the west’s miracle is fading away because the forces of tribalism and populism are destroying both democracy and capitalism. I have several problems with the book.
I disagree with the idea that democracy contributed significantly to the west’s progress. I think that the rule of law and property rights protection were main drivers for the west’s progress. They opened the way for capitalism to flourish because everyone can get the reward of his hard work without fear that the king or the politically connected will confiscate his wealth. Democracy, on the other hand, is actively contributing to the erosion of the property rights and rule of law because it substitutes these core principles with the principle of majority rule. We see now in so many issues people citing polls indicating that the public favors some policy as a reason for adopting a certain policy instead of arguing for/against based on rights. Democracy continuously shifts issues from the private life to the public policy. Before democracy, people used to save for their old age and invest in raising their children so they can support them in old age, but now our retirement insurance is a national government priority with several agencies, taxes, and regulations to handle. Murder used to be a local crime, and the murderer would be tried and executed if convicted but now murder is a sign of social issues require government intervention to regulate gun ownership, mental health, drugs, and education.
I also disagree with the author’s idea that tribalism and nationalism are new developments in the west. Winning elections has always been about building a coalition and making sure that its members show up to vote. There are several ways to build a coalition including pandering to tribal, national, religious, class and economic ideas. The neo-conservative platform is all about intervention in the affairs of other nations because other nations are helpless without the power of the United States to protect them. If that is not pandering to national superiority I don’t know what is. On the other side, all the talking points of the left are about how the government can protect racial, sexual and national minorities and distribute of wealth from the greedy capitalist to the good 99%. Again, pure pandering to insecurities of people.
The author doesn’t mention the monetary policy. All the western nations now use fiat money. Fiat money is great for the government because it allows the politicians to buy elections with government spending without raising taxes. Fiat money is also great for the politically connected and the speculators who benefit from the bubbles. Fiat money is terrible for savers, workers and small business owners and forces them to speculate in stocks, bonds, real estate and other things that they have no idea about. Fiat Money and Central Banks made the economy favor deadbeats, crony capitalists and politicians and punish savers and small business.
The author has a whole chapter to discuss the administrative state. He rightfully describes it as illegal but he doesn’t make the next logical connection to that our democracy is to a large extent is just a sham. The administrative state is the real power in the United States and every other western country. Congress merely debate minor issues and every now and then hold a pointless hearing where each congressman and senator tries to score a good clip for his constituency to watch. The president cannot fire any civil servant and the bureaucracy will outfox him every step of the way and eventually outlast him. The courts have largely written the constitution out of existence with the exception of the first and second amendments. This has been going on for decades and started with the creation of the republic.
The book is full of attacks on President Trump. So many establishment conservatives such as the author cannot forget the humiliation president Trump inflicted on them by winning the primaries and the election. The author remains out of touch with what the average voter who voted for Trump feels. The main reason people voted for Trump and Brexit and similar candidates and causes is that people are so tired of the usual career politicians and their intellectual enablers. For decades the right-wing voters have been promised many things and received nothing, instead, they continue seeing their liberties and rights eroding, the government gets bigger and cronies get richer. President Trump is not perfect, and I disagree with him on several decisions he made but he has achieved one important thing. He doesn’t let the left define the terms, he fights them back and challenges their authority and culture. If the only achievement of the Trump administration is that more conservatives and libertarians are willing to speak loudly with opinions that the left is trying to forbid, that would be a great achievement.
In summary, the book provides a weak case for the miracle the author claims happened because of democracy and capitalism. Capitalism is the main driver of the West’s wealth and prosperity but it wouldn’t have happened without the rule of law and individual rights such as property rights. Democracy didn’t contribute to that and most of the West’s progress happened before universal suffrage happened. The book attacks Trump and similar candidates and movements without looking into the deep dysfunction of the West’s political institutions that rightfully caused many people to lose faith in the political class.