Another book I read over the vacation was Pat Buchanan’s Suicide of a Superpower. Patrick Buchanan is a major player in the paleoconservative movement, having run for president a couple times, and I’ve been contemplating the decline we’re all supposed to be enjoying for a while, so I decided to check it out.

If you’ve been in the alt-right blogosphere for a while, not much of this book is going to be all that new to you. The book is competently written, but lacks the wit and charm of the other recent doom-and-gloomer I’ve read, Mark Steyn.

He starts talking about the economic decline of the US: how it’s becoming a socialist, indebted, “food stamp” nation that outsources it’s productive activity elsewhere to focus on consumption. He then writes about the decline of Christianity and Catholicism both in the West in general and the US in particular and the negative effects of their passing on society. There’s the chapter on the demographic decline of the west, followed by a few chapters on the negative impacts of the diversity cult and tribal politics in the US. He has a chapter on how the Republican’s road to victory should be as “the white party” instead of pandering to minorities and rejects calling a truce on the culture war. A chapter on foreign policy, in which he recommends are scaled-down foreign policy based upon realism. He then gives a list of what he thinks should be done.

Overall, I agree with most of his objectives. America’s foreign policy should be scaled back, as should the welfare state. Tribal politics in the US should end, and the GOP should stop pandering on immigration. I disagree with his stance on economic nationalism, I’m pro-free trade myself, but I respect it. He seems to accept that free trade creates more wealth for consumption, but would rather maintain domestic productivity than increase opportunities for consumption, which is something I can accept as rational, even if I disagree.

It’s a solid book outlining the decline of the US, but nothing in it is all that new. Everybody in the alt-right knows the US is in decline and nothing in the book will really convert liberals and progressives who are actively pushing the decline along into reversing their chosen course. Still, every voice of warning that can be put out there is a good thing; at the very least when the collapse comes, we can all point to this book and say, “we told you so.”

There was one thing that puzzled me about the book though. The cover subtitle asked “Will America survive to 2025?”, but I do not remember reading any timeline of the collapse or how 2025 was some point of collapse mentioned at all in the book itself. I read it a few weeks ago though, so my memory might not be perfect, but it seemed kind of odd to me.

Recommendation:

Suicide of a Superpower is decent book chronicling the cultural decline of the US. If you’re really interested in learning of the decline, look into it, but if you’ve been in the alt-right for a while, there’s probably not much new to read here.

Overall, I think Mark Steyn’s After America did a better and more enjoyable job of chronicling of America’s decline than this book. I’d suggest reading that first. If you’re still interested in learning, give this book a try.

If you’re new to alt-right politics or are questioning what this decline is that we’re always talking about, than I’d recommend reading both Suicide and AA. Together, they will provide you with an introduction to what the alt-right is either fighting or despairing of fighting.