As liberal democracies around the world are faltering, William Galston’s new book, “Anger, Fear, Domination: Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech,” explores the sources of this decline that stem from the internal vulnerabilities of liberal democracy, particularly the ability of ambitious leaders to mobilize public anger and fear in the service of domination.
On September 10, Brookings Senior Fellows Jonathan Rauch and Galston will discuss the power of political speech in democracies to stoke the dark side of human nature and the need for a new liberal realism to counter anti-democratic forces.