Battleangel | Personal

Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal Terence Ball, Richard Dagger. 5th ed. 2003. 320 pp. Longman.

Written with the firm belief that ideology is the driving force of nation-states, history, and politics, this innovative text covers the range of contemporary political ideologies, from the standard categories of liberalism, conservatism, and socialism to newly emerging ideological alternatives.

The authors (both of Arizona State U.) present a new edition of their introduction to the modern world’s political ideologies. Revising in response to the September 11th attacks, they have included more material on radical Islamism than in previous editions. The arguments of the various political ideologies, including liberalism, conservatism, socialism (including Marxist, American, and anarchist varieties), fascism,liberation ideologies, and “Green” politics, are generally presented in the form proponents would argue and some care is made to distinguish between different views within an ideological grouping. [source]

Nicely done and framed, but it is quite obvious you’re dealing with an American text book here. The introduction to the 5th ed. is just littered with 9/11 references and one must consider that they are doing of sorts what they (rightly) lambast Fukuyama (“The End of History”) for doing. I.e. placing too much emphasis on current events and being the futurist. Looking at the cover of the 5th edition, one can wonder what the World Trade Center (with the flag flying) really has to do with Black Liberation or Tocqueville? Wouldn’t even the most pro-American zealot see how this equates haphazard and poorly understood terrorism with some of the greatest thinkers in history? And even that is granted we accept the official 9/11 whitewash. But I’m sure it sells more books. The 6th edition is even worse, with Osama Bin Laden up there with Karl Marx. So much for putting things in perspective and the rear view mirror of history.