Declaration of Interdependence

In this shrewd and eloquent dissection of American politics and policies, Will Hutton offers powerful new insight into our new—and troubling—mores. Great societies, this book holds, are marked by essential core values: the social contract that enhances its citizens' lives; an honest and enlightened economy; a vital public realm; and a recognition that the world is an interdependent place, one best governed under international law. With the triumph of conservatism in America, each of these values has withered. Rampant materialism, corporate corruption, the failure of government regulation, an unquestioning faith in American exceptionalism, and a conviction that Americans must go it alone are all in the saddle. We are not going in the right direction. To turn us around—to secure health services and decent work for all Americans, to build faith in the economy, to close the gap between rich and poor, to restore, in short, the American dream—America needs to reclaim these values. It could not do better in that task than to renew its historic philosophical partnership with today's Europe, which has chosen a better compass.

"Hutton plausibly calls for both sides to cooperate and learn from each other.", "American neoconservatism, [Hutton] repeatedly warns throughout this thoughtful survey of U.S.-European relations...is a dangerous force, not only for the larger world but also for the US....destroying the once great promise of social mobility and equal opportunity.", "This is a book about values...Hutton is right that policymakers should make normative judgments (essentially, moral judgments) about economic policy that transcend mere analyses.", "[Hutton is] eloquent and quickly gets to the point: that America has to give up its hyper-individualistic creed in favor of the recognition that people within nations are interdependent.", "The clearest, most competent and most diversely interesting economic comment in the language."

Will Hutton is chief executive of the United Kingdom's Work Foundation and columnist for the Observer in London, where he was formerly editor-in-chief.