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In his two most recent books
American Dynasty and Wealth and Democracy
Kevin Phillips has perhaps rightly earned the prestigious moniker of America's premier analyst and critic. Now
in his new release
a doom and gloom tome some 480 pages long
Kevin Phillips assails three overlapping
growing
forces that threaten to rain on the parade of the American way of life. Actually
American Theocracy : The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion
Oil
and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century
at $26.95 retail is still a great value because it is really three books in one
with just enough threads woven between the very different but often interrelated fabrics to help illustrate the upcoming perfect storm.

Kevin Phillips
as a former Republican strategist and observer for over 30 years
has a keen sense of the current political and economic landscape. When contrasted against his commanding historical perspectives
the author is aptly able in his book to show how past world powers
from the Roman to the British empires
have faced and failed the same critical circumstances the United States currently faces at the beginning of the 21st century. American Theocracy demonstrates that essentially every world dominating power is lured by the sirens of global over-reach and ultimately falls into the traps of resource depletion
runaway debt and the wars of militant religion.

In Part I of American Theocracy
Kevin Phillips looks at the ramifications of our preocupation of oil
past and present. The book maintains that American supremacy was derived by our exploitation and effective use of a newly useable form of energy on the world stage. While other nations were trapped in their inertias of coal
wind and water infrastructures
America quickly realized the versatility of this black gold and leveraged a nation around it. In fact
with only roughly five percent of the world's population
Americans still consume over 25 percent of the world's oil. But supply of this precious resource has always been a concern. American Theocracy points to World War II especially
which was waged by Japan and Germany to secure their hold on this vital fossil fuel for modern economies. The book takes care to explain that America itself has been heavily involved in its own petro-imperialism over the last century. Moreover
the life blood of our economy is becoming more difficult to find and extract even as the world economies are demanding more. One little know fact in all of this
as other Middle East supplies are being exhausted
is that Iraq is the last large pool of oil on the planet. And all of this still virtually untapped
near the surface. American Theocracy describes how Iraq has never been able to pump much of its oil
with U.N. sanctions in the 90's
war with Iran in the 80's and so forth. With the thinly disguised cloak of spreading democracy and fighting terror
it is of little surprise
given our history of petro-imperialism in the Middle East
and the fact that there is an estimated one trillion dollars in estimated profits for the (American) companies who will pump it
that we found ourselves with troops in Iraq.

Complicating matters further
Part II of this book explores the unprecedented rise in evangelical religion and its surging influence in American politics
especially under the presidency of George W. Bush. Kevin Phillips believes Republicans view the world in apocalyptic terms and endeavor to shape domestic and foreign policy around fundamentalist religion. This undue influence of faith over fact
and religion over (prudent) reason has resulted in inept policies
which only serve to weaken our respect
prestige and effectiveness in the world. This zealous underpinning has put us on a collision course with much of Islam
swelling the ranks
ironically
of terrorists
not to mention many other miscalculations
putting us in peril of a self-fulfilling prophecy. American Theocracy describes how we are endangering our future
as virtually every war is fought over resources or religious ideology. We seem to be running out of the former and have an over abundance of the latter.

In Part III
American Theocracy contends what is the traditional hallmark of an overextended world power: over consumption and massive public and private debt. Huge trade deficits
trillions of dollars in national debt and financial speculation
made worse by the influence of big business and Wall Street on Washington only serve to exacerbate the problem. The Republican Party
once the icon of sound fiscal policy
has discarded its ideals by mortgaging our country's financial health and future to the whim of other countries in order to fund and maintain our status quo around the world.

American Theocracy : The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion
Oil
and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century is not without its critics. Many feel Kevin Phillips is biased and bigoted in his view as he tackles the concerns he has for the Christian right and their influence in America today. Others may feel he is not always accurate in his facts. But this is to be expected by stirring the pot and necessarily not always being politically correct. Having said that in view of the import of the thesis presented in no way detracts nor dismisses these vital problems all Americans face.