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A review by florisw
The Light that Failed: A Reckoning by Ivan Krastev, Stephen Holmes
3.0
This book looks to explain the threats to liberalism as they emerged since the fall of the Soviet Union through the concept of “imitation”. Orbán and anti-European populists reject adopting Western liberalism because they will always be seen as second-rate liberals (imitation => disillusionment); Putin undermines Western liberalism by cynically exploiting and inverting it (imitation => retaliation); Trump and the America First movement see the US’s “losing” on the global stage through the lens of its imitation by competitors (imitation => dispossession). China, on the other hand, seems to reject imitating Western liberalism entirely, marking perhaps an end to the era of imitation.
The central conceit of imitation is surprisingly insightful. This is especially the case in the chapter on Orbán (perhaps because it’s closest to home), where the authors quite clearly identify the flaws in the EU’s patronising (?) approach to liberalising Hungary. I wouldn’t consider myself a Euro-sceptic by any means, but this chapter does make me wonder whether the current approach to unifying European nations is that productive, especially if it involves forcing formerly communist states to adopt the values and systems of their erstwhile opponents.
The introduction is clear and to the point, and honestly all you need to read to get the main gist of the book. Unfortunately, the rest of it is quite repetitive, although the authors manage to keep the prose fresh with some cultural references (movies, books, TV shows) which help illustrate their points. Those points are a bit scattered, each chapter does read more like reading a train-of-thought than a well-constructed argument. I suppose the key thing is: if you’re interested in liberalism and these kinds of topics, I’m sure this book will interest you as well. If you’re indifferent to it, I don’t see why this book would change your mind.
PS. This is two books in quick succession now that the meaning behind the title is revealed on the final page. Not sure if I like this trend.
The central conceit of imitation is surprisingly insightful. This is especially the case in the chapter on Orbán (perhaps because it’s closest to home), where the authors quite clearly identify the flaws in the EU’s patronising (?) approach to liberalising Hungary. I wouldn’t consider myself a Euro-sceptic by any means, but this chapter does make me wonder whether the current approach to unifying European nations is that productive, especially if it involves forcing formerly communist states to adopt the values and systems of their erstwhile opponents.
The introduction is clear and to the point, and honestly all you need to read to get the main gist of the book. Unfortunately, the rest of it is quite repetitive, although the authors manage to keep the prose fresh with some cultural references (movies, books, TV shows) which help illustrate their points. Those points are a bit scattered, each chapter does read more like reading a train-of-thought than a well-constructed argument. I suppose the key thing is: if you’re interested in liberalism and these kinds of topics, I’m sure this book will interest you as well. If you’re indifferent to it, I don’t see why this book would change your mind.
PS. This is two books in quick succession now that the meaning behind the title is revealed on the final page. Not sure if I like this trend.