I have to say I was prepared to hate this book and only read it to research the “other side” for my Integral Politics paper. Surprisingly, I find myself in agreement with much of what Hannan believes. And, while I would prefer more citations, I am impressed with his wide perspective on the advantages and importance of democracy. I don’t know enough about the European Union (EU), except what Hannan reports via his experience, but I suspect he may be interpreting some post-modern ideals as pre-modern, causing them appear as steps backwards, when perhaps they are not.

The British politician and journalist, not yet 40 years old, is a strenuous member of the European Parliament representing South East England, and to his credit, Hannan loves America. The book gets a slow start dispelling myths that Europeans have about America and Americans. What makes us different, he says, are choice, free-market, consumerism, and democratic development. The central argument against Europeanizing America, is to preserve the ideals of democracy. The book lists abuse after abuse by the EU's appointed (not elected) officials, contrasting that to our system, which makes it much more difficult to rule autocratically.

A necessary comparison is drawn between the United States of America and the European Union of state-nations, all of whose 27 members come from democracies themselves. Hannan stresses the importance of state-level politics, which allows for diversity, innovation, and real civic engagement, not to mention, keeping politicians close to their voters. Throughout, he cites successful American local programs that fell away as powers slowly seeped upward. It’s easy for the federal government to take control, but not quite so easy to hand it back to the states, where things can usually be done more efficiently and effectively.

Don’t copy Europe, he says. They’ve traded a strong economy for longer vacations and shorter work-weeks. He points out that we are beginning to rely more and more on authorities to do what we used to do for each other in community, weakening our sense of nationalism. Democracy depends on the initiative of the individual—which Hannan touts as a strength of America—and as a weakness for Europe, whose motivation he sees as more about being polite and saving face than standing up against bullies and for ideals of liberty around the globe.

He finishes up with a sentimental and positive reminder that we Americans come from good stock, and were not alone in the fight against remote and powerful government as we seceded from England in civil war-like fashion. All the while admitting that American democracy isn’t perfect, it is the best we’ve got, and to sacrifice it for the less than democratic practices of the EU, would be a move backwards in his eyes. All this he admits contains a thread of selfishness as the United States leads the globe in democratic unions, and therefore, has a greater responsibility to stay true to its ideals.