Four Threats

“And yet, for the gravity of its subject matter, Four Threats is a lively read about the cracks in the system. What’s more, it offers some good ideas for how we might go about fixing them.”—Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker

"Truly splendid, even brilliant.”—Sanford Levinson, University of Texas School of Law

"In an analysis deeply rooted in American history and animated by an unshakable commitment to democratic values, Mettler and Lieberman issue a cry of political alarm that privileges illumination over hysteria and reminds us that this is not the first time our nation has struggled with demons. Their eloquent call for political and social renewal allies realism with hope, and it could not be more timely.”—E. J. Dionne, Jr., author of Code Red and co-author of One Nation After Trump

"A rich and textured account of American history through which to understand where we are today. When you finish this book, you'll be neither complacent nor despairing. But you'll be more ready to act intelligently to deal with the challenges we face."—William Kristol, director, Defending Democracy Together

“This is a masterful account of the long arc of American democracy. Long simmering historical threats have today converged leaving our current predicament deeply perilous. We recommend this book to all citizens concerned about the fate of American democracy.”—Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, bestselling authors of How Democracies Die

“Four Threats is a sobering and instructive read. It is also a call to action to all those who would put country over party, democracy over ideology. Mettler and Lieberman rely on both history—vividly told—and political science to demonstrate precisely what is at stake for the future of the American experiment.”—Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America

“This is an important work of scholarship that should be read by anyone concerned with America’s future. Deeply grounded in five pivotal moments in history, the authors make a compelling case that we are now living through the most consequential of these tests of American democracy. Forces that have existed throughout American history, and have waxed and waned over the years, have all come together to present the United States with an existential challenge. How we come out of this will shape the country’s character for decades to come.”—Fareed Zakaria, author of The Post-American World

"Mettler and Lieberman marshal a wealth of evidence to make their case, and incisively sketch the factors at play in each historical period. Bracing, well-informed history."—Publishers Weekly