He travels around the world observing the plight of other frail societies, such as Myanmar, Hungary, Russia and Hong Kong, where democracy is in retreat or has been routed altogether. “Profit-driven social media algorithms, like unchecked political contributions, were treated as free speech beyond the reach of government regulations,” Rhodes writes. Trump’s crassness is not the cause of the descent, but a symptom. The subtitle is Being American in the World We’ve Made, and the central theme of the book is a contemplation of the seeds of the country’s fall from grace in the world. But it also has the suggestion of original sin – in this case, the US’s. It is about the ending of an administration and the aspirations of those who served in it, who look on aghast at the reign of Donald Trump. A rueful Obama muses about his transition from political force to celebrity, adored but virtually powerless.Īfter the Fall is a cleverly chosen title. It is the story of an aftermath, of the acolyte still travelling the globe with the greying former president as he garners awards, mobbed by adoring fans. He has now written the sequel, and has opted for the apocalyptic title After the Fall. Three years ago, soon after leaving the White House, Rhodes wrote a compelling insider account of that era called The World As It Is. B en Rhodes was Barack Obama’s speechwriter and became one of the former president’s closest aides, a constant presence at his shoulder as he toured the world and sat down with the powerful and famous.
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