Kevin Phillips

The ingenious inventions and dazzling artifacts left to us by the fallen superpowers of millennia past cannot help but raise the question, “What went wrong?” Ancient Rome, China, Britain, and other countries have enjoyed a few shining centuries in the sun, only to sink into the shadows of subservience and mediocrity when another region took over. For many decades, the top dog has been the United States, but Kevin Phillips sounds a dire warning. Our time is almost up, if the lessons of the past are to be trusted. In this fascinating analysis, he pinpoints four factors behind the downfall of every major world power in history: global overreach, radical religion, resource problems, and ballooning debt. Sound familiar? 3225 W. 69th St., Edina; 952-920-0633