{"product_id":"american-secession-the-looming-threat-of-a-national-breakup-9781641770804","title":"American Secession: The Looming Threat of a National Breakup","description":"Americans have never been more divided, and we're ripe for a breakup. The bitter partisan animosities, the legislative gridlock, the growing acceptance of violence in the name of political virtue--it all invites us to think that we'd be happier were we two different countries. In all the ways that matter, save for the naked force of law, we are already two nations. There's another reason why secession beckons, says F.H. Buckley: we're too big. In population and area, the United States is one of the biggest countries in the world, and \u003ci\u003eAmerican Secession\u003c\/i\u003e provides data showing that smaller countries are happier and less corrupt. They're less inclined to throw their weight around militarily, and they're freer too. There are advantages to bigness, certainly, but the costs exceed the benefits. On many counts, bigness is badness. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Across the world, large countries are staring down secession movements. Many have already split apart. Do we imagine that we, almost alone in the world, are immune? We had a civil war to prevent a secession, and we're tempted to see that terrible precedent as proof against another effort. This book explodes that comforting belief and shows just how easy it would be for a state to exit the Union if that's what its voters wanted. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But if that isn't what we really want, Buckley proposes another option, a kind of Secession Lite, that could heal our divisions while allowing us to keep our identity as Americans.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eF.H. Buckley is a Foundation Professor at George Mason University's Scalia School of Law. He is a frequent media guest and has appeared on Morning Joe, CNN, The Rush Limbaugh Show, C-SPAN, NPR and numerous other outlets. He is a senior editor at the \u003ci\u003eAmerican Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e, a columnist for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Post\u003c\/i\u003e, and has written for the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e and many other newspapers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis most recent books are \u003ci\u003eThe Republican Workers Party\u003c\/i\u003e (2018); \u003ci\u003eThe Republic of Virtue\u003c\/i\u003e (2017); \u003ci\u003eThe Way Back: Restoring the Promise of America\u003c\/i\u003e (2016); and \u003ci\u003eThe Once and Future King\u003c\/i\u003e (2015). His current project is a book on curiosity.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Encounter Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50362199441682,"sku":"9781641770804","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c9c2109f-6d8d-42f1-8a45-cc11bad1e6d8.jpg?v=1728379686","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/american-secession-the-looming-threat-of-a-national-breakup-9781641770804","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}