Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: The New Liberal Menace in America

"Wolves in Sheep's Clothing" is a chronicle by independent documentary writer Stephen Marshall, describing his interviews and interactions with journalists, analysts and political commentators in America and abroad on the topic of liberalism, its past and its future. Disconcerted by the ways liberalism has been used as an ideological excuse for imperialism, war, and exploitation, Marshall asks questions of a fairly wide range of commentators in the hope to gather some insights on the nature of liberalism, and whether there really can be such a thing as a liberalism aimed at fostering 'social justice' rather than free markets and war.Because the narrative is largely based on sets of interviews with various writers and analysts, separated in space and time, the structure of the book is rather disjointed. It also doesn't help that Marshall himself seems unable to stick to any real conclusion or position - he is quite open-minded, which makes the book interesting and useful as an overview of contrasting points of view on what liberalism (and particularly American liberalism) could mean, but on the other hand Marshall dismisses both the defenders and the critics rather hastily, which is somewhat annoying. He is willing and able to point out the hypocrisy, the bad history, the ideology and so on behind American liberalism: its history of being an excuse for invasions and exploitation, the way 'liberal democracy' is abused to prop up or install American-friendly governments abroad, the failure of the two major parties in the US to be anything other than "the right wings of the Party of Property" (as Gore Vidal puts it in the book), and so on.Yet Marshall cannot or will not conclude from this that, as he himself is almost forced to conclude, "capitalism is the poison pill buried in the social contract of liberal democracy", even though his own interviews and exchanges lead inexorably in that direction. This is a failure of the imagination, and the sequential focus in the book, which starts out with a global perspective but increasingly narrows toward American party politics, is a good example of the phenomenon of refusing to see what is in front of one's nose, and instead blinkering one's view until only the political spectacle is what matters. A long discussion on whether Kerry and Bush really were different is not helpful to understand how liberalism is an internationally enforced ideology that is neither popular nor helpful to the world's masses. Marshall is also rather naive; although he punctures the bubble of pretense that is called Thomas Friedman, he is still remarkably mild about his type of analysis, whereas on the other hand he also totally uncritical towards the purely sensational-journalistic style of criticisms of global (neo)liberalism, like John Perkins' largely made-up "confessions".On the other hand, there is much that the book does get right. As mentioned, Marshall is remarkably critical of both liberalism and America for an American journalist, and he is certainly willing to consider and discuss more fundamental criticisms than simple failures of welfare policies and the like, which most mainstream 'left' critiques in the US do not achieve. His choices of interview subjects are well done and interesting, and his considerations on the theme of how many former radicals have now become often highly hawkish and conservative liberals are very topical and worth reading. Although overall Marshall is fairly reluctant to really draw the conclusion, his book is an excellent introduction for any American or non-American interested in these topics on why, at the end of the day, American liberalism is truly the ideology of wolves in sheep's clothing.Recommended to read together with Richard Seymour's "The Liberal Defense of Murder" (The Liberal Defence of Murder).

Don't let the title fool you. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing is not a neo-conservative diatribe against bleeding-heart liberals who don't toe the party line with the current administration in the White House. Rather, Wolves in Sheep's Clothing is about the anti-establishment leaders who protested the Vietnam War, but are now willing to go to war to advance the cause of free-market capitalism. Without providing cookie-cutter solutions to the world's problems, Marshall probes the deeper questions regarding liberal interventionism and laissez-faire capitalism that are currently lost in the facade of today's culture war, which, according to Marshall, is simply a masquerade to keep the public from discovering that both parties are part of the same corporate industrial establishent. Not only does Marshall provoke the reader to ponder the place of authentic liberalism in contemporary American politics, he also challenges the reader to re-examine the messianic complex that many Americans have regarding America's role in spreading freedom and democracy to the world. This is a must-read for those who wonder why the vast majority of the non-Western world resist America's version of liberal democracy.Aaron D. Taylor, author of Alone with A Jihadist: A Biblical Response To Holy War

I just finished this book and felt the need to review it (something I almost never do) because I not only did I find it profoundly illuminating but also really, really, really enjoyed reading it!As both a personal and public narrative it is an extremely fun and entertaining read despite the fact that often deals with complex, multifaceted issues. Admittedly, I'm far from an expert on many of the themes and subjects within, however my sense is even if you are, even if you are a political historian or life long liberal this book will tell you things you didn't know and/or provide a prospective totally absent in the mainstream and alternative medias.Wolves does not seek to provide answers to our political woes, but it does ask all the right questions (of all the right people), a fact which I think proves Marshall's desire to find genuine solutions to the socio-economic mess America finds itself in.I highly recommend picking it up!

I feared that by exposing the Democrats as faux liberals, Stephen Marshall would bring me into even a deeper state of despair. As I read, I found myself in just the opposite state -- happily taking in every page with new hope that there exists here in America this level of awareness and acuity and most importantly, passion. If this man understands society on this level, there is the possibility of nurturing and spreading this wisdom. I find I have someone to follow. If you need something to believe in, read this book.

This is the story of the death of American Liberalism, told by some of the very people who helped kill it. Far from the typical liberal claptrap or conservative diatribe, Marshall's fiercely independant examination of the left's rightward drift is a unique, character driven narrative that keeps you turning pages.

Wolves is a must read. So many of the political books that come my way are either redundant or homework. Marshall doesn't shove his opinion down your throat. He takes you along a real intellectual journey of discovery. It will get your neurons firing on multiple levels as you are challenged to figure out where you stand on the most important issues of the day. The section with Hitchens (and his brother) is brilliant, and most illuminating piece on the controversial writer ever written.

Marshall's look at the liberal elite and why they have turned against their once radical ways is incredibly informative, well researched, insightful, and best of all, a fun read!Great for political animals and novices alike, Marshall tackles a unique subject matter with flair and style.I highly recommend!