A review by vishnu_r1
Bland Fanatics: Liberals, Race, and Empire by Pankaj Mishra

3.0

... - civilization remains an ideal rather than an irreversible achievement - and the dangers of leaving it unmet are incalculable

Such lines and the attempt to analyze the western world critically make this a good read. But since this is a series of essays the author has written over the years, rather than a long narrative like some of his other works, there is some repetition and lack of an agenda. What does come across are attempts to bring to attention the flaws in the western capitalist liberal agenda.

A book to, say, analyze Woodrow Wilson's policies and how, over the years, following a similar path has corrupted the modern American political system seems like a good read. While this book is not that, it certainly generates an interest in such topics.

Where the author fails is to convince that he is not simply nihilistic, but that he has a proper reason to identify all the flaws he does. This again, may come back to the fact that this is a series of essays or it could very well be his political bent (which again is not clear). 3* due to this lack of clarity. While thought provoking, his other books (Ruins of Empire comes to mind) are much better.