Purdy explores how America simultaneously inspires love and hate; how it can be both an emblem of liberty and a symbol of runaway power; how its export of free market and democratic ideals is sometimes welcome, sometimes read as an expression of violent imperialism. He examines the rise of new forms of political community, from international Islamic fundamentalism to sweatshop activism. After extensive journeys through Asia, Africa, and around America, he reports on attitudes of activists and ordinary people: what young lawyers in Cairo say about the September 11th attacks; what teenagers in Delhi and environmentalists in Jakarta think about American consumerism. Purdy revives the lucid, intelligent voice of Montaigne to help untangle difficult ethical questions. He draws on the writings of James Madison, Adam Smith, and Edmund Burke, among others, to help explain our legacy of liberal freedoms and prejudices.