Agent Orange

Since Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016, numerous authors have observed the decline of democratic values in countries around the world. Anne Applebaum in Twilight of Democracy, Timothy Snyder in The Road to Unfreedom, Robert Kagan in Rebellion, and others have advanced their own specific angles on the topic, but they’ve generally acknowledged a proliferation of disinformation and the rise of authoritarian tendencies. And they’ve agreed that democracies are facing threats not seen since the end of the Cold War. Now the award-winning historian Ken McGoogan adds to the discussion with Shadows of Tyranny.

McGoogan has written many books, mostly non-fiction works about Arctic exploration and the influence of Scottish culture in Canada. His latest, therefore, represents a notable shift in subject. McGoogan is deeply concerned about the impact Trump has had on American democracy, though he’s less concerned...