Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet dissident, political prisoner and human rights icon, has spent his life championing democracy and freedom. In 1977 he was arrested by the KGB for his activism and his support for Soviet Jews' demands to emigrate to Israel and imprisoned for nine years. The author of the international bestselling The Case for Democracy, Sharansky has served as a senior minister in the Israeli government, and now heads a foundation.
"Washington Times," July, 25, 2008
"The Democratic Party's hopeful savior, Barack Obama, has made it
clear that he will draw a sharp distinction between himself and
John McCain through his approach to foreign policy and his emphasis
on diplomacy and multi-nationalism. His commitment to restoring
America's image and withdrawing from Iraq makes him the preferred
candidate for much of Western Europe, and much of the world for
that matter. However, Barack Obama's lead in world public opinion
polls is something John McCain should highlight and embrace, rather
than resist.If Mr. McCain finds this strategy flawed, he should
read Natan Sharansky's latest book, "Defending Identity," which
discusses the crucial distinctions between the United States and
much of the world, including the European bloc. Mr. Sharansky, a
Jewish former Soviet dissident who spent years in the gulags for
trying to hold the Soviet Union accountable to its international
human-rights commitments, explains as his central thesis that
identity without democracy is totalitarianism, but democracy
without identification to the larger community is weak and doomed
to fail."
"Jerusalem Post," June 30, 2008
"Fortunately, one of the greatest Jewish heroes alive today has
jumped into this battle, armed with his usual weapons - wit,
iconoclasm, erudition and courage. Having survived Soviet prisons,
having survived years in Israeli politics with his reputation for
independence and integrity intact, Natan Sharansky is now ready to
lead the charge against those who are deluding themselves by
denuding themselves...This twist makes Sharansky's argument fresh,
powerful, compelling, and yes, subversive. Rather than joining the
Jewish woe-is-me crowd lamenting that particularist Judaism cannot
survive America's universalizing embrace, Sharansky fears that
America, Europe and the West cannot survive modernity's
universalizing embrace. Sharansky endorses a strong Jewish
identity, a vital American identity, a vigorous Israeli identity, a
proud Western identity, to preserve democracy... Sharansky's book
should make us appreciate how lucky we are as Jews to be a part of
such an inspiring story."
"Washington Times," July, 25, 2008
"The Democratic Party's hopeful savior, Barack Obama, has made it
clear that he will draw a sharp distinction between himself and
John McCain through his approach to foreign policy and his emphasis
on diplomacy and multi-nationalism. His commitment to restoring
America's image and withdrawing from Iraq makes him the preferred
candidate for much of Western Europe, and much of the world for
that matter. However, Barack Obama's lead in world public opinion
polls is something John McCain should highlight and embrace, rather
than resist.
If Mr. McCain finds this strategy flawed, he should read Natan Sharansky's latest book, "Defending Identity," which discusses the crucial distinctions between the United States and much of the world, including the European bloc. Mr. Sharansky, a Jewish former Soviet dissident who spent years in the gulags for trying to hold the Soviet Union accountable to its international human-rights commitments, explains as his central thesis that identity without democracy is totalitarianism, but democracy without identification to the larger community is weak and doomed to fail."
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