Americans aren't fighting just a war on terrorism ... they are fighting, and losing, a war of ideas.

This riveting collection of original essays by some of the best political minds in America argues that the post–September 11 era has put American democracy itself on trial. In short, defeating terrorism requires us to live up to our own ideals. In The Fight Is for Democracy, nine leading writers take a hard, and at times personal, look at American life and America's role in the world. These pieces share a belief in the need for liberal reform at home and abroad. Power alone is not enough to win hearts and minds around the world. The war against terrorism should be a war for democracy.

Edited and with an Introduction by George Packer, The Fight Is for Democracy pushes the national debate in provocative new directions with essays on:

Domestic politics and foreign policy -- Michael Tomasky, political columnist for New York magazine
Human rights and intervention -- Laura Secor, Boston Globe staff writer
Secularism -- Vijay Seshadri, author and professor at Sarah Lawrence College
Patriotism -- Todd Gitlin, author and professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University
Politics in the Arab World -- Kanan Makiya, author and professor at Brandeis University
Intellectuals and American culture -- Susie Linfield, associate director of the Cultural Reporting and Criticism program at New York University
Globalization -- William Finnegan, staff writer at The New Yorker
Economic inequality -- Jeff Madrick, editor of Challenge magazine
Liberalism and terror -- Paul Berman, contributing editor of The New Republic

Peter Beinart