Chomsky breaks new ground by presenting his evaluation of the "Prospects for Democracy" in the world today. Beginning with a broad review of democratic theory and political history, he argues that classical democrats such as Thomas Jefferson would be shocked at the current disrepair of American democracy. The enormous growth of corporate capitalism has already devastated democratic culture and government by concentrating power in the hands of the wealthy. And the future looks no brighter.
In spite of this dark assessment, Chomsky maintains that any hope for democracy rests ultimately with you and me—on whether we can shake off our political malaise and build a democratic future. The fate of democracy is not yet fixed, he says, but "unless people here and in other rich societies can recapture and revitalize" our lost traditions of liberty and democracy, "the prospects for democracy are indeed dim."