One of the most important far-left ideas floating around in the 1980s was the critique of modern wage slavery, as articulated by the Zerowork group and a host of anarchist essayists, most notably Bob Black, author of “

Norman Kelley’s essay “The Continuous Decline of the West” masquerades as a review of Cornel West’s most recent book, Democracy Matters. Kelley’s critical reading of a book that looks at democracy and the post-9/11 world offers some valid insight into the debates surrounding the Middle East, imperialism, and terrorism.