The end of Europe is upon us.  A Europe of peace, prosperity and democracy is falling apart.  So says our guest today.  He warns Europe is increasingly undemocratic and economically stagnant. It’s threatened by extremists from the left and the right, and slowing heading to war.  How did we get here?  Great Britain’s decision to leave the European Union is the beginning of the end.  France is facing a run-off election with Marine Le Pen – a candidate who is profoundly against the European Union.  In Hungary, a right-wing nationalist prime minister is building an “illiberal democracy.”  Russia is pushing ahead with its military build-up and using sophisticated cyber weapons to meddle in elections across the continent.

James Kirchik is the author of the beautifully written new book, The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming of the Dark Age.  He is a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Initiative in Washington and a correspondent for the Daily Beast. He has written a gloomy but brilliant portrait of a continent that he loves.