John Kampfner is the author of three previous books including a biography of Robin Cook and the acclaimed BLAIR'S WARS, a devastating survey of the Prime Minister's foreign policy. He lives in London.

英国媒体人约翰•坎夫纳(John Kampfner)3月17号在卡内基伦理与国际事务委员会，向纽约的公司、外交和教育界人士，推介自己的新书《贩卖自由》，讨论以民主自由交换国家安全的问题。在提到拆哪时，他认为拆哪已经有一定个人自由，但是没有公众自由。——RFA

Why is it that so many people around the world appear willing to give up freedoms in return for either security or prosperity? For the past 60 years it had been assumed that capitalism was intertwined with liberal democracy, that the two not just thrived together but needed each other to survive. But what happens when both are undermined? Governments around the world -- whether they fall into the authoritarian or the democratic camp -- have drawn up a new pact with their peoples. These are its terms: repression is selective, confined to those who openly challenge the status quo, who publicly go out of their way to 'cause trouble'. The number of people who fall into that category is actually very few. The rest of the population can enjoy freedom to travel, to live more or less as they wish, and to make and spend their money. This is the difference between public freedoms and private freedoms. We choose different freedoms we are prepared to cede. We all do it. Freedom for Sale will set a new agenda. Mixing narrative from different countries around the world, it breaks new ground in revealing the extent to which the old assumptions and securities have died.

It will crucially ask why so many intelligent and ambitious citizens around the world, particularly among the young, seemed prepared to sacrifice freedom of the press and freedom of speech in their quest for wealth. A new world order may well be upon us, and in this gripping and devastating book John Kampfner reveals how it may just be too late to stop it.