The United States is seemingly addicted to excess. When it comes to food consumption, 38 percent of Americans are now obese, which is more than twice the average for all rich countries. When it comes to burning fossil fuel, America’s per capita carbon emissions are also twice the European level. Robert Paarlberg argues that America’s excessive consumption is likely to persist, since it grows out of the nation’s fundamental demographic and resource endowments, its distinct and easily deadlocked political institutions, plus its unique culture celebrating individual freedom. What does this mean for the rest of the world? Join the Council on Global Affairs in exploring the dark side of American exceptionalism.