Natan Sharansky talked about his book Defending Identity: Its Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy (PublicAffairs, March 24, 2008). In the book he argued that democratic countries where people have strong national, religious, ethnic, or tribal identities are preferable to democracies where strong identities are considered to be divisive. He says that in the world as it is today, retaining a strong identity is a crucial factor in protecting democracies around the world. Following his remarks, he responded to questions from members of the audience at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Natan Sharansky, a former Soviet political prisoner, is currently chairman of the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies in Israel. Mr. Sharansky is the author of Fear No Evil and The Case for Democracy. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006.