The Canadian West has always embodied a mythical quality - the open prairies, the rugged mountains, the European immigrant "settlers" and the people who populated the land before they came. In Beyond Alienation, George Melnyk analyzes our current political climate in light of our cultural and historical past. Where do our political roots spring from? Where do we go from here? Will our future be influenced by separatism, bioregionalism, energy geopolitics? Melnyk takes a close look at the regionalism of the Canadian and American Wests. Should American continentalism be considered a threat, or an opportunity? This book traces the rise and fall of Western political parties, from Social Credit and CCF to NDP and Conservative and Reform parties. Finally, Melynk examines the negative myth of the alienated West, and suggests some roads we can take to be beyond alienation.