A specter is haunting the world - the specter of rabid right-wing populism. The situation has escalated, particularly with the election of Donald Trump, leading to attacks on press freedom and the separation of powers. This poses a threat to liberal democracy. Wilhelm Heitmeyer addressed these trends early on. In 2001, he warned that globalization is accompanied by political and social losses of control, which could lead to the rise of authoritarian capitalism, the hollowing out of democracy, and a strengthening of right-wing populism. In his new book, he builds on this analysis and applies it to diagnose the current situation. This volume marks the beginning of the series "Signatures of Threat," which is dedicated to phenomena of political violence and social disintegration.