Defending Identity: Its Indispensable Role in Protecting Democracy is the third book by Natan Sharansky, published on June 1, 2008, by Public Affairs.

In Defending Identity, Sharansky presents nationalism and religious commitment as a "force for good," not merely an ideology of evil.

"[2] Sharansky makes a provocative argument against Western intellectuals who have increasingly come to see religion and nationalism as antithetical to freedom.

Jonathan S. Tobin writes that "Sharansky reminds us democracies can't defend themselves without 'identity'".

[3] Ira Stoll writes that, “If the next American president reads this latest book by Mr. Sharansky on the interplay between identity, democracy, and freedom, it could be more important than any CIA or State Department briefing in understanding the foreign policy horizon.