Last month, Francis Fukuyama was scheduled to come to Washington, DC for a live taping of Wisdom of Crowds. Unfortunately, as subscribers know, Frank lost his voice the morning of his scheduled appearance, and we were forced to cancel. However, we were able to record a bit of conversation with him and Shadi Hamid the following day, with a few colleagues asking questions.

The conversation ended up being a quasi-“state of liberalism” address, perfect for July 4th weekend.

The conversation begins with Frank discussing the current challenges to liberal societies, addressing why some in the West today might be dissatisfied with it, but also why people living in autocratic regimes throughout the world still long for liberalism. He talks about the lassitude and dissatisfaction that permeates liberal societies, and the contradictory desires for ever-greater equality and spirited competition that drive citizens to rebel against liberalism.

During the question and answer session, Fukuyama takes questions about recent events. He discusses the rise of right-wing parties in Europe, as well as recent developments in France, Germany and Romania. He touches upon citizenship, borders, deportations and Trump’s immigration policies. And he answers the question that was on everybody’s mind that night: Is history still over?

Required Reading

* Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History?” (National Interest).

* CrowdSource, “Fukuyama’s Children” (WoC).

* Damir and Shadi’s 2022 conversation with Francis Fukuyama (WoC).

* Santiago Ramos, “Kicking the Ladder” (WoC).

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