Ivan Krastev, a leading political thinker and author, dives into the parallels between Donald Trump and Mikhail Gorbachev, discussing the transformative impact of Trump's presidency on American and European politics. He examines the crisis of trust in American institutions and the ideological battles that challenge American exceptionalism. The conversation also explores Europe's evolving identity amid global shifts and the rise of China. Krastev's insights shed light on the future of democracy and international relations in a rapidly changing world.
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insights INSIGHT
Trump's Revolutionary Government
Trump represents a revolutionary government that changes the identity of political players fundamentally.
Unlike traditional revolutions, Trump embodies multiple conflicting revolutionary strands simultaneously.
insights INSIGHT
Trump as Anti-Gorbachev and Gorbachev
Trump can be seen as both anti-Gorbachev and a Gorbachev-like figure.
Both believed that domestic change requires global change despite their ideological differences.
insights INSIGHT
Chinese Lens on Soviet Collapse & Trump
The Chinese viewed the Soviet collapse as policy mistakes rather than inevitabilities.
Trump shares Silicon Valley's skepticism of the American state, blaming it for America's losses in globalization.
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In this book, Francis Fukuyama posits that human history is moving towards a state of idealized harmony through the mechanisms of liberal democracy. He argues that liberal democracy is the final form of human government, driven by two powerful forces: the logic of modern science and the struggle for recognition. Fukuyama draws on the philosophical ideas of Hegel and Kojeve, suggesting that liberal democracy meets the economic and psychological needs of humanity, including the desire for recognition and dignity. The book explores the implications of this thesis, including the potential paradox that the satisfaction of basic needs might lead to a lack of outlets for human striving and recognition[2][3][5].
Mussolini, Son of the Century
Mussolini, Son of the Century
Antonio Scaratti
In Defense of Decadent Europe
Alan Rosenthal
Raymond Aron
In Defense of Decadent Europe, written by Raymond Aron, is a critical examination of Western society during a period of uncertainty. The book combines ideological debate with economic and social analysis, comparing Western freedom with Eastern systems. It was originally written for a French audience in the late 1970s.
Ivan Krastev is the chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies and Albert Hirschman Permanent Fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences, IWM Vienna. His books include Is it Tomorrow, Yet? After Europe, and The Light that Failed: A Reckoning, which was co-authored by Stephen Holmes.
In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Ivan Krastev explore how Donald Trump is—and isn’t—similar to Mikhail Gorbachev, the impact of the Trump revolution, and whether we’ve finally reached the end of history.
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Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.
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