Francis Fukuyama, a renowned political scientist and author, joins editor Dan Kurtz-Phelan to dive into the current crises facing global democracy amid Donald Trump’s potential return. They discuss the backlash against the status quo and explore how economic dissatisfaction fuels support for illiberal populism. Fukuyama analyzes the institutional challenges intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and the paradox of the U.S.'s international strength contrasted with its internal divisions. Their conversation also touches on the implications for foreign policy amid rising global tensions.
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insights INSIGHT
Internal Polarization
America's internal polarization is its biggest weakness.
It doesn't matter how strong a country is if it can't agree on how to use its resources.
insights INSIGHT
Ukraine Peace Settlement
Trump wants to end the war in Ukraine quickly, but a true peace settlement is unlikely.
Ukrainians won't cede occupied land without a NATO guarantee, which isn't likely.
insights INSIGHT
Ukraine's Deteriorating Position
Ukraine's military position is weakening and a gradual disintegration is possible.
Escalation might be necessary to prevent further losses, though unlikely under Trump.
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In 'The End of History and the Last Man', Francis Fukuyama posits that with the ascendancy of Western liberal democracy following the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, humanity has reached the end point of its ideological evolution. Fukuyama draws on the philosophies of Hegel and Marx, arguing that history is a linear progression towards liberal democracy, driven by the mechanisms of natural science and the human desire for recognition (thymos). He contends that liberal democracy satisfies every man’s thymotic longing for dignity and recognition, making it the final form of human government. However, Fukuyama clarifies that this does not mean the end of historical events or conflicts, but rather that all future developments will be within the framework of liberal democracy[2][3][4].
The Pandemic and Political Order
It Takes a State
Francis Fukuyama
In this article, Francis Fukuyama argues that the success of a country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic depends on its state capacity, social trust, and leadership. He notes that both democracies and autocracies have had varying degrees of success, with the key factors being the competence of the state apparatus, the trust citizens have in their government, and the effectiveness of leaders. Fukuyama criticizes the U.S. response, attributing its failures to a highly polarized society and incompetent leadership, and discusses the potential long-term implications for global order and the resilience of liberal democracy.
Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election comes at a moment of turbulence for global democracy. It’s been a year marked by almost universal backlash against incumbent leaders by voters apparently eager to express their anger with the status quo—and also an era when liberalism has been in retreat, if not in crisis.
Francis Fukuyama, a political scientist at Stanford University, has done as much as anyone to elucidate the currents shaping and reshaping global politics. He wrote TheEnd of History and the Last Man, a seminal work of post–Cold War political theory, more than three decades ago. And in the years since, he has written a series of influential essays for Foreign Affairs and other publications.
He joins Editor Dan Kurtz-Phelan to consider what Trump’s return to the presidency means for liberal democracy—and whether its future, in the United States and around the world, is truly at stake.
The Foreign Affairs Interview 
