Nathan Gardels
Francis Fukuyama is an American political scientist at Stanford University. His books include, among others, “The End of History and the Last Man,” “Political Order and Political Decay,” and “Liberalism and its Discontents.”
Noema Editor-in-Chief Nathan Gardels recently sat down with Francis Fukuyama at Stanford University for the Berggruen Institute’s upcoming “Paradigm Shift” podcast series. Fukuyama is the noted author of books such as “The End Of History And The Last Man,” “The Origins Of Political Order” and “Liberalism And Its Discontents.” What follows is an excerpt of their wide-ranging conversation.
Nathan Gardels: You said some years ago that democracy cannot survive the lack of belief in the possibility of impartial institutions. Today, that level of trust is almost zero and worsens daily with the continued denigration of the courts by the Trump team. Even Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts says such attacks are very dangerous to the rule of law. Where does the meter of democracy’s survival stand today?
Francis Fukuyama: Since Jan. 20, I place it much lower. There was much discussion before the election asking, “Is Trump a fascist?” Is he an authoritarian?” I tended to poo-poo some of that. Comparing him to Hitler, I felt, was just a little overheated. But now one must admit he’s definitely an authoritarian. In these short months, you’re already seeing America turn toward authoritarianism.
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