Francis Fukuyama is one of the most influential political thinkers of our time. His famous 1989 essay, The End of History? – written as the Berlin Wall fell and communism collapsed – posed a provocative idea: that Western liberal democracy had triumphed over ideology, and that it might be the “final form of human government”. Over three decades later in 2026, the world looks almost unrecognisable. Russia’s war in Ukraine accelerated a fracturing of the liberal rules-based order. The President of the United States has attacked Venezuela and Iran without seeking Congressional approval, UN Security Council backing or even building a coalition. And throughout the world polarisation, populism and authoritarianism have become potent threats to social order. In September 2026 Fukuyama came to Intelligence Squared to reflect on the seismic political events that are shaping our world. He discussed the themes of his new political memoir, In The Realm of the Last Man, which presents an urgent study of contemporary politics and explores how the West can revitalise its democracies. Fukuyama was in conversation with Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times and author The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism. --- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related