Chris
08-09-2016, 03:40 PM
This is a somewhat serious look at Francis Fukuyama's end of history prediction. And, please, no but we're a republic, that's a form of democracy. So the question is has something happened to falsify his prediction?
The End of History Not Turning Out as Hoped (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2016/08/09/the_end_of_history_not_turning_out_as_hoped_131461 .html)
The scholar Francis Fukuyama has been widely ridiculed for the title of his 1992 book, "The End of History." Critics point out that we've had -- suffered -- a lot of history since then: the 9/11 attacks, prolonged wars in the Middle East, a worldwide financial crisis and deep recession.
But Fukuyama's point wasn't that all conflict would cease. His argument was that the Western model of democratic governance and market-based capitalism had emerged as the only intellectually serious model of a good society. Other models have persisted -- China's centralized control, Russia's petrostate, Islamic jihad -- but don't have appeal beyond the places where they are imposed by force.
That remains a strong argument. But as one looks at this nation and around the world, one has to say that democratic governance has not been operating optimally and market capitalism seems to be going through a protracted rough patch.
Exhibit A for Americans is of course the 2016 presidential race, in which both major parties managed to nominate candidates with majority negative ratings. Our presidential nominating system is the weakest part of our political system and, even after major reform and minor tinkering, there seems to be no entirely satisfactory way to structure it.
For two centuries, God or good luck provided Americans with brilliant leaders in times of crisis. It's beginning to look like our luck has run out or that God is on vacation....
The End of History Not Turning Out as Hoped (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2016/08/09/the_end_of_history_not_turning_out_as_hoped_131461 .html)
The scholar Francis Fukuyama has been widely ridiculed for the title of his 1992 book, "The End of History." Critics point out that we've had -- suffered -- a lot of history since then: the 9/11 attacks, prolonged wars in the Middle East, a worldwide financial crisis and deep recession.
But Fukuyama's point wasn't that all conflict would cease. His argument was that the Western model of democratic governance and market-based capitalism had emerged as the only intellectually serious model of a good society. Other models have persisted -- China's centralized control, Russia's petrostate, Islamic jihad -- but don't have appeal beyond the places where they are imposed by force.
That remains a strong argument. But as one looks at this nation and around the world, one has to say that democratic governance has not been operating optimally and market capitalism seems to be going through a protracted rough patch.
Exhibit A for Americans is of course the 2016 presidential race, in which both major parties managed to nominate candidates with majority negative ratings. Our presidential nominating system is the weakest part of our political system and, even after major reform and minor tinkering, there seems to be no entirely satisfactory way to structure it.
For two centuries, God or good luck provided Americans with brilliant leaders in times of crisis. It's beginning to look like our luck has run out or that God is on vacation....