Tag: Fukuyama

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The Sadness of Being the ‘Last Man’

Colin Henderson

​ Francis Fukuyama has long been considered a naive triumphalist. He now wants to set the record straight. Gal BeckermanSeptember 9, 2026 Francis Fukuyama never promised us we’d be happy. To be fair to the many readers who thought otherwise, The End of History and the Last Man, his famous 1992 book, did give off a whiff of utopia, trumpeting a post–Cold War world in which liberal democracy had vanquished competing political systems and everyone could lie back on their affordable chaise longues and raise a glass to the expiration of all strife and struggle. “Several” people each week still ask … Continue reading The Sadness of Being the ‘Last Man’

Economy, Growth, US
Colin Henderson

Civilised societies depend on institutions. The more complex the society, the more vital those institutions. Institutions provide stability, predictability and security. Companies, schools, universities, and courts are all institutions. But the most important institutions are those of the state. This is why Donald Trump’s assault on what his supporters misleadingly call “the deep state” is so dangerous. Some of them think the state should be servile to the whims of the great leader. Others think it should be at the service of the wealthy. Both sides agree that its ability to meet the needs of the wider public is of … Continue reading