Ljubljana – The deployment of federal law enforcement to cities experiencing unrest, coupled with a lawsuit filed by the U.S. President against a federal agency he oversees, has drawn renewed scrutiny to the exercise of executive power. These actions, described by critics as an attempt to undermine democratic institutions, arrive more than three decades after political scientist Francis Fukuyama posited the “finish of history” – the triumph of liberal democracy as the ultimate form of human government.
In 1989, Fukuyama, then a deputy director in the State Department’s Office of Policy Planning, argued in an article for The National Interest that the collapse of communism signaled the culmination of ideological evolution. He predicted the “universalization of Western liberal democracy” and a subsequent reduction in large-scale conflict, driven by economic liberalization and the spread of Western culture. His thesis, elaborated in his 1992 book The End of History and the Last Man, sparked immediate and sustained criticism.
Critics, including Christopher Hitchens, Strobe Talbott, and Irving Kristol, dismissed Fukuyama’s optimism as naive and detached from the realities of international relations and human nature. Talbott, then editor of Time magazine, labeled the argument “The Beginning of Nonsense.” However, recent analysis suggests a reevaluation of Fukuyama’s operate may be warranted.
The current administration’s actions, including the deployment of federal agents to opposition-led cities and a $10 billion lawsuit against a government agency, present a stark contrast to the principles of liberal democracy Fukuyama described. The lawsuit, filed against an unnamed agency, alleges unspecified wrongdoing and seeks substantial financial redress. Details of the case remain sealed, and the agency has not publicly responded.
James Dobbins, a senior fellow at the RAND Corporation, noted in a 2019 commentary that while the initial wave of democratic expansion following 1989 appeared promising, more recent years have seen a faltering of democratic norms. He pointed to the rise of nationalist movements in Europe and the emergence of a more assertive Russia and China as factors contributing to this trend. Dobbins argued that the post-World War II norms of respecting territorial integrity and promoting free trade, which underpinned decades of relative peace and economic growth, are now being challenged.
Fukuyama himself has expressed disappointment with recent political developments, particularly the election of Donald Trump, calling it “the most surprising and the most disappointing thing that’s happened” since he wrote The End of History. He has argued that Trump’s “America First” policies represent a departure from the principles of international cooperation and democratic governance that have sustained the liberal world order.
Despite the challenges to liberal democracy, Dobbins maintains that the period since 1945 represents a historically unique era of peace and prosperity. He attributes this to the establishment of international institutions like the United Nations, NATO, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, as well as the attractiveness of the American political and economic model. However, the current administration’s skepticism towards these institutions and its willingness to pursue unilateral action raise questions about the future of this order.
The administration has not responded to requests for comment regarding the implications of its actions for the future of liberal democracy. A scheduled meeting between the President and representatives from the European Union to discuss trade and security concerns remains on the calendar, with no indication of a potential resolution to ongoing disputes.
