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Fukuyama: Our society does not work if it only supports a few groups and individuals

2022-06-09 21:31:57Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Fukuyama: Our society does not work if it only supports a few groups and
Francis Fukuyama

"Liberalism is the only political doctrine that succeeds in the long run: born after religious wars, back at the end of the World Wars, it is based on the idea of ​​diversity within society and the need to find ways to dialogue and coexist. But today it is in danger. "Throughout the decades of peace he has guaranteed us, both on the right and on the left, there have been those who have cynically appropriated their values, taking them to extremes."

Stanford political scientist Francis Fukuyama is the author of the acclaimed book The End of History and the Last Man, an essay written in 1992 after the break-up of the Soviet Union that argued for democratic liberalism - which in the American sense is a graft between doctrine. classical and democracy - there were no more opponents. Thirty years later he admits: "Things are more complicated." With his new book, "Liberalism and its Opponents", he seeks to show that doctrine still remains the essence of democracy and should therefore be defended at the political and cultural level.

You say that classical liberalism has been pretty much distorted in recent decades.

On the right, supporters of neoliberal economics have turned the free market into dogma, distorting the economy to the point where it becomes unstable as individualism has turned against all self-limiting rules, even when imposed for the common good. From the left, convinced that liberalism is an elite system that oppresses certain groups based on ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, has reached identity claims that are transforming the need for respect within political correctness into intolerance.

How can we free ourselves from extremes without violating the rights of the individual or group suffering from injustice?

To guarantee justice and democracy we need vigilance, debate, an approach that constantly revitalizes values ​​by correcting debauchery. Only good politics can defeat extremism. Society is too heterogeneous to claim that it functions by supporting only the interests of certain individuals or certain groups. To survive it must be open and welcome the diversity that exists within it.

You yourself have said: "Liberalism is in danger today."

The basic principles, ie tolerance for change, respect for the rights of the individual, the rule of law, are under threat. This is confirmed by a Freedom House report, according to which from the late 1970s to 2008 the number of democracies in the world exceeded 35 to over 100. Today this number is declining, if not nominally, clearly according to the quality of system. Enough to think about the recent blows suffered by two of the world's largest democracies, the United States and India. And for the arrogance of two autocracies like China and Russia.

As early as 2019, when speaking to the "Financial Times", Russian President Vladimir Putin harshly attacked liberalism, defining it as "outdated".

Putin has long been the engine of a global anti-liberal campaign, aided by populist leaders like Viktor Orban in Hungary or Donald Trump in America. These are figures who, although democratically elected, undermined the very system that brought them to power. Of course, with the invasion of Ukraine, Putin made a moral clarification: he showed what the alternative to liberalism is and how brutal it is. It's a terrible thing, but it remains a lesson for most of us.

You write: "Democracy does not survive if citizens do not believe they are part of a political system." Will the Ukrainian crisis restore the feeling of institutions like the European Union, which until recently was strongly attacked by sovereigns?

The long period of peace and prosperity after the collapse of the Soviet Union prompted many to take democratic liberalism for granted. Putin invaded his neighbor precisely because he was convinced that the West was too fragmented and no longer believed in anything. Por u gabua. European institutions are generally healthy. Certainly more than American institutions.

This is too heavy for the United States…

American democracy is under pressure. Liberals by my definition, politicians like Joe Biden, believe in the law and an independent, non-partisan judiciary. This is exactly what Donald Trump has been attacking since his election, leading to the imbalance of the Supreme Court. But for now, "check and balance", the mechanism that maintains the balance of power, saves us. But it must be said that this mechanism worked because within the system stood the real liberal-democrats. Unfortunately, more and more people want to behave like Putin.

If "History is not over", where are we?

"Universal history" tends to progress. But that of the nations is not linear, nor does it go in one direction only. That said, we are in a moment of regression. However, if we look at the long-term plan, we find that illiberal systems are destined to fail.

You are not the only thinker who reflects on classical liberalism. Yascha Mounk has just written a book, Michael Walzer is writing it. All this need to discover classical liberalism, is not it really the acceptance of the crisis where it is?

He will only die if people stop believing. And people will no longer believe if they are not familiar with the essential importance of liberalism. This has led me to write this book and perhaps the same reason applies to others. So far we have lived in a democratic society without questioning its foundations and alternatives. People need to be reminded that liberalism exists for good reasons and is worth defending. It does not stand alone, it requires the commitment of everyone.

* Francis Fukuyama is an American political scientist and writer best known for his book The End of History and the Last Man. The interview was translated into Albanian by Erjon Uka.


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