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2.37 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
0
Organizations
5
Locations
3
Events
1
Relationships
5
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Interview transcript
File Size:
2.37 MB
Summary
This document is page 29 of an interview transcript between an interviewer named Shaffer and political scientist Francis Fukuyama. They discuss Fukuyama's book 'The End of History' in the context of the rise of China, the Arab Spring, and 9/11. Fukuyama defends his thesis that liberal democracy remains the default form of government despite recent geopolitical challenges, though he acknowledges the concept of 'political decay.' The document bears a House Oversight Bates stamp.
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Fukuyama | Interviewee |
Francis Fukuyama (implied by reference to his book 'The End of History'), discussing political theory and revisions t...
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| Shaffer | Interviewer |
Asking questions regarding Fukuyama's 'The End of History' and geopolitical events.
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| Marxists | Group mentioned |
Referenced regarding their theory of history and communist utopia.
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Locations (5)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
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Compared against other systems.
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Referenced regarding rule of law and checks and balances.
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Discussed as a potential alternative political system.
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Mentioned as a place people do not want to live.
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Mentioned as a place people do not want to live.
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Key Quotes (5)
"I would still bet on the West, with its rule of law and systems of checks and balances on authority."Source
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Quote #1
"Liberal democracies seemed to be the highest stage of political development, and I didn’t see any real alternatives."Source
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Quote #2
"Nothing that’s happened in the last 20 years has convinced me that there’s a higher form of government."Source
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Quote #3
"China is a more plausible alternative. But I don’t think that anybody who’s not culturally Chinese would duplicate their system"Source
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Quote #4
"So I still think liberal democracy is the default form of government."Source
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Quote #5
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (1,892 characters)
29
run they’re doing better than the United States without having these
Western institutions. The real challenge is the long-run sustainability
of that system, or of the two systems. And looking at that in the long-
run, I would still bet on the West, with its rule of law and systems of
checks and balances on authority.
Western institutions. The real challenge is the long-run sustainability
of that system, or of the two systems. And looking at that in the long-
run, I would still bet on the West, with its rule of law and systems of
checks and balances on authority.
SHAFFER: You’ve probably heard a lot of phony rebuttals based on
misreading of The End of History. So, I won’t attempt one — but
you’ve made oblique references to your own revisions and criticisms.
How does the rise of China and the current Arab unrest, for example,
fit into the end of history?
misreading of The End of History. So, I won’t attempt one — but
you’ve made oblique references to your own revisions and criticisms.
How does the rise of China and the current Arab unrest, for example,
fit into the end of history?
FUKUYAMA: If you understand the original thesis correctly, what I
was saying is that there was a theory of history among progressive
intellectuals for most of the 20th century. That theory of history was
Marxism. And according to the Marxists, the end of history was a
communist utopia. My observation in the late 1980s is that we
weren’t going to get there. Liberal democracies seemed to be the
highest stage of political development, and I didn’t see any real
alternatives. If you understand the thesis that way, I still believe that.
Nothing that’s happened in the last 20 years has convinced me that
there’s a higher form of government. Certainly not 9/11 — I don’t
think anybody wants to live in a place like Iran and Afghanistan, so I
don’t think that’s a serious competitor. China is a more plausible
alternative. But I don’t think that anybody who’s not culturally
Chinese would duplicate their system, and the Chinese are not really
proselytizing their system. So I still think liberal democracy is the
default form of government.
was saying is that there was a theory of history among progressive
intellectuals for most of the 20th century. That theory of history was
Marxism. And according to the Marxists, the end of history was a
communist utopia. My observation in the late 1980s is that we
weren’t going to get there. Liberal democracies seemed to be the
highest stage of political development, and I didn’t see any real
alternatives. If you understand the thesis that way, I still believe that.
Nothing that’s happened in the last 20 years has convinced me that
there’s a higher form of government. Certainly not 9/11 — I don’t
think anybody wants to live in a place like Iran and Afghanistan, so I
don’t think that’s a serious competitor. China is a more plausible
alternative. But I don’t think that anybody who’s not culturally
Chinese would duplicate their system, and the Chinese are not really
proselytizing their system. So I still think liberal democracy is the
default form of government.
What’s changed for me are a couple of things: One is the idea of
political decay. It wasn’t an important part of the End of History. But
I do think that all political systems, including liberal democracies,
political decay. It wasn’t an important part of the End of History. But
I do think that all political systems, including liberal democracies,
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