Francis Fukuyama | Biography, Books, The End of History and ...

Francis Fukuyama, (born October 27, 1952, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.), American writer and political theorist perhaps best known for his belief ... FrancisFukuyama TableofContents FrancisFukuyama Introduction FastFacts Facts&RelatedContent More MoreArticlesOnThisTopic Contributors ArticleHistory RelatedBiographies RobertD.Putnam Americanpoliticalscientist SamuelP.Huntington Americanpoliticalscientist HannahArendt Americanpoliticalscientist NiccolòMachiavelli Italianstatesmanandwriter SeeAll Home Health&Medicine Medicine Physicians FrancisFukuyama Americanwriterandpoliticaltheorist Actions Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. Pleaserefertotheappropriatestylemanualorothersourcesifyouhaveanyquestions. 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ExternalWebsites StanfordUniversity-BiographyofFrancisFukuyama StanfordInternationalPolicyReview-AnInterviewWithFrancisFukuyama By TheEditorsofEncyclopaediaBritannica • LastUpdated: May27,2022 • EditHistory TableofContents Born: October27,1952(age69) Chicago Illinois ...(Showmore) Founder: “TheAmericanInterest” ...(Showmore) Seeallrelatedcontent→ FrancisFukuyama,(bornOctober27,1952,Chicago,Illinois,U.S.),AmericanwriterandpoliticaltheoristperhapsbestknownforhisbeliefthatthetriumphofliberaldemocracyattheendoftheColdWarmarkedthelastideologicalstageintheprogressionofhumanhistory.FukuyamastudiedclassicsatCornellUniversity,Ithaca,NewYork.(B.A.,1974),andpoliticalscienceatHarvardUniversity(Ph.D.,1981).In1979hebeganalong-termassociationwiththeresearchorganizationRANDCorporation,inSantaMonica,California,andWashington,D.C.HelaterhelpedshapeforeignpolicyfortheU.S.DepartmentofState(1981–82),specializinginMiddleEasternaffairsandservingasadelegatetoanEgyptian-IsraeliconferenceonPalestinianautonomy.In1987hecoeditedTheSovietUnionandtheThirdWorld:TheLastThreeDecades,andtwoyearslaterherejoinedtheStateDepartmenttofocusonEuropeanpoliticalandmilitaryissues.HeheldachairasprofessoratGeorgeMasonUniversity,Fairfax,Virginia,from1996to2001.Fukuyama’sfirstmajorwork,TheEndofHistoryandtheLastMan(1992),earnedinternationalacclaimandwaswidelyreadbyboththemainstreampublicandacademics.Histhesis—introducedasamagazinearticlein1989,whencommunismineasternEuropewascollapsing—positedthatWestern-styleliberaldemocracynotonlywasthevictoroftheColdWarbutmarkedthelastideologicalstageinthelongmarchofhistory.Hetracedparalleltrackswithhisfollow-upbooks:Trust:TheSocialVirtuesandtheCreationofProsperity(1995),whichwaspopularinthebusinessmarket,andTheGreatDisruption:HumanNatureandtheReconstitutionofSocialOrder(1999),aconservativelookatAmericansocietyinthesecondhalfofthe20thcentury.AftertheSeptember11attacksin2001,criticsofhisthesisarguedthatIslamicfundamentalismthreatenedthehegemonyoftheWest.Fukuyamadismissedthem,however,byarguingthattheattackswerepartof“aseriesofrearguardactions”againstwhathebelievedwastheprevailingpoliticalphilosophyofthenewglobalism.In2001FukuyamabecameaprofessorattheJohnsHopkinsUniversitySchoolofAdvancedInternationalStudies,Washington,D.C.ShortlythereafterhepublishedOurPosthumanFuture:ConsequencesoftheBiotechnologyRevolution(2002),whichexaminesthepotentialrolebiotechnologycouldplayinthecourseofhumandevelopment.Theworkrevealsthedangersofpreselectinghumantraits,extendingaveragelifespans,andover-relyingonmood-alteringdrugs.AsamemberofthePresident’sCouncilonBioethics(2001–05),Fukuyamaarguedfortightfederalregulationofgeneticengineering.HelaterwroteState-Building:GovernanceandtheWorldOrderinthe21stCentury(2004),inwhichhediscussedhowfledglingdemocraticnationscouldbemadetosucceed. GetaBritannicaPremiumsubscriptionandgainaccesstoexclusivecontent. SubscribeNow Althoughlongconsideredamajorfigureinneoconservatism,Fukuyamalaterdistancedhimselffromthatpoliticalmovement.HealsobecameanopponentoftheU.S.-ledinvasionofIraq,awarhehadinitiallysupported(seeIraqWar).InAmericaattheCrossroads:Democracy,Power,andtheNeoconservativeLegacy(2006),hecriticizedneoconservativesandRepublicanPres.GeorgeW.Bushandhisadministration’spoliciesaftertheSeptember11attacks.Inthe2008presidentialelectionhesupportedtheDemocraticcandidate—andeventualwinner—BarackObama.Fukuyamaclaimedthattheworldwasexperiencinga“democraticrecession,”especiallyaftertheelectionofRepublicanDonaldTrumpasU.S.presidentandtheUnitedKingdom’sdecisiontowithdrawfromtheEU(“Brexit”),bothofwhichoccurredin2016.TheriseofidentitypoliticsisthetopicofIdentity:TheDemandforDignityandthePoliticsofResentment(2018),whileLiberalismandItsDiscontents(2022)focusesonthethreatstoliberalism. NewfromBritannica Neptunehaswindsthatblowfasterthanthespeedofsound,withgustsreaching1,500mph. SeeAllGoodFacts In2005FukuyamafoundedthemagazineTheAmericanInterest,whichsought“toexplainAmericatotheworld,andtheworldtoAmericans.”FiveyearslaterhebecameafellowatStanfordUniversity’sFreemanSpogliInstituteforInternationalStudies.Fukuyamaservedasdirector(2015–21)oftheinstitute’sCenteronDemocracy,Development,andtheRuleofLaw.In2019hebecameheadoftheFordDorseyMaster’sinInternationalPolicy,atwo-yeargraduatedegreeprogramattheinstitute.TheEditorsofEncyclopaediaBritannicaThisarticlewasmostrecentlyrevisedandupdatedbyAmyTikkanen.