Towards the Post-Liberal Synthesis

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Belief in democracy is down among the young. Political division is up. America’s power and prestige is waning. Many foreign countries are openly and confidently transitioning away from the liberal democratic model. China is thriving, maybe even winning, as an authoritarian party-state. Even America has elected an apparent illiberal strong-man. Voices of authority are abandoning the pretense of objectivity and cheering on obstruction of elected governments by “deep state” actors, while wide swaths of the public are becoming obsessed with conspiracy theories as trust in any fact-checked consensus declines. Even well-educated people are becoming disillusioned with the system. Many incompatible narratives are put forward about what’s going on, and where we are headed. When it’s all done, in the light of hindsight, the inevitability of it all will become clear. The uncertainty will fade, and everyone will have always known. But in the thick of the historical moment, things are not so clear

David Rodrigo/Dubai, United Arab Emirates Belief in democracy is down among the young. Political division is up. America’s power and prestige is waning. Many foreign countries are openly and confidently transitioning away from the liberal democratic model. China is thriving, maybe even winning, as an authoritarian party-state. Even America has elected an apparent illiberal strong-man. Voices of authority are abandoning the pretense of objectivity and cheering on obstruction of elected governments by “deep state” actors, while wide swaths of the public are becoming obsessed with conspiracy theo

Towards the Post-Liberal Synthesis

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