There is a particular kind of confidence that comes from winning. And after the Cold War ended, the West had it in abundance. Liberal democracy had outlasted its rival. Markets were open. Borders were softening. History, according to Francis Fukuyama, had reached its final destination. The only task remaining was to ship the winning formula […]
Why Liberalism Failed to Export Happiness to the East Read More »
There is a particular kind of optimism that sounds beautiful in speeches and falls apart on contact with reality. It goes something like this: if we just remove the barriers between peoples, if we dissolve the lines on maps and let cultures flow freely into one another, peace will follow naturally. Humanity will recognize its
Why Peace Requires Harder Borders, Not Softer Ones Read More »
Samuel Huntington published The Clash of Civilizations in 1993. The Berlin Wall had just fallen. Liberal democracy was supposed to sweep the planet like a benign virus. Francis Fukuyama had already declared the end of history, and most of the Western intellectual establishment was ready to pop champagne. Huntington refused to drink. Instead, he argued
Why an Islamic GPT and a Chinese GPT Will Never Agree Read More »
There is a certain kind of idea that makes people uncomfortable not because it is wrong, but because it might be right. Samuel Huntington’s claim that human rights discourse often functions as a vehicle for Western geopolitical interests is one of those ideas. It sits in the intellectual living room like an uninvited guest who
Why Human Rights Is Often Just Code for “Western Interests” Read More »
In 1996, Samuel Huntington published The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order and managed to irritate almost everyone. Liberals called him a fearmonger. Conservatives loved him until they realized he was not exactly cheerful about the West either. Academics dismissed the book as reductive. Then September 11 happened, and suddenly everyone was
Your economy is booming. Your GDP climbs every quarter. Jobs multiply like rabbits. And yet, people are fighting in the streets over a piece of cloth or a chunk of bronze from 1887. Welcome to the 21st century, where prosperity doesn’t buy peace and economic growth can’t compete with identity. Samuel Huntington saw this coming
The War of the Symbols: Why Hijabs, Flags, and Statues Matter More Than GDP Read More »