A Political Salon with Francis Fukuyama

For more than two decades, the Institut für die Wissenschaft vom Menschen (IWM), together with Die Presse and ERSTE Foundation, has hosted Vienna’s leading political salon. The next edition—held for the first time at the Wien Museum—will feature one of the world’s foremost political thinkers, Francis Fukuyama, reflecting on a pressing question: are we at a turning point, or a breaking point?

When Fukuyama argued that liberal democracy might represent the final stage of humanity’s political evolution (”the end of history”), he did so with remarkable foresight—and before the Cold War had even reached its conclusion. A quarter century later, that confidence appears far less secure. The liberal democratic order, long shaped by the West, shows signs of strain. Yet its challengers offer no clearly superior alternative. This tension lends Fukuyama’s much-debated thesis a renewed—and paradoxical—relevance.

Francis Fukuyama will be in conversation with ERSTE Foundation’s Andreas Treichl, Die Presse’s Christian Ultsch, and IWM Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev. Together, they will address some of the defining questions of our time: What has driven the erosion of trust in established institutions and the surge of populism since 2016? Can the Western alliance withstand the dual pressures of Russia’s war against Ukraine and geopolitical interventions elsewhere? And can U.S. institutions—from the judiciary to the media—endure the ongoing stress test of the MAGA movement?

The conversation will be held in English.

Francis Fukuyama is an American political scientist, political economist, and public intellectual best known for his influential work on the development and future of liberal democracy. He first gained global prominence with his 1989 essay, later expanded into the book The End of History and the Last Man (1992). His later work has explored themes such as state-building, governance, identity, and political decay. Notable books include Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity (1995), Political Order and Political Decay (2014), and Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (2018). Fukuyama is a Professor at Stanford University.

Ivan Krastev is a political scientist and public intellectual, Chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia and Permanent Fellow at the IWM. Among his many publications are After Europe (2017) and The Light that Failed (2019), focusing on democracy and European politics.

Andreas Treichl is an Austrian banker and former CEO of Erste Group, which he led from 1997 to 2019. He played a key role in expanding the bank across Central and Eastern Europe and now serves as Chairman of ERSTE Foundation, focusing on social and cultural initiatives.

Christian Ultsch is an Austrian journalist and foreign policy expert, serving as Editor-in-Chief of Die Presse. He specializes in international affairs and transatlantic relations and is a frequent commentator on global politics and diplomacy.

The event is co-presented by IWM, Die Presse, ERSTE Foundation, and Wien Museum.