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Frankly Fukuyama

Francis Fukuyama

Join Francis Fukuyama for conversations with leading policymakers and thinkers as he explores how to revitalize liberal democracy in the United States, while addressing the authoritarian challenges to liberal democracy abroad. A project of American Purpose at Persuasion.

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21 episodes
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August 31 · 46 min
Bob Wright on the Future of Artificial Intelligence
Bob Wright is a journalist, author, and podcast host. His latest book is The God Test. In this conversation, Francis Fukuyama and Bob Wright discuss why artificial intelligence may be more transformational than any previous technology, how AI systems can develop unintended goals that escape the control of their creators, and whether we should take the “doomer” case for catastrophic AI risk seriously. In an event exclusively for readers of American Purpose and Persuasion, Yascha Mounk will be interviewing Francis Fukuyama about his life and thought at 5pm on Sunday, September 6 at The Abbey Centre, London. Find out more and get tickets here. Paying subscribers of Persuasion and American Purpose can access a code for a free ticket here. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
August 14 · 13 min
On Executive Authority
Francis Fukuyama explores how President Trump has tried to expand executive authority, the impact of his actions on how America will be governed in the future, and the choice facing the next U.S. president. In an event exclusively for readers of American Purpose and Persuasion, Yascha Mounk will be interviewing Francis Fukuyama about his life and thought at 5pm on Sunday, September 6 at The Abbey Centre, London. Find out more and get tickets here. Paying subscribers of Persuasion and American Purpose can access a code for a free ticket here. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
July 27 · 30 min
Josh Harder on Why America Needs to Build
In this conversation, recorded at the New Liberal Action Summit organized by the Center for New Liberalism in Washington, D.C., Francis Fukuyama interviews Representative Josh Harder about the obstacles to building things in the United States, the importance of building housing to reduce prices for all Americans, and how to implement abundance policies across the country. Josh Harder represents California’s 9th district and was one of the founders of the Build America Caucus, a bipartisan alliance to get America building things again. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
May 8 · 31 min
Dara Massicot on Where the Russia-Ukraine War Stands Today
Dara Massicot is a military analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who previously worked for the Department of Defense and the Rand Corporation. Learn more about Ukraine’s defense tech sector in this recent piece in American Purpose. You can watch the full conversation below: All episodes of the Frankly Fukuyama podcast are available here. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
March 1 · 38 min
Francis Fukuyama on Trump’s War With Iran
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.persuasion.community We’re trying something new! Frank featured on today’s episode of The Good Fight, so we’re sharing it with subscribers to the Frankly Fukuyama podcast! If you’d like to sign up to The Good Fight or Frankly Fukuyama, please click here and toggle the correct buttons! We hope you enjoy the conversation. Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University. His latest book is Liberalism and Its Discontents. He is also the author of the “Frankly Fukuyama” column, carried forward from American Purpose, at Persuasion. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Francis Fukuyama discuss whether the unprecedented strikes on Iran will lead to the downfall of the mullahs, whether America can avoid getting drawn into a Middle Eastern quagmire, and whether the midterms will turn Donald Trump into a lame duck. If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following this link on your phone. Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! Spotify | Apple | Google X: @Yascha_Mounk & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Yascha Mounk, Persuasion LinkedIn: Persuasion Community
February 4 · 35 min
Stephen E. Hanson and Jeffrey S. Kopstein on America as a Family Business
Francis Fukuyama is joined by Steve Hanson and Jeff Kopstein to discuss why Donald Trump’s regime can be described as “patrimonial,” how this approach leads to high corruption, and why reversing it will pose special challenges.Stephen E. Hanson and Jeffrey . Kopstein are professors of political science at William and Mary College and the University of California, Irvine, respectively. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
January 9 · 47 min
Damon Linker on Leo Strauss, Glory, and Gender
Damon Linker is a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Pennsylvania and writes the subscription newsletter “Notes from the Middleground” at Substack. He discusses divisions among Straussians, why an internal longing for glory drives so much of the right and why gender remains such a divisive topic. All episodes of the Frankly Fukuyama podcast are available here. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Dec 11, 2025 · 42 min
Alex Stamos on the Real Threat Posed By AI
Alex Stamos was formerly head of security at Facebook/Meta and is a leading expert on computer security. He discusses the threats to computer security posed by the most recent advances in AI, and explains why those are much more dangerous and urgent than the “existential” threats feared by many. All episodes of the Frankly Fukuyama podcast are available here. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Dec 4, 2025 · 45 min
Laura K. Field on the New Right
Francis Fukuyama and Laura K. Field, author of Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right, explore the ideological roots of Trumpism, the role of gender in the New Right, and the complicated legacy of Leo Strauss. All episodes of the Frankly Fukuyama podcast are available here. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Nov 24, 2025 · 32 min
Jim Fishkin on Deliberation and Democracy
Francis Fukuyama interviews Jim Fishkin, author of Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?, about why democracies need deliberation, the role of AI, and how to ensure the deliberative process doesn’t hinder public infrastructure projects. All episodes of the Frankly Fukuyama podcast are available here. You can watch the interview below. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Nov 17, 2025 · 23 min
Why We Need Abundance
Francis Fukuyama is interviewed by Leonora Barclay, Head of Podcasts at Persuasion, about what’s stopping the United States from building infrastructure, how to encourage public participation without holding projects back, and why abundance is the solution to many affordability issues in America today. All episodes of the Frankly Fukuyama podcast are available here. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Nov 10, 2025 · 23 min
Daniela Salazar on State Violence in Ecuador
Francis Fukuyama and Daniela Salazar, a former judge in the Constitutional Court of Ecuador, discuss what Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa’s recent declaration of a state of emergency in five states means, the increase in state violence and human rights violations, and why a new constitution isn’t the solution. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Nov 7, 2025 · 5 min
Superintelligence Isn't Enough
Predictions that AGI or artificial general intelligence will lead to machines that are smarter than human beings abound. But superintelligence is unlikely to lead to the kind of explosive economic growth that some predict, because intelligence is only one of many inputs necessary to sustain economic growth. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Nov 5, 2025 · 54 min
Why China and the United States are Different
In the first half of the conversation, Frank Fukuyama interviews Dan Wang on his book breakneck, and how the engineering state led to the disaster of the “one child” policy; in the second part, Dan queries Frank on his view of the Chinese Communist Party, his meeting with anti-corruption chief Wang Qishan, and other topics. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Oct 31, 2025 · 28 min
Gabrielius Landsbergis on What Next For Europe
Francis Fukuyama is joined by Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, to discuss Ukraine, Russia, and the war’s impact on the rest of Europe. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Oct 27, 2025 · 36 min
The Real Cause of Populism
In this conversation, Francis Fukuyama and Jeremiah Johnson from the Center for New Liberalism examine different possible reasons for our divided politics, and conclude that social media is the leading cause of the global rise of populism. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Oct 14, 2025 · 12 min
The Case Against the Unitary Executive
Under the doctrine of the “unitary executive,” Donald Trump has fired numerous federal officials that had statutory job protections. Congress has seen fit to limit the president’s removal power for the past 150 years in order to protect expertise and de-politicize parts of the federal government, like the Federal Reserve Board. For government to operate effectively, there needs to be a separation of powers not just between the branches of government, but within the executive branch itself, and the Supreme Court should not hand Trump this power. You can watch the episode below. All episodes of the Frankly Fukuyama podcast are available here. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Sep 24, 2025 · 8 min
Our Coming Plutocracy
In this episode, Francis Fukuyama explores why the Tesla board’s offer of a trillion dollar incentive to Elon Musk and the consolidation of a gigantic media empire by Larry Ellison and his son David are the latest examples of the dangerous levels of concentrated wealth and power in today’s America. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Jul 21, 2025 · 8 min
Francis Fukuyama on Agentic AI and the Problem of Delegation
In this episode of Frankly Fukuyama, Francis Fukuyama explores AI’s existential threat to humanity. The original blog post which inspired this episode is here. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Jun 5, 2025 · 16 min
Michael McFaul on The Emerging Geopolitical Order
Michael McFaul is the Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford, and author of the forthcoming book Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. In this conversation, Francis Fukuyama and Michael McFaul discuss discuss Russia, whether there is a new Cold War between the United States and China, and why teaching should empower students to be actual policy implementers rather than simply technocrats. Podcast production by Ringo Harrison and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! X: @FukuyamaFrancis & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Frankly Fukuyama & Persuasion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe

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