thinking about, which is polarization; that’s the United States has always been a model a factor. It’s when polarization meets the par- for successful, prosperous democracy, and ticular characteristics of the American con- I think if we don’t get our act together, the stitutional system that the problem becomes Xi Jinpings and Vladimir Putins are going particularly severe. The American founding to have more grist for their particular mills. fathers were worried about one thing above all: maximizing individual freedom and Question and answer session with protecting individuals from tyranny. They de- Dr. Stephen Krasner, senior fellow, signed an extremely complex constitutional Freeman Spogli Institute system that separated and balanced political power because they did not want power to be STEPHEN KRASNER: How do you give concentrated in a powerful executive as it had government enough power to be effective, been in the British monarchy. That system but not enough to be corrupted? worked reasonably well through much of FRANCIS FUKUYAMA: I would put the the 20th century. The reason it worked well problem in the following terms: We are was that the two political parties overlapped trapped in a low-trust equilibrium where substantially. we have a political culture that doesn’t trust Now that’s completely shot. There’s the government. This is not just true of the no overlap between the two parties; the Tea Party people; a lot of people on the left most liberal Republican is now consider- don’t trust the government. They think it’s in ably more conservathe thrall of corporative than the most tions, or it’s too selfur system makes it very interested or money conservative Democrat. When that makes too much of combines with our easy for a well- organized a difference. So we check-and-balance do two things: We system, that be- minority to stop things. are reluctant to pay comes very deadly, taxes to fund the because we have what I describe as a “ve- government adequately, and we don’t want tocracy.” That vetocracy just means rule by to give it enough authority, because we veto; it’s a more pejorative way of describing say we are too worried about these people checks and balances. Our system makes tyrannizing over us. The government then it very easy for a very well-organized and operates without adequate resources and well-resourced minority to stop things that without adequate authority, and lo and a majority wants to do. It does not promote behold, they don’t do a good job. We turn consensus in making big decisions about around and say, “See, the government can’t complicated issues. do anything.” So I think you’ve got to break This has now become a global problem. out of that cycle. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin and [Hun- KRASNER: Is the United States moving gary’s] Viktor Orban and a number of other to neo-patrimonialism in light of the huge would-be authoritarian leaders would actu- amount of money needed to run for office? ally like my speech in a certain way. They FUKUYAMA: The simple answer is yes. would get up and say, “You know, democ- The Supreme Court in its wisdom has racy in Europe and America is not working said that money is basically a form of free well since the financial crisis. Look at us speech, which is a kind of incomprehensible authoritarians: We’re on the move; we’ve decision, but it was spoken and therefore got decisive government; we can get things it’s legislatively extremely hard to control it. done where those countries can’t.” Now, I It concentrates the power and the advocacy do not believe this for a minute, because of interest groups, which collectively are I think that all of these systems – these not representative of the whole American alternative authoritarian systems – have people. They’re representative of the most much graver weaknesses of legitimacy and well-resourced and the best-organized parts. long-term effectiveness. But the kind of im- That’s an example of patrimonialism; it’s a age that America projects around the world way of organizing yourself and your family [is important]; its soft power is important. and your friends because you yourself are well This country is very important, because organized and other people are not.
“O
”
16
Photo by Sonya Abrams THE
COMMO N WE AL TH
F EBR UA RY/MA R C H 2015