“In the Realm of the Last Man: A Memoir” – Book Launch & Discussion with Francis Fukuyama

The Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) invites you to a book talk with Francis Fukuyama in celebration of his new book, In the Realm of the Last Man: A Memoir, which traces his own intellectual and personal journey against the backdrop of the last fifty years of global political history.

Fukuyama's work has shaped how a generation of scholars, students, and policymakers think about the trajectory of democratic governance, from The End of History and the Last Man through The Origins of Political Order and Political Order and Political Decay. In this memoir, he turns that same analytical lens on himself, reflecting on how his thinking about liberalism, state-building, and democratic decay has evolved alongside the events he lived through and helped interpret. Fukuyama's book offers a rare firsthand account of his research, reflection and understanding of the crisis of liberal democracy in our current political climate.

Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and former Mosbacher Director of CDDRL, will be joined by Kathryn Stoner, current Mosbacher Director of CDDRL, for a wide-ranging conversation about the memoir, his career, and what the last half-century of political change means for the future of democracy. The conversation will be followed by a brief audience Q&A.

This event continues CDDRL's tradition of bringing leading voices in democracy and development scholarship into direct dialogue with the Stanford community, and is open to faculty, students, and members of the public with an interest in comparative politics, democratic governance, and global affairs. A book signing and reception will follow the talk, offering attendees the opportunity to purchase signed copies of the memoir.

SPEAKERS

Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a faculty member of FSI's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). He is also Director of Stanford's Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy, and a professor (by courtesy) of Political Science. Dr. Fukuyama has written widely on issues in development and international politics. His 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man, has appeared in over twenty foreign editions. His newest book, In the Realm of the Last Man: A Memoir, will be published in fall 2026.

Kathryn Stoner is the Mosbacher Director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) and the Satre Family Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). From 2017 to 2021, she served as FSI's Deputy Director. She is Professor of Political Science (by courtesy) at Stanford and teaches in the Department of Political Science, the Program on International Relations, and the Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy Program. She is also a Senior Fellow (by courtesy) at the Hoover Institution.