Democratic model in crisis in many states, says Fukuyama in Budapest

Budapest, October 9 (MTI) – The model of a liberal democracy has suffered a crisis in many states over the past years; one way to remedy this situation could be through cooperation by the United States and Europe and refuelling economic growth, acclaimed US political scientist Francis Fukuyama said in Budapest on Friday.

Fukuyama spoke at a conference entitled “Democracy and its Discontents” that focused on the United States and Europe at the Central European University (CEU).

He said that although democracy has undergone a crisis giving way to authoritarian governments in many countries, the public’s desire for democracy has remained unbroken, and, ultimately, people’s expectations towards such a system has even strengthened.

Commenting on Hungary, Fukuyama said he was “shocked” to hear Prime Minister Viktor Orban talk about an “illiberal democracy” last year which he said contravened fundamental European norms.

He said the most recent example of Hungary drifting away from a European consensus is the government’s migration policies.

Photo by MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters