‘The End of History’: 25 Years On

Over at the Wall Street Journal, Francis Fukuyama defends his “end of history” thesis from 25 years ago. The Cato Institute also held a conference earlier this month with Fukuyama and other panelists discussing the “end of history.”

Not long ago I wrote that modern military technologies like precision-guided missiles make a massive amphibious invasion in the mold of D-Day impossible. Not so fast, says Brett Friedman writing on War on the Rocks. Friedman makes a persuasive case by noting the long history of people declaring the death of amphibious assaults, only to be proven wrong each and every time. As Friedman explains, “Coastal artillery in the late 19^th Century and the machinegun in the early 20^th Century were challenges that needed to be overcome. But overcome they were.”

The new issue of International Security has a number of interesting articles. The first, by Evan Montgomery Bradley, argues that “China’s antiaccess/area denial strategy and conventional precision-strike capabilities are already undermining the United States’ ability to prevent local conflicts, protect longtime allies, and preserve freedom of the commons in East Asia.”

Read the full article at The Diplomat.