Its the anniversary of the day in 1979 where they return to to run from the exile in paris and found the Islamic Republic that took over after was toppled. I mention that because throughout my childhood, growing up, all of our relatives and friends would ask, when is your birthday and i would say february 1. None of my relatives were opposition figures, they were just average middle to upper class tehran residents. The surprising fact is most of them supported the revolution when it happened including some who were Civil Servants in the regime. That was always something with me as a warning for the hazard of political frenzies that can take over because you had an imperfect authoritarian state that was socially permissive and progressive in many ways. It was not a democracy, but in a fit of National Political madness that many people who carried out the revolution immediately regretted, they toppled at and replaced it with liberal and cause i totalitarian islamist regime and it will help anchor the talk in a personal story because now i think we are not a threat as seeing it as islamic revolt takeover of the west, but to be careful about rocking about that might not be perfect but replacing it with what . When i was invited to give this talk i had just published an article in a magazine called liberal tourism a worldwide crisis. I tried to set our wild election in the context of global development, the rise of liberal movements of the far left and right across the developing world and the decline of liberalism as a governing philosophy. I went on to argue that what we now call Trenton Sander is a represent the american version of this wider crisis of liberal order and tradition. At the time, most journalists were convinced donald trump is headed for a thumping in november. I had met with a friend from boston who is a transporter dash trump supporter. He said if hillary loses i will eat my shoe. I havent been paid up on my debt yet. [laughter] i believe the essay itself has held up pretty well. I think the events have confirmed my claims. To it, i think something has gone awry with liberalism. You can see the signs from the philippines and south africa and vermont and vienna. When i say liberalism, i dont mean that as a shorthand for people who vote for the Democratic Party of the u. S. Or the centerleft but in the broader sense, i will define it loosely. Im sure you will dispute my definition but individual rights, democratic pluralism and free markets. Its what used to be called the open society. That idea hasnt appeared since perhaps the period between the two world wars. Nowadays the opposition to liberalism doesnt come from communism or fascism but it comes from movements that are geographically desperate and instinctive and often in combat with each other. They are more likely to be local and focused and divided among themselves. I would like to use the first half of my talk weighing out the diagnosis that i have done in commentary magazine as well. Why has liberalism gone awry and what are the defining characteristics of this new liberalism. In the second apple try to go further and offer more prescriptive claims. What is to be done . How do we restore the promise of the open society in this age of a liberalism. I will draw on my work as a journalist for the wall street journal. Im happy to dispute them and discuss them further in the questionandanswer period how global is this . Lets start with europe. The birthplace of liberal enlightenment and give you a map. Lets start with friends. Right now the likelihood is that the centerright campaign in france is imploding which means the two contenders are emmanuel the crow macron and Marine Le Pen. It will make any prediction after 2016, ive learned my lesson. I say that i think macron is weaker than a lot of people assume. I dont think he has organizational structure and he put himself forward as an obama like candidate. There was a presidency in austria last year end at the party that is finding outside vienna, is finding a new strength and more adherence. In germany, the alternative for Deutschland Party is increasingly challenging gensler Andrea Merkel from the right. We will see what happens this year. [inaudible] in finland you have the finn party which entered government for the first time on an opposition to nato agenda and structure of liberal order. In eastern europe, victor or bond in hungary used to be the exception to the region where he was putting forward a quasi authoritarian nationalism. He was hollowing out the Democratic Institutions in hungary when everyone thought he was the exception but now you are seeing similar parties taking power which means he might be the trend and not the exception. More depressingly, in hungary the main opposition comes not from the center party which comes from a neonazi party. I have interviewed all their Senior Leadership and they are terrifying. Increase they are led by a party from the left and they have gotten used to him being a normal presence on the international stage. Given those origins, it is part of what is coming from the left. In the 2015 election, the party that came third was golden dawn which has a swastika for its logo. In britain, the leader of the party, Jeremy Corbin has fast broken the parties piece with the third way market friendly liberal model championed by tony blair and he is taking the party on opposition to market, anti atlantis and hostility to nato. And then you had brexit which, i dont suggest that every brexit voter fits in with all of this, i think its a more complicated case, but at least one strand of brexit drew on this populism and a liberalism. Across europe, various separatist movements are separate mobilize. Opposition to the European Union is growing. The eu is seen as a vehicle for imposing austerity and pairing back workers rights in favor of corporations including foreign corporations. On the right brussels is blamed for blurring and substituting a bloodless multicultural agenda. Then in turkey, the country is transitioning to authoritarian to see him and its underway specially since the attempted coup this summer. The president is attempting to transform the country system into a strong president ial one with himself at the home. Then of course there is russia. Russia is the standard bearer and supporter of these liberal movements across europe. It helps them deliver their message to their broadcasting message so having transformed his own country, he has set his sights toward dismantling the liberal order and consensus in europe. Lets turn to iran and the arab world. You might be surprised to mention these because theyve never been liberal places. Theyve always been oppressive. Even they are there are signs of the liberal slogans and ideals that drove the uprising and the arab spring being replaced with nationalism. There have been recent surveys that suggest that they increasingly want stability and freedom as a slogan in aspiration is no longer interesting to them. That generation of Young Students and middleclass types who rose up in the election, they are now demoralized 30 or 40 something you want to get on and has made their peace with the system. I could go on. South africa and the philippines you are seeing similar ideas and movements rise. Its worth asking what is going on here. I think the typical answers, although plausible and interesting, are flawed. Voters are reacting to sustained slow growth and technological change. These attitudes are growing in countries that are growing rapidly. In poland the economy is chugging along or political elites are said to have been uninterested in the pain of many and now they are having a long overdue reckoning. Okay, when have they ever been in in touch with the unprotected many. Some are more persuasive than ever to think about liberalism this was one of the symptoms of liberalism and that it reduces all ideology to legal and Economic Issues it is a blind spot. I think what we are seeing now and will be defining feature of the 21st century is what happens when that capacity of liberalism to dissolve ideology and genuine empathy and social conflict in commerce and law reaches its limits and when liberals dont give politics ideology there do. Then perhaps their own stand of being above politics. To see this global explosion of trump ism is a reaction to reproduce the same common error. I believe summer making the same mistake. Think we have to go to the set of feelings and ideas to get behind what is driving it. To look at the policy offered by these parties and movements isnt that interesting but lets list them. They preferred trade protection and social protection more broadly to alleviate the anxieties who feel left behind. They are skeptical of the structures that have govern the west since world war ii and produce the liberal order we are accustomed to what matters are the deeper ideological impulses and sensibilities. Identify three is the defining feelings and sensibilities behind these movements. One, the restoration above proud her more coherent past is one of the main points. Make america great, slogan itself recalls a time when industrial relations were fair , manufacturing was coming and we can return to that. Four in hungary, the leader always talks about restoring hungarys proper National Boundary when they have feelings of returning communities that were lost in the post world war one settlement. There is a strand of brexit that has a sense of returning to the past. In the most romantic framing in imagines people can see britains future destiny. Vladimir putin presents himself against the weak west that blurs the boundaries. I interviewed Marine Le Pen in 2015 and she said something very interesting. I asked her about the tip between the u. S. And europe. I asked her what is your objection and she said it would mean we would introduce unhygienic American Products into europe. Trade by definition means shifting cultures and this anxiety about unhygienic American Products is very telling. Thats the first one. The second plank is a feeling of collective grievance and desire for national recognition. Trump ism is defined by grievances against bankers, mexican, chinese and so on. Ironically in europe its the u. S. Who is the bogie for these types of movements. Folks who oppose the tip will say American Products are on hygienic or we will have genetically modified American Food and similar phobias. Or take alexander to gai Vladimir Putin stop philosopher. For him liberalism is another form of invasive universalism that threatens russia and america is at its head. They described america as the kingdom of the antichrist that should be destroyed and will be destroyed. When i interviewed him he said liberalism is totalitarianism. With trump, all those who reject globalization have an opening. That is a theological and metaphysical shift that we underestimate. In hungary they are seeking to renegotiate the worktime culpability. I asked the leader last year about hungarys role in the holocaust. He conceded yes hungarian governments had responsibility but he added this is a very complex issue because hungary suffered a lot of harm during the first world war. Many territories were taken away and transferred to neighboring countries. I will never question anyones right to commemorate the events of the past but identity cannot be built on tragedy. It will lead to more confrontation you have the sense to only center a sense of nationhood and sense of identity on never again is somehow an affront and there is a hunger for something more. I also think there is a desire , and this is the third and final point that politics reflect the dark reality of the present time. I happen to think this is the area where the liberals really do have a point. The problem is the solutions they have are either irrational or liberal, but its where liberals define as broadly as possible and have a role to pla play. This desire that politics reflect the realities of the present, it means recognition that amnesty can be permanent, bad actors cant be transformed is a good one and sovereign nations need to have sovereign options for dealing with these features. The moment i thought donald trump would win the republican nomination was the massacre in november in paris where president obama came on and said everythings fine, he refused to say radical islam and our strategy against isis is working. That was the sense that there is a carpet pulled from under you because youve seen what just happened in paris, hundreds of People Killed and the certainty with which the president dismissed it as its okay, well work on it. Its not only bigots and reactionary and phobic characters who want to see order amid chaos. When you have al qaeda across these ungoverned spaces, you have the rise of isis, you have a refugee crisis, they are not the only ones concerned and by the haphazard response in brussels, berlin and washington, people everywhere want to see order and clarity in danger and chaos. That brings us to the second half of the talk which is, if thats the case what do we do . Ill go back to my opening story. I come from iran. My basic Life Experience tells me that liberal order is good. Its almost difficult for me to have to order for that but liberal order is good. I think too many thinkers in the u. S. And europe have begun to concede away of the basic soundness. You see an unwillingness to say liberalism has outlived its usefulness or maybe we are seeing the hidden flaws sewn into the fabric of liberalism at its founding that are now coming to light and perhaps good riddance. I also think there is a lot of for mantises him about various forms of liberalism in terms of promoting human flourishing. I see too many conservative friends whom i otherwise admire apologizing for Vladimir Putin in the name of. [inaudible] against christianization. I hear rhetoric from conservative quarters that i used to associate with the far left. Yes Vladimir Putin is no angel but nor are we. To hear president say some of those things are nightmarish. For personal reasons i have a loathing for this mixture of cynicism because i am a product of the iranian revolution. The mistake that my parents generation made has taught me that every attempt too. [inaudible] that is my basic conservative instincts. I find myself compelled to repeat the first principle under attack. Liberal order is good. Human freedom is good. A society that gives people the opportunity to follow their own conscious is good. Trade is attractive. It is equally clear to me that liberals, and i think its important to underscore i dont mean the progressives, they need to redo some aspects of the program to make sure it survives the 21st century. Ive began hinting at some of us in the first half. Now i will put seven broad proposals for how too redo the program. First, i think liberal has to stop. Im on a College Campus and im thinking of an incident at middleberry. This inability to name things by their name. In europe, often the sanctioning and censoring of the wrong speech on islam and integration actually turns the day liberals into folk heroes and martyrs who voiced for but in truth. Suppressing debate about moroccan immigrants in the netherlands wont make the underlying issue of integration go away which is a real issue. The crime rate of moroccan immigrants in the netherlands are much higher than the native born dutch. They need to be able to talk about that honestly. Dont give them a sense of cult power or name radical islam. Why. I dont mean it as a Strategic Point although there is a larger point of how you defeat islam as him. First you have to say what youre defeating. If you only say that islam has nothing to do with it, people wont believe you. This refusal to not associate ideology with the extremism that it produces results in the fact that the only people who are willing to tell the truth about it are the a liberals and are not selective enough to say theres islamism as a radical movement thats dangerous and 1. 4 billion are peaceful and want to get along. Its very important to stop with this speech policing because it will not make it go away. It will only strengthen it. Two, liberals need to stop looking so feeble in the face of terrorism and the threat posed by regime. Its rich to me that now in the u. S. The democrats are sounding so hawkish when for eight years they more or less acquiesced as the president made one concession after another to moscow. It cannot be that every terror attack has happened we say things are fine. There is something going on where people are feeling insecure. I feel insecure sometimes. Three, i think liberalism must return to the center. Heres what i mean. The obsession with minorities at a time where you have isis and refugee crisis and the rise of Vladimir Putin and the economic anxiety that so many people have, its been reduced to talk about bathrooms and whether or not you use the right pronoun which, to most people makes no sense. They look at it and they say these people arent addressing the problems of our time. The new identity driven liberalism that is obsessed with language games is tiresome and wont win elections. Liberals need to win elections. For, i think liberals need to stop trying to shortcircuit democratic processes when they dont produce the desired outcomes. I will name a few. The executive order that president obama passed down to stop enforcing u. S. Law rather than going to the congress to present immigration reform. The imposition of gay marriage everywhere across the west. All of these things build up frustration because people are used there parliaments in congress and thats where they think things need to be done and not through unelected judges or bureaucracy. I think liberalism must aggressively promote assimilation especially in europe. Multicultural anxiety is not all irrational. I live in london. Ive been born in a Muslim Country into a shiite family and i feel certain degree of it. It neednt be blood and soil identity, but there needs to be some greater thing that defines us. The assimilation question is key because when you have assimilation it eases the anxieties about immigration. Six, i think liberali