Francis Fukuyama’s American Purpose Joins the Persuasion Family

And Yascha is starting a weekly column!

Dear readers,

These are perilous times. The danger that political violence will supplant democratic decision-making is higher than it has been in many decades. As we wrote last night, that makes it especially urgent for all of us to stand up for the core values of a free society; to condemn any justification for violence, implicit or explicit, and to push back against those already engaging in irresponsible conspiracy theories.

We were about to hit send on an email announcing some important new initiatives when news about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump flashed across our screens. Today does not seem like an auspicious day to make an announcement. But we will all be in need of resolve and orientation in the perilous months ahead, and I hope that what I’m about to share will help to provide you with both.

First, American Purpose, the influential publication founded and spearheaded by Francis Fukuyama, is moving to Persuasion. This will greatly enrich our coverage of international events and expand our attention to cultural issues, including regular book reviews. It will also give you access to the writings of one of the world’s most renowned—and insightful—intellectuals: Frank will be moving his excellent blog, “Frankly Fukuyama,” to Persuasion.

If you want to receive articles by Fukuyama or by American Purpose, which will continue to be edited and solicited by their independent editorial team, directly into your inbox, please click on the Manage Your Account button below. This will get you to your Substack reader account, where under “Notifications” you will find buttons to switch on the content for “American Purpose” and “Frankly Fukuyama.” (If you are currently logged out of your account, you may need to log in.) I promise it’ll be worth it!

Second, I will also be expanding my own writing. On top of the weekly episodes of The Good Fight, I will be starting a column about big ideas. The column will cover a wide range of topics, from why our public sphere got so badly screwed up to how to rescue the concept of luxury beliefs from its smartest critics. And of course, I will also write and record conversations about topical issues when something really important happens in the world; you can expect both an essay and a podcast about the awful events of the last day from me soon. (These emails will come directly from me. If you prefer not to receive them, please just let us know by responding to this email or clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any future email from me.)

One last thing: Being part of a community makes it much easier to stand up for your values and keep a cool head. That’s why we are expanding and reinvigorating our interactive content. Persuasion and American Purpose will each be organizing important events and debates, both virtually and in person, over the coming months. So if you haven’t yet, please join our community, and support our mission.

Thank you for being one of our loyal readers.

Yascha

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