Fareed Zakaria and Eric Schmidt Discuss Our Revolutionary Age

On April 3, SIPA’s Institute of Global Politics (IGP) brought together a pair of distinguished minds to discuss how to navigate today's unstable and rapidly changing world.

The event was one of the earliest talks by CNN host and bestselling author Fareed Zakaria about his latest book, Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present. The author was joined by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who is currently one of IGP’s Carnegie Distinguished Fellows, for a wide-ranging conversation on the history of political, social, and technological revolutions and some commentary on our current revolutionary age.

Reflecting on the rise of populist movements, Zakaria highlighted the lingering impact of the 2008 financial crisis, which engendered a profound sense of disillusionment among working-class Americans.

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“Political identity is defined not just by [someone’s] economic place, but by [their] cultural aspirations,” Zakaria said. And, he added, by their identity: “Who am I: my gender identity, my racial identity, my national origin identity, my sexual identity. All those things begin to come to the fore. At the same time, you have this accelerating change, and the change starts to make people very anxious…. When people get very insecure and anxious, they don't move left economically, they move right culturally.”

He underscored how Trumpism emerged from this combination of concerns, capitalizing on the perception of a rigged system.

“The origin of Trumpism comes out of [the 2008 financial crisis] because it gave working class people in America the feeling that the system was rigged. The idea of bailing out the banks but not looking after the people whose mortgages were underwater was a very powerful asymmetry.”

Zakaria warned of the dire consequences of such divisive politics becoming further entrenched, noting that "if Trump gets elected, we will end up in a situation where there is real liberal democratic decay."

The rise of Trump and the exacerbation of polarization have been further amplified by social media platforms. On the role of social media in shaping contemporary discourse, Zakaria cautioned against their efficacy in fostering meaningful change.

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"Social media in some ways gives you the illusion that you are politically active,” he said. “To the extent it has an impact, it is deleterious because it silos you into your tribe. It makes you feel self-righteous and virtuous.”

Throughout the discussion, Zakaria and Schmidt also grappled with critical questions around the role of AI, global polarization, and what SIPA students can do to make an impact.

Schmidt, in particular, echoed a growing chorus of concerns about the polarizing effects of online echo chambers, which exacerbate societal divisions rather than fostering genuine dialogue. He also reflected on the movements led by figures like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., emphasizing the indispensable role of collective action and moral courage in effecting transformative change.

Ultimately, Schmidt urged the students in the room to go out and do something big.

“Maybe you have company ideas or product ideas or religious ideas… or you're going to write a new doctrine or something,” he said. “But you have to do it, as opposed to discuss it.”

Watch the complete event: