As many astute observers have pointed out, controversial
new ideas are assimilated in three stages. First they're false and pernicious,
then they're true but trivial, and finally they're what everyone claims to have
believed all along. I see nothing to disprove this time-tested formula in the
case of Francis Fukuyama's thesis about the "end of history." According to
Fukuyama, the evolution of social structure has come to a natural terminus in the
combination of free markets and liberal democracy. Though once we scoffed, I'm
sure that now, as long as everyone else is willing to accept a few modest
qualifications -- markets require vigilant and impartial regulation, periodic
