Kyoto Peacebuilding Center (KPC)Global Peacebuilding Association of Japan (GPAJ)ACUNS Tokyo Liaison Office (KPC)

present
History Continues: Three Models of the Continuation of History
By
Ambassador Kicmari, Sabri.
Friday, September 29, 2023
Kyoto University of the Arts, Jingumae Campus, Tokyo
Summary Report
This hybrid discussion meeting was attended by 20 participants in person at the venue and about 10
persons online. They first heard the presentation by Ambassador Sabri Kicmari and then exchanged
their views and understandings of what constituted the driving force in the global community. The
following is a summary of the presentation and the remarks made by the participants.

KICMARI Sabri
Ambassador Dr. Kicmari introduced the key points made in his book,
namely History Continues - Three Models of the Continuation ofHistory (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022). He asserted the return ofideological competition in international relations. After the publicationof Francis Fukuyama`s the End of History, liberal democracy waschallenged by the three ideological models: Russian ultra-nationalism,
Islamic fundamentalism, and Chinese socialism. All three models seethemselves as an alternative to liberal democracy. Reflecting on thephilosophical interpretation of historical developments by Kant, Hegel,and Marx, Ambassador Kicmari emphasized that Kant predicts that
history will have an end, while Hegel declares the end of history after the Battle of Jena in 1806. This
makes Fukuyama’s thesis about “the end of history” controversial. This primarily stems from Fukuyama
assertation that the term ‘’the end of history’’ is not his own but is sourced from Hegel and Marx. In
fact, in both Hegel’s and Marx’s concepts, the phrase refers to the end of history as an ideology. Hegel
and Marx believed in the process of history, while empirical findings underscore that, from Fukuyama’s
perspective, most democracies today are Christians.
Unlike many other scholars, Fukuyama does not see religion and nationalism as a threat to liberal
democracy. He finds that there is nothing incompatible; there is no essential conflict between
nationalism, religion, and liberal democracy (Fukuyama 2006: 215). It can not be easy to agree withthis statement. Nationalism, in its extreme version, as well as religious fundamentalism, is today themain challenger of liberal democracy. Additionally, Ambassador Kicmari asserted that the twentiethcentury was characterized precisely by the anti-human slide of political and state systems in the formof totalitarianism. So, both the extreme right (Nazi fascism) and the extreme left (communism) managed
to create their own undemocratic and aggressive extremist variants. Therefore, Nazi fascism andcommunism entirely meet the characteristics of totalitarianism. Both of these dictatorships wereenemies of a free and democratic society. Fukuyama, unlike the representatives of realism, does not pay
attention to power. His theoretical focus is not power but liberal ideology. However, not every country
has a liberal ideology like that of Russian ultra-nationalism that has its ideological representatives.
Among them, the most popular is Alexander Dugin. Russian philosopher Dugin is considered very close
to the concepts of Vladimir Putin. What Dugin has presented on the theoretical level, Putin has realized
or is realizing on the practical level. Dugin defends the view that after fascism and communism,liberalism has found its end. Russia developed a different system from liberal democracy and the oneparty socialist system: an ultranationalist autocracy. This is a politically and economically controlled
system by a strong leader and a clique around him.
Regarding the political landscape, Dr. Kicmari went on to emphasize that Political Islam has become aserious and complex challenge of the 21st century. Islamic fundamentalists aim to create a social orderby force of arms, which is based on opposing political and social values of the liberal democracy. In
Western societies, this religious and political claim is considered a serious danger. The Islamic Republicof Iran considers itself a principled alternative to liberal democracy and the system of the market
economy. This is primarily because the basic feature of the Iranian system is the struggle against the
Enlightenment and Western values. Just as the Soviets aimed to create the Soviet man homo sovieticus,
so Iranian Islamism aimed to create the ideal Islamic man - homo islamicus. Dr. Kicmari emphasizedthat Fukuyama’s thesis about the end of history managed to create a moment of triumph in thetheoretical plane of liberal democracy. He understood this as the only sustainable political and economic
system of the future. Therefore, Fukuyama’s thesis has been refuted by Chinese political practice: anauthoritarian government and a one-party system have been combined with a market economy system.
Economic growth was followed within the framework of a communist (one-party) political system. The
Chinese one-party system has opened up to the overseas investment market, making China one of thelargest exporters in the world. China is one of the countries with a communist system that has stood thetest of time for over 73 years. This will place China in first place in terms of the duration of maintaining
the one-party system.
This model of stability has called into question the end-of-history concepts and theories that only liberal
democracy and the market economy system is the model that can guarantee political stability andtechnical and technological development. While China has advanced in different areas, such as
economics and technology, to name just a few., the one that the former has faced harsh criticism fromthe international community is that of ethnic problems such as Taiwan, Tibet, and Hong Kong.
Therefore, China's leaders have consistently linked patriotism with socialism. According to them, only
socialism saves China, and only through it can be realized national interests. In conclusion, Dr. Kicmaricited the quoting of the American philosopher, Michael Sandel, who predicts the future of China in thefollowing way: “My own impression, as a sympathetic observer, is that after a period of astounding
economic growth, China is now in search of a public philosophy beyond GDP, seeking sources ofmeaning and happiness that market relations cannot provide. As in so much else, China’s success or
failure in this quest will matter greatly for its own future and for the rest of the world” (Sandel 2018:
263).

NISHIDA Tsuneo
Ambassador Nishida, Former Senior Deputy Minister for
Foreign Affairs of Japan and Ambassador to the United
Nations and Canada, pointed out the need to view history not
as a collection of facts and events but as a movement thatsignified the progress of mankind.

YAMAMOTO Tadamichi
Ambassador Yamamaoto emphasized thatwhen Francis
Fukuyama argued in his book that liberal democracy was the fina
l stage in the evolution of human thinking about the paradigm bywhich societies should be governed, he presumably had the end
state in mind, when all societies attained such a system.
Argument such as "liberal democracies do not fight each other"seems to indicate this. This may be so, but the realities is that theWest has failed to guide or hel p societies in transition or"needing" transition to attain such an end state. How to get to thegoal without causing difficulties in the transition process wasgiven little thought if any. Failures to respond to the aspirationsof East European societies including Russia is an unfortunate testament to this. The dreams and hopes

of those people immediately after the demise of the Cold War were dashed. West should have been more
helpful and listened to the cries from those societies experiencing b roken dreams and loss of pride andidentities through the difficult process of transition. Another example is the world of Islam where thereligious doctrine is not naturally compatible with rule of law as enacted by the humans or envisagedby th e West. We also need to look at this theme in regard to China who seems to be aspiri ng to set up
its own paradigm. Chinese are pragmatic people. It seems that the objective of attaining prosperity forthe entire Chinese people take preceden ce over the ideal of liberal democracy. We need to have morein-depth analysis regarding this issue with consideration to the issue of how a rising state ch allenges
the existing international order without too much disruption.

GUNGEN Korkut
Ambassador Gungen agreed that ideology stays with humansocieties and, in essence, does not disappear. They adapt tocircumstances. They sometimes dominate and sometimes lose
prominence. Ideological differences will remain within andbetween nation-states. The issue is if liberal democracy willsurvive, and that would require vigilance and readiness to protect.
As it directly impacts the outcome, ideologies do matter.

KULNAZAROVA Aigul
During the discussion that followed the presentation of Dr. Sabri Kicmari's book, A. Kulnazarova raised
thought-provoking questions about the book's framework. She was particularly interested inunderstanding how Fukuyama's concept of the "end of history" sheds light on contemporary ideologicalshifts and reactions to globalization and neoliberalism occurring today. It is apparent that history has
not definitively concluded, given the multitude of global events and issues that have emerged since theend of the Cold War, challenging the notion of liberal democracy as the ultimate and inevitable form ofgovernance. In this context, Dr. Kicmari has applied Fukuyama's thesis to his book on the rise of
populism, ultranationalism, religious radicalism, and Marxism in the contemporary world. Whether theauthor intends to challenge or support Fukuyama's ideas through this analysis remains to be determined.

HADZIALIC Hideko
Ms. HADZIALIC Hideko noted that although different religions
share many common values, religions are often abused by politicians
or illegitimate leaders for the pursuance of their powers through adivide-and-conquer approach. The Bosnian war was a case in point.
Furthermore, there is no such thing as perfect democracy. There werecases of democracy failure, but this does not mean we should stop
pursuing democracy. Instead of taking democracy and autocracy asbinary, it is important to dive into elements of governance andmanagement, such as quality of participation and institutional
capacity. These apply, for instance, whether or not states can provide
effective social protections to vulnerable people, to what extent voters can make well-informed decision,

or how we balance between freedom of expression and defamations, particularly in the era of social
media.

JONGHANI Forough
Ms. Jonghhani (PhD candidate) emphasized her comments that Iran,China, and Russia have distinct differences in their relationships andinteractions with each other and the international community. Iran andRussia have a long history of cooperation, particularly in the areas of
economics, military, and nuclear strategic cooperation. Russia has playeda significant role in Iran's nuclear program, providing technical expertiseand support. On the other hand, China, Iran, and Russia form a strategic
triangle that maintains balance and collaboration, with complementaryinterests that support their cooperation. How has the economic andpolitical relationship between Iran, Russia and China evolved in recent years and what should the global
community do to navigate their strategies towards a more peaceful future.

INOMATA Tadanori
Ambassador Inomata noted from Ambassador Kicmari’s synopsis that
“China will continue to challenge liberal democracy on all sides and by
all means.” This seems too sweeping a summary of Chinese ideology.
Although “idealtypus” is necessary as a model for understanding theideology, such an assertion does not match reality. China has neverformally denied international law nor sovereign equality of States basedon the Westphalia State system. Nor does it question a different politicalsystem chosen by the people of other countries in due respect for the
principle of non-intervention in matters within the domestic jurisdiction.
It has persistently argued, together with the Third World countries suchas the Group of 77, for international democracy with equitable participation to decision-making on
global issues based on the United Nations Charter.

SHENG Adam
Remarks by Dr H.Sheng, Professor of Law, Shanghai University of
Political Science and Law, China. Dr. Adam Sheng said that the mostcomplicated thing is history. So we will run the risk of oversimplification if we try to conclude certain models to describe thehistory, or historical development in different areas. I appreciate
Ambassador’s book very much, but if we really say that there are only
three models in history in the world, that could be very exclusive, notinclusive. So, even in Africa where I worked, or in Latin America,
history developed quite differently. So as for democracy, it could not
be the same in our common world. Just as it goes, people look at thesame things, but with different views. When I was doing my second
master in Britain, people discussed some issues in democracy. So one of my classmates from Greecesaid that democracy means that it was people to govern, not the sovereigns, but an American alumnus
argued democracy means one man one vote. So it is very, very hard to conclude historical developments
in world history. So I quite agree with Mister Fukuyama when he argues the end of history, however,history could be quite different in various areas with different perspectives.

HASEGAWA Sukehiro
In concluding the discussion, Professor Sukehiro Hasegawa notedthat the central theme of Kicmari`s History Continues is thecontinuation of historical progress. While Francis Fukuyama
thought that history had ended with the triumph of liberal
democracy, Kicmari wonders about the ultimate destination ofhistorical progress. With reference to Hegel`s dialectic
development at work, we can consider liberal democracy as thethesis that has been challenged by three antitheses: Russian ultranationalism, Islamic fundamentalism, and Chinese socialism. The
assertion that liberal democracy is not the final form of governanceis plausible if the forms of governance other than liberal democracy
are not only legitimate but also effective in achieving the ultimate form of governance and Kant`s
perpetual peace.
MEETING SECRETARIATSOPAJ Arbenita
Dr. Sopaj is an Executive Assistant at the Embassy of the Republic of
Kosovo in Tokyo, Japan. She is a Researcher at Research Institute forIndo Pacific Affairs (RIIPA), a board member at GPAJ, External
Relations Officer at KPC, Director of Administration ACUNS, Tokyo
Office. She held a position as a lecturer at College Dardania in Kosovo,
where she imparted her knowledge through graduate-level courses
focused on International Conflicts.

TANIMOTO Masakuni
Mr. TANIMOTO Masakuni is the Secretary-General of the Kyoto
Peacebuilding Center and the Global Peacebuilding Association ofJapan. He is an Executive Director of the World Federalist Movement(WFM) of Japan as well as Deputy Director-General of the
Parliamentary Committee of the National Diet of Japan for World
Federalism.

IKEGAMI Keitoku
Mr. IKEGAMI Keitoku is a senior at the International Christian University
at Mitaka C