Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks with FSI director Michael McFaul, senior fellow Larry Diamond, and CDDRL Mosbacher Director Francis Fukuyama about the global struggle for democracy in anticipation of her new book, Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom.

At a time when scholars question whether democracy is in decline, Prof. Rice shares insights from her experiences as a policymaker, scholar and citizen, in order to put democracy’s challenges into perspective. Using America’s long struggle as a template, she draws lessons for democracy around the world—from Russia, Poland and Ukraine, to Kenya, Colombia and the Middle East.

About the Panelists
Condoleezza Rice is a senior fellow by courtesy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). She is also the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business; the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution; and a professor of political science.

Michael McFaul is the director and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a professor of political science at Stanford University.

Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at FSI and at the Hoover Institution. He was formerly the director of FSI's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.

Francis Fukuyama is the Mosbacher Director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at FSI.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, January 29, 2026
Insights From The 2025 US-China Economic And Security Review Commission Report: Findings And Recommendations
The Hoover Institution Program on the US, China, and the World invites you to Insights from the 2025 US-China Economic and Security Review Commission… Shultz Auditorium, George P. Shultz Building
Friday, January 30, 2026
Temple of Heaven 3 - stock photo
Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity And Belonging In Xi Jinping's China
The Hoover Institution Program on the US, China, and the World invites you to a roundtable on Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity and Belonging in… Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
The Declaration Of Independence: History, Meaning, And Modern Impact
The Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI) invites you to join us for the next webinar in our series to discuss The Declaration of… Hoover Institution, Stanford University
overlay image