Ross Douthat discusses America’s role in a changing world
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat delivered a sweeping take on the forces reshaping the world — and the United States’ uncertain place within it — in a public talk at Skidmore College that spanned geopolitics, economics, religion, and artificial intelligence.
Douthat’s talk “The future of global politics” was part of the Periclean Honors Forum’s “Dialogues Across Differences” series, an initiative that exemplifies the College’s commitment to civic engagement and the open exchange of ideas.
The Periclean Honors Forum offers a supportive intellectual community for highly motivated students, regularly hosting programming like the "Dialogues Across Differences" series.
His talk on Tuesday, March 25 — and the spirited conversation that followed with faculty and students — embodied Skidmore’s dedication to free speech, a top priority of Skidmore President Marc C. Conner.
Douthat is the author of the newly published book “Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious.”
The conservative columnist explored America’s global standing, offering multiple frameworks for understanding the current moment. He opened with the narrative that the United States is in decline, no longer the unchallenged superpower it was in the post–Cold War era. But he also suggested that this decline is not absolute — and that by many measures, including demographics and innovation, the U.S. still holds advantages that may carry it through the challenges ahead.
Finally, he presented what he called a “stranger, more prophetic” lens: the idea that new technology, population collapse, and artificial intelligence are fundamentally altering human behavior and social structures. These shifts, he argued, are ushering in an “evolutionary bottleneck” that not all institutions and polities would survive.
“If you are interested in getting through this bottleneck, if you're interested in seeing what awaits the human species … then there's really no better place to be than right here in the United States,” he said.
Following his remarks, three Skidmore faculty members offered responses: Jennifer Delton, professor and chair of the Department of History; Kate Graney, professor and associate chair of the Department of Political Science; and Pushkala Prasad, professor and Zankel Chair in Management for the Liberal Arts in the Department of Management and Business.
“The world that we thought we lived in — the America that we thought we lived in — seems to be disappearing before our eyes,” Delton said, pointing to anxieties not just about global standing, but about identity, institutions, and democracy itself.
Graney agreed with Douthat’s assessment that the liberal world order is under stress but raised concerns about the U.S. aligning itself too closely with authoritarian figures. Prasad urged a deeper understanding of how U.S. policies are perceived in the Global South and questioned whether America’s foreign policy establishment can recalibrate its foreign policy in this changing world.
Douthat responded with appreciation for the dialogue and emphasized that today’s political shifts — including populism and polarization — are not emerging in a vacuum but reflect deeper global and domestic shifts. While he acknowledged that the Trump era represents a rhetorical break from recent political norms, he argued that many of its underlying instincts have historical precedent.
In a Q&A that followed, Douthat took questions from students on topics ranging from religion and gender to immigration and American identity. He encouraged them to think critically about the long-term forces shaping their future — and to be intentional in how they respond to them.
Emily Pavlovic Chiles Startz ’74 (right) attended the lecture with Director of Class Giving Beth White.
The visit was made possible through the support of Emily Pavlovic Chiles Startz ’74 and was organized by Associate Professor of English and Periclean Honors Forum Director Joseph Cermatori.
The event concluded with a book signing hosted by Northshire Bookstore.
