小蓝视频

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat delivered a sweeping take on the forces reshaping the world 鈥� and the United States鈥� uncertain place within it 鈥� in a public talk at 小蓝视频 that spanned geopolitics, economics, religion, and artificial intelligence. 

Douthat鈥檚 talk 鈥淭he future of global politics鈥� was part of the Periclean Honors Forum鈥檚 鈥淒ialogues Across Differences鈥� series, an initiative that exemplifies the College鈥檚 commitment to civic engagement and the open exchange of ideas.  

His talk on Tuesday, March 25 鈥� and the spirited conversation that followed with faculty and students 鈥� embodied Skidmore鈥檚 dedication to free speech, a top priority of Skidmore President Marc C. Conner.  

Douthat is the author of the newly published book 鈥淏elieve: Why Everyone Should Be Religious.鈥�   

The conservative columnist explored America鈥檚 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鈥揅old War era. But he also suggested that this decline is not absolute 鈥� 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 鈥渟tranger, more prophetic鈥� 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 鈥渆volutionary bottleneck鈥� that not all institutions and polities would survive. 

鈥淚f you are interested in getting through this bottleneck, if you're interested in seeing what awaits the human species 鈥� then there's really no better place to be than right here in the United States,鈥� 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. 

鈥淭he world that we thought we lived in 鈥� the America that we thought we lived in 鈥� seems to be disappearing before our eyes,鈥� Delton said, pointing to anxieties not just about global standing, but about identity, institutions, and democracy itself. 

Graney agreed with Douthat鈥檚 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鈥檚 foreign policy establishment can recalibrate its foreign policy in this changing world. 

Douthat responded with appreciation for the dialogue and emphasized that today鈥檚 political shifts 鈥� including populism and polarization 鈥� 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 鈥� and to be intentional in how they respond to them. 

The visit was made possible through the support of Emily Pavlovic Chiles Startz 鈥�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.