The Institute for Human Sciences is proud to announce the 2025/26 cohort of Europe’s Futures fellows. This year’s ten fellows, who are joining the Institute for non-residential fellowships, will become part of a distinguished community of thinkers, practitioners, and public intellectuals committed to exploring and shaping the future of Europe and the liberal democratic script more broadly. Since the fate of the European Union will largely depend on the survival of liberalism as a driving force, the new cohort will examine a variety of topics and challenges arising from the crisis of liberalism and the far-reaching shifts in global power relations we are currently witnessing—from US-EU relations and religious nationalism to the renewal of political imagination. Building on the program’s legacy, they will contribute through research, writing, and public engagement, bringing diverse perspectives to the Institute and the wider public.
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Liberalism and Its Discontents
Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a faculty member of FSI's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). He is also Director of Stanford's Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy, and a professor (by courtesy) of Political Science. Dr. Fukuyama has written widely on issues in development and international politics. His 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man, has appeared in over twenty foreign editions.
Escaping the Doom Spiral: How to Reclaim the Future for Liberal Democracy
Leonie Haiden studied at Oxford University and earned her doctorate at King's College London, after which she worked in the Strategy and Planning Department of the Austrian Foreign Ministry. Her research focuses on strategic communication, among other topics. As part of her fellowship, she is researching the challenges of political communication in the 21st century.
The Future of the Liberal Vision in a World Without Rules
Michael Ignatieff is a Canadian historian, writer, and former politician, known for his leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada and his scholarship on ethics, human rights, and politics. He has held senior academic positions at Harvard, Cambridge, and Central European University, where he served as Rector and President. He is the author of eighteen acclaimed books and currently teaches history at CEU in Vienna.
Revolutionary Conservatism: Liberalism’s Next Grand Rival
Maciej Kisilowski is an associate professor of law and strategy at Central European University in Vienna, where he also served as Faculty Director of the Executive MBA Program. His research spans public law, management, and political economy, with a particular focus on democratic resilience and innovative institutional design. He is a frequent voice in Poland’s leading media and contributes to international media regularly.
Trickle-Down of Ideas: How Political Thinking Becomes Politics
Hana Martínková is a political adviser specializing in foreign affairs and international relations, most recently serving as adviser to the President of the Czech Senate. She is also a newsletter author and moderator, having previously co-hosted a podcast on politics and international affairs. Hana holds degrees in International Relations and Economics from Charles University and the Prague University of Economics and Business.
Reassessing the Foundations of Liberal Democracy
Yascha Mounk is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, the Founder of Persuasion, and the host of The Good Fight podcast. His latest book is The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power In Our Time (Penguin Press, 2023).
Global Relations over the Next Decade
James C. O’Brien served as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs until January 2025. After starting at the State Department ten days before the Berlin Wall fell, he has spent approximately half his career in the US Government, serving at various times as adviser to the Secretary of State, Principal Deputy of Policy Planning, Ambassador for sanctions policy, and presidential envoy for the Western Balkans and for hostage affairs.
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On the Spirit of Europe: A Philosophical and Economic Quest for Europe’s Soul
Tomáš Sedláček is a Czech economist who gained international recognition for his book Economics of Good and Evil (Oxford University Press, 2013). Sedláček has served as an advisor to former Czech President Václav Havel and lectured at the World Economic Forum and around the world. Formerly chief macroeconomic strategist for the Czech Republic’s largest bank, he is a longstanding member of the Czech National Economic Council.
Faith and Flag: Religious Nationalism in the Age of Populism
Assaf Sharon is a professor of philosophy at Tel Aviv University and heads its PPE program; he is also a senior fellow at Molad: The Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy. He has been part of the peace movement for many years and has advised parties, politicians, and organizations in Israel. His articles have been published by the New York Review of Books, the Boston Review, and Liberties, among others. His forthcoming book, with Avishai Margalit, is titled Captive Minds: A Study of Manipulation.
The Idea of Moral Socialism
Lea Ypi is a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her areas of expertise include contemporary political theory, German idealism (including Kant and Marx), and the intellectual history of the Balkans. In 2022, she was named one of the world’s Top 10 Thinkers by Prospect Magazine. Her philosophical memoir, Free: Coming of Age at the End of History (Penguin, 2021), which explores her childhood in Albania during the final stages of communism, has been translated into more than thirty-five languages and won several awards.
Europe’s Futures is a partnership initiative of the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) and ERSTE Foundation.
Image credits: Marcel Billaudet (Fukuyama), CC/Georges Alexandar (Ignatieff), Valerie Maltseva (Haiden, Kisilowski, Martinkova, Mounk, O'Brien, Ypi) Ester Havlová (Sedláček), private (Sharon)
