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Fareed Zakaria calls for liberal reset in US and UK
Zakaria urged liberals to once again champion competition, meritocracy, equal opportunity, and opposition to monopolies, inherited privilege, and closed systems.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Mon, 29, Jun 2026
- 04:26 EDT
- 32
Fareed Zakaria in Charlie Rose- Global Conversation / Charlie Rose- Global Conversation
Indian-American political commentator and journalist Fareed Zakaria said that liberalism needs to return to its revolutionary character.
In a social media post, Zakaria argued that the liberal ideology must return to its reformist nature to counter the growing appeal of both democratic socialism and right-wing populism, highlighting recent political developments in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Zakaria cited historian Adrian Wooldridge's book 'The Revolutionary Center' and accused liberals of moving away from their opposition to "inherited privilege, monopoly power, censorship, aristocracy, clerical authority, and closed guilds" and toward becoming closely allied with centers of power such as "great universities, foundations, media organizations, corporations and bureaucracies of all kinds."
He further accused modern liberalism of accepting "free markets and free people." According to him, that had led to corporate consolidation in the market and a failure to accept certain actions as "socially destructive" in personal life, classifying both setbacks as the "price of freedom."
Zakaria endorsed Wooldridge's call for a revival of "liberal paternalism," arguing that a liberal society should protect individual rights while also emphasizing personal responsibility. He said freedom can be undermined not only by the government but also by monopolies, addiction, ignorance, and dependence.
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Zakaria said, "People camp out on city streets addicted and mentally ill, and liberals often just describe this as a housing problem."
He continued, "Millions suffer from obesity-related illnesses, and liberals are more comfortable blaming food deserts than taking on the companies that hook their customers on processed food. Social media companies do the same with their consumers' attention."
He also highlighted that his calls aren't in favor of socialism but of what he describes as "truer liberalism."
Spotlighting his position, he noted, "Liberals should love markets, not because they allow the strong to dominate or inequality to grow, but because genuine competition allows the little guy to challenge the strong."
The second challenge, Zakaria said, is that meritocracy has evolved into a new elite establishment. Zakaria argued that while liberal institutions champion equality, they often preserve inherited advantages through practices such as legacy admissions and bureaucratic systems that prioritize group identity over individual merit.
He also criticized failures in K-12 education, arguing that liberal politics should focus on improving outcomes for children by challenging institutions that prioritize their own interests over educational success.
Rather than abandoning liberalism, Zakaria called for its renewal. He urged liberals to once again champion competition, meritocracy, equal opportunity, and opposition to monopolies, inherited privilege, and closed systems.
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