On GPS: The Post-9/11 Wars, Trends of ’26, State of Democracy

Insights, analysis and must reads from CNN’s Fareed Zakaria and the Global Public Square team, compiled by Global Briefing editor Chris Good

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On Today’s Show

On GPS, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET:

Twenty-five years ago, the world changed with al Qaeda’s attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

After 9/11, the US launched into a “global war on terror” that would span four presidents and expand from Afghanistan to Iraq to ISIS’ self-proclaimed caliphate. It produced remarkable tactical successes, but at enormous human, financial and political cost—and fundamentally changed how the US exerts power. Fareed talks with CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen, who examines that history in his new book, “All The Presidents’ Wars.”

In 2026, life is defined by rather depressing trends, it seems: economic anxiety, social isolation, war and political polarization. But journalist, author and podcast host Derek Thompson examined six of this year’s “megatrends” in his Substack newsletter, diving into the data and emerging with a more hopeful conclusion. Thompson joins Fareed to explain.

In 1989, shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the political scientist Francis Fukuyama penned a seminal essay entitled “The End of History.” In it, he argued the decline of communism marked the end of humankind’s ideological evolution—and predicted that liberal democracy would ultimately triumph around the world. Nearly four decades later, that model of government is under strain. Fareed discusses with three great guests: the former deputy prime minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland, New York Times columnist David French and Francis Fukuyama himself.

Reminder: The Global Briefing is on a late-summer hiatus. We’ll return to your inboxes in earnest this Tuesday, Sept. 8. We hope you’re enjoying the final rays …