October 12, 2006 11:14AM 

# Fukuyama on Secrecy: Read the Whole Thing 

By [Jim Harper](https://www.cato.org/people/jim-harper) 

---

<a class="js-popover-trigger cursor-pointer popover-trigger" data-bs-placement="bottom" data-bs-trigger="click" id="popover-trigger"> 

SHARE 

</a> 

A few days ago, the *New York Times* ran a piece by Francis Fukuyama called “[The American Way of Secrecy](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/books/review/Fukuyama.t.html)” \[registration required\] in which he deftly interweaves the twin scourges of threat exaggeration and secrecy. He also recites the damage they have done to U.S. foreign policy, national security, and domestic tranquility. No one quote captures this rich, brief essay, so I will indulge in a blogger cop-out and encourage you to [read the whole thing](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/books/review/Fukuyama.t.html).

(HT: [Bruce Schneier](http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/10/fukuyama_on_sec.html))

##### Related Tags 

[Defense and Foreign Policy](https://www.cato.org/defense-foreign-policy), [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) 

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).