WESTERN Civilization is in retreat. America has failed to win in its interventionist wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while at the same time, it and Europe are suffering from a whole host of problems, economically, demographically and politically. These are on top of cultural and geopolitical issues abroad
The bad scenario is for these trends to continue until the West enters a state of crisis. The good scenario is that the West fixes these issues, repatriate mass immigrants, fix their demographics, find a new working economic model and set up a more practical, sustainable society. Either way, I think that the West is in a state of retreat, and with that retreat, will come the age of de-westernization.
De-Westernization means the end of Western global values, institutions and ideologies that had their origins in the West. In practical terms, this means the end of an ‘international community,’ the end of the U.N., the end of secular humanism/human rights, the end of liberal democracy – as we understand it today – along with all of its ideological offspring, and the rise and strengthening of more regional institutions.
This will not happen tomorrow or perhaps even in this decade, but I think it will come before the century is over. Westernization began when Spain discovered the New World and found its pinnacle in Pax Americana, which will likely end in the 21st century. However, just because Western Civilization is in retreat does not mean that a new power will replace it. It’s more likely that the world will become multi-polar, which in turn will lead to new ideas on how to govern, on how to set up societies and most importantly, the value of human life.
Furthermore, a multipolar world will cause weak, small countries will be the losers. Western Civilization, despite its many faults, created peace and relative prosperity everywhere. In a new multipolar world, we will most likely have to say goodbye to all these things. Ukraine is a fine example of this, as are the situations in Taiwan and the Middle East. The U.S. still has a lot of power in 2023, but ten years from now? 20?
All empires end. It’s just a question of when not if.
The big issue is what Philippine national and foreign policy should be when that time comes. No longer will we be able to rely on BPOs, OFWs or American military power to act as guarantor for our sovereignity and prosperity. A De-Westernized World will be an alien world, and it will be filled with peril./PN
