In the last century, not a decade has gone by without some proclamation of the West’s demise. But one thing sets today’s warnings apart: in the economically successful countries of Asia, the world now has a clear alternative to Western-style liberal democracy.
- Heinrich August Winkler, Zerbricht Der Westen?: Über die gegenwärtige Krise in Europa und Amerika, Munich, C.H. Beck, 2018
Joschka Fischer, Der Abstieg des Westens: Europa in der neuen Weltordnung des 21. Jahrhunderts, Cologne, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2018
Jonah Goldberg, Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy, New York, Crown Forum, 2018
Kishore Mahbuhani, Has the West Lost It? A Provocation, London, Allen Lane, 2018
BERLIN – These are challenging and unsettling times for the West. The combination of resurgent nationalism and geopolitical uncertainty feels less like a temporary disruption and more like a fundamental transformation – one that may well spell the end of the era of Western global dominance.
As the sun sets in the West, many argue, it is rising in Asia. Indeed, the question no longer seems to be whether Asia will supplant the West as the world’s dominant region, but rather when that will happen – and how smoothly.
This shift lies at the heart of four recent books. Despite their very different perspectives, each – by Humboldt University of Berlin historian Heinrich August Winkler, former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, the conservative-minded commentator Jonah Goldberg, and the Singaporean diplomat-turned-academic Kishore Mahbuhani – shares the fundamental view that the global balance of power is moving inexorably toward Asia.
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Joschka Fischer, Der Abstieg des Westens: Europa in der neuen Weltordnung des 21. Jahrhunderts, Cologne, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2018
Jonah Goldberg, Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy, New York, Crown Forum, 2018
Kishore Mahbuhani, Has the West Lost It? A Provocation, London, Allen Lane, 2018
BERLIN – These are challenging and unsettling times for the West. The combination of resurgent nationalism and geopolitical uncertainty feels less like a temporary disruption and more like a fundamental transformation – one that may well spell the end of the era of Western global dominance.
As the sun sets in the West, many argue, it is rising in Asia. Indeed, the question no longer seems to be whether Asia will supplant the West as the world’s dominant region, but rather when that will happen – and how smoothly.
This shift lies at the heart of four recent books. Despite their very different perspectives, each – by Humboldt University of Berlin historian Heinrich August Winkler, former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, the conservative-minded commentator Jonah Goldberg, and the Singaporean diplomat-turned-academic Kishore Mahbuhani – shares the fundamental view that the global balance of power is moving inexorably toward Asia.
To continue reading, register now.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to everything PS has to offer.
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