2-8-23
Dear Partners in Thought,
While the West has shown remarkable unity to date in supporting a country invaded, for unacceptable and largely forgotten imperialistic reasons, by another in the heart of an otherwise rather peaceful Europe since WW2, it is also experiencing issues that may undermine its very future.
I have wanted to cover a sensitive topic for some time: the need for the West to evolve in its approach to what is democracy today, so it keeps thriving in a much-needed new wave.
Rather than producing a long note I would rather draw your attention to eight key points to enable further thinking, and hopefully a change in Western patterns.
- Western liberal democracy needs not to be “weak”, as if moderates needed to be by definition, and in contrast to political extremists.
- National identity that defined “who we are” and sensible immigration control matter, and should not be the topic owned and exploited by extremist parties of the hard right.
- Law and order matter, and there is no excuse for the looting and destruction of nearly EUR 1bn in less than a week by disgruntled individuals—whatever their roots and “easy” excuses—like recently seen in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities.
- Reclaiming ownership of key values that defined the West should make extremist parties (with vote-grabbing easy answers to complex issues and few public management capabilities) less politically relevant.
- A stronger and more secure West at home will be more impactful in its dealings globally, especially concerning rising nations with aspiring world leadership like China.
- A stronger West should combine an America at peace with itself and a Europe more autonomous at all levels, including defence, so as to strengthen the key partnership.
- While Western style democracy can work in the West and should be offered to the world, the West should realise that many countries are not able to follow that path due to many factors, at times combined, such as their historical roots, corrupt leadership, theocratic approach or even sheer size.
- While focusing on the challenges of our times like climate change, Western democracy should also ensure it controls and indeed regulates better the excesses found in both capitalism and indeed “tech”, big or small, and its adverse developments into unsettling social media, cryptocurrency and now AI, so as to ensure more societal equity and soundness at all levels.
These eight features, some of which may be contentious, point to a certain direction that should help the West reposition and strengthen itself in the 21st century, and still offer what we see as workable liberal democracy, this in absolute and relative terms. Geopolitical risk management starts at home.
Warmest regards
Serge
Desperate Measures 