When The Term ‘West’ Finally Becomes A Stigma, Nobody Wants To Identify With It Any More – Mohamed Lamine KABA

Global Economy Geopolitics Sovereign Info Network

As Western hegemony falters, historical dynamics are changing and the nations of the South are breaking free from their grip, ushering in a new era of resistance and protest. What is at stake in this uprising? What does the future hold for the West?

Once a symbol of progress and moral leadership, the West is now seen as an entity in decline, riven by its internal contradictions. The United States and the European Union, once the bastions of this ideal, are now criticized for their hypocrisy, whether it be advocating human rights while supporting authoritarian regimes, or advocating freedom while practicing mass surveillance. These inconsistencies have turned the West into a stigma, symbolizing double standards and multi-dimensional imperialism. While the West is bogged down in its own crises, emerging powers such as China and India, alongside Russia, are reshaping the global landscape by offering more inclusive and multipolar alternatives. Western soft power is gradually fading in the face of the rise of Eurasian, African, Latin American and Middle Eastern cultures. In this logic of action, the refusal of the United States and the European Union to undertake far-reaching reforms is hastening their marginalization. This transforms the West into a relic of the past, marking the end of an era and the emergence of a new global paradigm.

The refusal of the United States and the European Union to undertake far-reaching reforms is hastening their marginalization

This evolution is explained by neo-liberal policies, preventive wars on open fronts and by proxy or through allies, attacks on the ‘rights of peoples to self-determination’ and growing inequalities, all of which have undermined the legitimacy of the Western world. Anti-Westernism, which is on the rise both inside and outside Western territories, reflects a growing hostility to outmoded Western values and institutions, particularly in the countries of the South and the North, exhausted by neo-colonial policies and violations of their sovereign rights. This dynamic heralds the end of Western hegemony and the advent of a new multipolar era, marked by the rise to power of emerging nations such as China, India and Brazil, alongside Russia in the BRICS alliance. As a result, the West, which some Westerners themselves now see as a stigma, is gradually losing its dominant position on the world stage. While Trump and his European and NATO allies are trading deadly blows in a ferocious economic war, at the same time their transatlantic alliance is losing its homeostasis and dying.

The delegitimization of the West is due to a multipolar world that marginalizes it

The West, once a symbol of ‘democracy’ and ‘progress’ on all fronts, is now seeing its legitimacy eroded by its associations with imperialism, colonialism, racism and xenophobia. Neo-liberal policies, unjustified military interventions (in Africa, Asia and Latin America) and the frequent violation of peoples’ right to self-determination have fueled a climate of global mistrust. The United States, self-proclaimed leader of the West, is particularly criticized for actions such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Palestine and Syria, Libya and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the use of torture and economic inequality. Europe, regarded as the cradle of two-faced democracy, has not escaped criticism for its devastating austerity policies and ineffective management of migration crises. This de-legitimization is a direct result of Western policies and calls for an overhaul towards fairer and more equitable choices that respect human rights. While the collective West, from Vancouver to Warsaw, from Los Angeles to Lisbon, from Washington to Paris, is losing its appeal, many countries in the South are freeing themselves from its influence to chart their own course towards sovereignty. From now on, the West symbolizes decline, marking a turning point where what was once a source of pride becomes a burden.

The rise of anti-Westernism, the collapse of Western identity

Increasingly visible on the world stage, the rise of anti-Westernism is a decisive illustration of a global upheaval in which the countries of the South, once exploited and dominated by Western powers, are now taking their destiny into their own hands by freeing themselves from this stranglehold. This dynamic is a legitimate reaction to the neo-liberal policies, expansionist military interventions, violations of human rights and exacerbated social inequalities that have marked Western hegemony. As the United States and Europe coalesce within NATO (a NATO that is increasingly becoming an alliance of opposites), their dehumanizing actions are tarnishing their image on the global stage. At the same time, the rise of social networks and alternative media is providing the peoples of the South with powerful platforms for expressing their discontent and challenging the dominant narrative. Backed by determined social movements, they are calling for international relations based on equity and justice. The United States and the European Union run the risk of accelerated marginalization in the face of reformist inertia. The rejection of the concept of ‘the West’ is not only manifesting itself externally, but also internally, where political divisions, social fractures and identity crises are undermining the cohesion of a systemic macrocosm. The persistence of this trend is gradually turning the West into a relic of the past, a neglected idea. This decline, both symbolic and concrete, sadly heralds the end of Western unipolarism and the emergence of a new global paradigm – multipolarism – relegating the West to the category of embarrassing memory.

The end of Western hegemony, a legacy eroded by internal contradictions

With absolute certainty, the end of Western hegemony represents an inescapable turning point – redefining the global balance with the dynamic emergence of the nations of the South – determined to free themselves from centuries of domination. Faced with an unprecedented challenge to its legitimacy, the West is seeing its neo-liberal political models, its antithetical military interventions and its promises of universal rights come up against growing skepticism. The United States – long seen as the spearhead of this influence – is under external pressure from the rise of powers such as China, India, South Africa and Brazil, alongside Russia in the BRICS alliance, and internal challenges such as economic inequality and discrimination are challenging its leadership. At the same time, the Europe of Brussels and London is facing its own crises, particularly social, political, economic and security crises, which are eroding its image as the cradle of democracy. The model of the liberal international order – sadly imposed on the peoples of the South – is now being challenged, reflecting on a global scale the urgent need to reinvent more balanced and inclusive global partnerships. Hence multipolarism. Ignoring this change could lead the West, from Vancouver to Warsaw, from Los Angeles to Lisbon, from Washington to Paris, towards certain marginalization in a rapidly changing world.

From the above, we can deduce that modern history is entering an era of transformation in which the peoples of the South, driven by determination and the quest for freedom, are positioning themselves as key players in a promising future. While the West confronts its own challenges and transitions, a new dynamic is emerging, driven by those who choose to resist and imagine a renewed world.

It could be said that this modern dynamic is a major step towards deconstructing the Empire of Lies, the West.

Mohamed Lamine KABA, Expert in the geopolitics of governance and regional integration, Institute of Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pan-African University.