The West is Back
Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine have changed the world permanently. Regardless of the outcome, the ideological alignment and relations of the world are forever changed.
For many years now, people (myself included) have discussed the waning influence and power of the United States and “The West,” which refers to various regions, nations, states, and institutions created in the rubble of WWII, defined by its battle with its former adversary: the Soviet Union. The West ultimately comes down to a set of values: freedom, liberalism, democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law. The institutions that came out of this concept, like NATO, the G7, and the European Economic Community, had extreme power. These values, countries, and institutions fought against and ultimately saw the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet Union’s fierce resistance against all of the West’s ideas made it an easy target for unification; complacency grew when that enemy was gone. A lack of a common enemy drove this dominant set of groups apart, and their victory against the Soviet Union ultimately became their primary point of weakness. Without their external enemy, the West forgot its core concepts, and once powerful institutions like NATO veered into obsolescence.
Since the Soviet Union’s collapse, internal strife has crippled countries like the United States and other major democracies. Fights over culture, rights, and what is acceptable in society polarized democracies into slow and ineffective bodies. Western nations relaxed their military spending (save the United States), lost vigilance over where they receive energy (looking at you, Germany), and tolerated constant interference in democratic elections. In a way, this made sense; the West had no rival that could match its power, so there was no reason to increase military capability or feel threatened over trade with an undemocratic power. If nobody could match us, then why be cautious?
This scenario is where we found ourselves for many years; with the rise of powers like China and Turkey, they saw the west as slow and naïve, long separated from its days of unity and strength in its battle against the Soviet Union. It is important to note they were not wrong. Time and time again, the West made major blunders and let increasingly intolerable actions slide. The failed wars in the Middle East, Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, and China’s genocide against Uyghurs. Leaders of dictatorial regimes were emboldened by the apparent divisions in the West and believed they could get away with anything. After weakening the West for years, Putin saw their unwillingness to stand up for Western values and dependence on Russian oil as a free ticket to his next step: Ukraine proper.
Despite all the evidence pointing against a strong western alliance, Putin miscalculated. Led by a new leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, the West found someone to rally behind. Zelensky shamed western leaders and held a mirror up to their faces. Why won’t you stand up for your values? Why do you rely on energy from a hostile state? Why do you watch as free and independent states fall? When will you take a stand? The United States offered to evacuate Zelensky at the start of the war; fighting did not even appear to be an option for US leadership. Ukraine had a revolution over its association with the EU in 2014 and still has a strong desire to live under western values, a longing that the rest of the world has forgotten and taken for granted after those values became the status quo for everyone else. Their desire has reignited the West’s powerful institutions, shocking leaders and countries’ populations into action. Germany has abandoned appeasement and is now funding its military, NATO spending across the board is increasing, and western troops are again strengthening and growing in Eastern Europe. Japan is turning away from pacifism, and Finland and Sweden are joining NATO – decades of pacifism gone in a day.
I believe it is inaccurate to say Zelensky has reignited the West single-handedly (although it would not be possible without him). Putin is the main spark here. The West’s original downfall lacked a common rival. With his botched invasion, Putin has placed Russia squarely in the crosshairs of every western country. The more they struggle, the more confident the west grows. It also turns out that when the West is united, they pack a serious punch (who knew?!). Sanctions that the West imposed have destroyed Russia’s already weak economy; western intelligence has ended the lives of over 20 Russian generals, and arms and money to Ukraine make Russia’s army look like a 3rd rate power. This effect is not just contained in Russia. Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan to the extreme displeasure of the Chinese; Joe Biden stated the US would defend Taiwan in a rejection of US “strategic ambiguity” policy for over 30 years. The West has found leadership it has been missing for decades – leaders willing to call out hostile powers that threaten its very existence and, notably, do something about it.
The real kicker is that the West was never really weak. I included myself among those who believed the West was a waning power. The weakness of the West was not its institutions or countries; it just forgot its own ideology and convictions. Countries outside the West cannot function without our consent. Look at Russia’s cannibalization of chips from refrigerators for use in its missiles or its desperation to sell oil, demonstrated by discounted prices for anyone who buys from them.
Simply put: our military and populations are too big, we control too many choke points and trade routes, produce too many high-level technologies, and spend too much money to ignore. They need us more than we need them, which means we have all the leverage. The time has come to reintroduce the West to the world and once again claim our status as a power anyone would be foolish to try to usurp.
TLDR Putin has provided the West with a golden opportunity: a common rival. As the beast wakes up from its decades-long slumber, the world can once again look to the West as a beacon of the ideals of democracy, the rule of law, and individual liberties.