It seems that Western governments are determined not to take any action to stop Israel’s persistent attacks against the Palestinian people. People both in the West and non-Western states have continued to question Western governments’ policies for the last several months. Considering that the West had been championing humanitarian values and global norms until very recently, it is an unexpected turn on the side of Western governments, who have begun to fail in protecting liberal values. Neither the United States nor the European Union have raised their voice to stop the attacks against Gaza. The West has largely remained silent against the longtime suffering of the Palestinian people.
On the contrary, most Western governments have begun to take harsh measures against those who protest the policies of their respective governments. Most Western governments have restricted the very basic rights of their people. Restrictions are put on freedom of expression, speech and demonstration. University campuses were subjected to police raids in many Western countries. Neither students nor the people on the streets are allowed to protest against Israeli atrocities.
Sooner or later, this indifference and the illiberal turn dominated in the West will inflict serious political and social problems throughout the Western world and in international politics. First of all, the increase of illiberal perspectives in Western countries will continue to damage the so-called traditional Western values.
Eroding trust in West
For one thing, Western governments have lost the trust of their respective peoples. Due to their irresponsible policies, Western governments have begun to lose legitimacy in the eyes of their public. In addition, the rise of ultra-nationalist and far-rightist political actors will undermine the effectiveness of Western multilateral platforms such as the EU. Furthermore, the illiberal Western political actors will force Western governments to follow unilateral policies, further otherizing their opponents and partners.
Second, non-Western governments and societies have begun to question the current global order, principles of international law and universal norms, most of which were introduced by Western governments. Regional states know well that they are on their own in the face of mounting regional and global threats. Non-Western governments will surely try to find other alternatives for their national security since they do not trust Western governments anymore. Middle Eastern countries are especially aware that Western governments will remain indifferent to violations of their respective national security.
Third, the loss of trust in Western states will lead other global powers to intervene in regional affairs and issues, including those in the Middle East. Even longtime American allies, such as the Gulf monarchies, improve their relations with non-Western global powers, including Russia and China. They have even decided to become dialogue partners of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is generally known as an anti-Western international organization. Similarly, many regional countries have become full members of BRICS, a non-Western economic and political bloc. Besides Iran and Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt became members at the beginning of 2024.
It is clear that the effectiveness of these non-Western institutions continues to increase due to the shallow policies of Western countries, among other things. The more Western states violate international rules and norms, the more the influence of non-Western states and institutions increases. In other words, the reckless policies of Western states have led non-Western countries to take measures for their national security and to improve their relations with non-Western powers.
All these developments will lead to the intensification of the arms race and conflictual politics in all regions. Attempts of regional states to ensure their national security will force them to form larger security mechanisms and to get more arms. If the Western powers, such as the U.S. and the EU, do not stop the devastating policies in the Middle East, the world will face a new geopolitical fault line that will contribute to global instability. Overall, both the West and the world are in the making. At this point, it is unclear in which direction the West and the world will go. However, one thing is clear: the destiny of the world is closely associated with the destiny of the West. On the other hand, the future of the West largely depends on the future of the non-Western part of the world. That is, there is a very high level of interdependency between the West and the non-Western parts of the world.
