The “Collective West” no longer exists: former Ambassador of Ukraine to Austria Oleksandr Shcherba
In the light of recent statements by American politicians, the tendency to weaken the unity between the United States and Europe, which previously defined the geopolitical landscape of the West, is becoming more and more obvious. If until recently the “Collective West” positioned itself as a monolithic bloc with clearly defined principles, now the independence of the actions of America and Europe, which are increasingly diverging in their approaches and priorities, is becoming increasingly apparent.
Against this background, experts express their opinion that the traditional model of Western unity no longer works. The US, tired of the role of a global guarantor of security, is increasingly inclined to a pragmatic policy, where the support of allies is determined by economic benefits and domestic interests. Europe, despite maintaining its commitment to its democratic ideals, is unable to make tough strategic decisions, which is especially noticeable in the field of defense and migration policy.
Oleksandr Shcherba, former ambassador of Ukraine to Austria expressed the opinion on Facebook that the usual image of the “Collective West” no longer exists. The world has changed, and now America and Europe are acting separately, each of them solving their own tasks, which are increasingly distant from the shared values of past decades.
As Shcherba points out, the United States is no longer ready to be a global benefactor, as it once was. They believe that the world has taken advantage of their kindness and intellectual resource for too long, and therefore now they will have to pay for everything. Europe, despite preserving its ideals, is unable to make tough but necessary decisions. It cannot effectively stop uncontrolled migration, does not keep up with the pace of militarization and, according to Shcherba, too often focuses on small things, avoiding big challenges.
According to the diplomat, history has begun to move again, but in the modern world there is no demand for leaders capable of leading this movement. Politics is increasingly reduced to ensuring low prices and peace in international relations – even if it is “cemetery peace”. Many simply want to return to the period that preceded the globalization and Americanization of the world. The irony of the situation is that the main driver of de-Americanization today is America itself.
Oleksandr Shcherba draws attention to the general fatigue of societies, both in the USA and in Europe. Many people feel that the modern era has not made them any happier than they were before. Moreover, against the background of billionaires and future trillionaires, the middle class feels abandoned, like a child forgotten on a train platform. It is even more interesting that the same billionaires do not look happy – Shcherba cites Elon Musk as an example.
He claims that the world is faced with a choice: to build something new or to try to return what was. In the US, more and more people are leaning towards the second option – a return to the times when freedom included the possibility of being racist and homophobic, and international relations were reduced to the principle of “our sons of bitches and not our sons of bitches.” In Europe, such a scenario is impossible for a number of reasons, but it is still difficult to understand what the European future will be.
Despite these challenges, Shcherba emphasizes that Ukraine naturally gravitates towards Europe, and this interaction is not accidental. First, Ukrainian society is mentally closer to European society. Second, Europe, unlike many other geopolitical players, still maintains a certain level of moral decency in international politics. Thirdly, Ukraine simply has no other choice – it will have to not only integrate into the European space, but also actively influence its transformations, pushing Europe to those changes that have already become inevitable.
The material contains exclusively the opinions of the author of the post. The editors may not share these positions and are not responsible for their content or interpretation.
