End Of The West, Rise Of The Rest?

BY IBRAHIM KALIN
TODAY’S ZAMAN- As Western modernity closes upon itself, new forces are coming to the fore. The West is more concerned with its internal problems caused by its own process of modernization. The experience of multiple modernities is turning the West into one of the players, and not the sole one, of the 21st century. The so-called rise of the rest is ushering in new possibilities, and this is a good thing for a more egalitarian and cosmopolitan world.

A few news picks from around the world reveal the new dynamics of the world in the 21st century. WikiLeaks continues to shake the world of diplomacy and international politics and show the fragility of the foreign policy thinking of the only superpower in the world. Barcelona, one of the most famous football teams in Europe, signed a $218 million deal with the Qatar Foundation for a shirt sponsorship deal. Turkish Airlines (THY) signed an agreement with NBA star Kobe Bryant for its promotion. The eurozone economies are facing new crises and looking for new opportunities in oil-rich Gulf countries and Africa. The second round of Iranian nuclear talks is set to take place in Turkey in January. What to make of all this?

This week’s Economist has divided the world economy into three: The US, Europe and the rest of the world, also known as the “emerging markets.” This is a new fact and points to the nature of things to come. What is interesting is that the US economy and the eurozone are both in financial crisis whereas countries such as Turkey, Brazil, India and China are making unprecedented strides in economic development. It is true that economic success alone is not sufficient for global impact. But the new regional and global actors are fast developing new capacities to become soft and smart powers.

In his New York Times column on Nov. 29, Roger Cohen called this “the age of possibility.” Cohen’s sharp division between the West and the rest may be seen as too rigid and categorical, but he has a point when he says that “the essential global divide today is between a worried, depressed and disoriented West (where free trade is framed as loss of jobs) and the buoyant, questing and increasingly confident emergent world of nations like Brazil and Turkey and South Africa.” Cohen thinks that “the West suffers from a nagging feeling its time has passed; outside it many countries believe their time is now -- or near.”

Western countries still control the lion’s share of the world’s economic and military resources. Their advanced position in science, technology and industry puts them ahead of the rest of the world. But there is a sense of loss too -- a sense that forces many Westerners to have a different view of history. The Western intellectual world is no longer the world of Hobbeses, Kants or Hegels. The Euro-centric confidence that the world will be shaped forever by European ideas is long gone. Economic and military might in itself is not enough to give a sense of purpose and meaning.

The non-Western world suffers from many insufficiencies: democracy, human resources, infrastructure, productivity, corruption. But the sense of reclaiming one’s agency in history makes up for the absence of material wealth and hard (economic and military) power. In a relatively short period of time, though, this too will change. New economic forces, social dynamics and intellectual quests will force these societies to create new opportunity spaces for themselves and others.

This will be a good thing for the world. It will make the global economic and political system more dynamic, more pluralistic and more egalitarian. From art and literature to hi-tech industry and diplomacy, our world will be a better place, with everyone feeling equal and being equal. A truly cosmopolitan world order will emerge when these new actors take their place in the international system.

But this requires more than economic growth. The problem with the ambitious analyses of emerging markets is their sole reliance on generating economic wealth. But you need also other types of social capital: science, technology, social cohesion, respect for others, art, education, innovation. All of these elements will become assets only when they are managed with a sense of protecting the dignity of the person and the creation of a socio-political order in which they, as free agents and equal citizens, can lead a virtuous life.”