The Revenge of History

[Firdousi]

Last week I said that I would make a new thread about how Western Liberalism has failed. So here I go..

Three decades ago, just after the collapse of the URSS, Francis Fukuyama claimed that the "End of History" was a fact. Western liberal democracy had won and all the rivals were either defeated or in retreat. The age of ideological wars was over. Progress was the new god. All the people around the world were forced to follow the Western way and eventually become seculars, liberals, capitalist and democratic.

This has been part of the Western narrative for these last three decades: that liberal democracy is inevitable. All countries must follow it and those who refuse will be considered "rogue states" and forced to face defeat.

For many years we all bought this idea. Myself was a huge fan of liberalism. I remember when USA defeated the Taliban back in 2001. I was so happy and so were most of Afghans I knew. Afghanistan would finally become a democratic country where everybody would be free to do as pleases.

Suddenly 2015-17 and the foundations of liberalism were destroyed by two key events: Brexit and Donald Trump. Decades of liberal propaganda and we all of a sudden realize that the inevitability of democracy was just a chimera. If democracy is the best and last system ever how come it is in retreat in his Western stronghold? Almost 47% Austrians voted for a far right party. More than 40% French voted either for a far-right or far-left parties. Nativitism is back. White people are angry at their establishments, minorities and women. They consider that their rights have been neglected. That all the traditional values of the West have been dismantled and destroyed by liberals. And do you know what? They are absolutely right.

Although I don't buy entirely this White BS about being oppressed /poor first worlders lol) I do acknowledge their anger and frustration. White population is declining, White middle-class is declining too, Western nations are unable to win wars or even to stop massive movement of foreign peoples. And so on.

Liberalism has failed because liberals are extremely arrogant people. They disdain all the core human and cultural values of societies. They put a lot of stress of minority rights at the expense of majority. Liberals have become too cocky and authoritarian, censuring all the opinions that disagree with it. You can see the irony here: an ideology preaching free will, free thinking and individualism suddenly becomes authoritarian when a person decides to doubt about it. Liberalism has too many contradictions. All the human and material progress is made at the expense of human nature and also human and material degradation.. For example women rights were achieved after destroying gender roles, manhood and patriarchy, the natural social order.

In my opinion what is killing Western liberalism and also Western hegemony is the victory of the West. By emerging as the sole winner of the cold war, Western system was adopted almost everywhere. Actually communism and socialism were good for the West. Countries like China or India were third world s*itholes. Their growth was limited by those sh*tty ideologies. But when they went Capitalist suddenly their economies boomed. By adopting a Western system they are destroying Western hegemony. Oh the irony. So basically Western success and victory is killing the West.

In the coming years, with the West in decline, I believe we will witness a cataclysm. I am 100% sure that the Western Liberal order will collapse. And with it all the Western discourse and narrative about democracy, secularism and liberalism will collapse too. You see guys every century has some key years that will mark the dynamics of it. In the XXth century it was 1917 (Russian revolution) and 1918 (defeat of Germany). The rest of the century revolved around this two events (WWII and Cold War). I believe we are about to witness a similar event in the coming years.

Western history tells us that when economic stagnation and political instability refuse to leave it doesn't end well. West will go authoritarian and perhaps even totalitarian in the coming years. History is back with a revenge. Enjoy the world order.

[maneatinglizard]

Three decades ago, just after the collapse of the URSS, Francis Fukuyama claimed that the "End of History" was a fact. Western liberal democracy had won and all the rivals were either defeated or in retreat. The age of ideological wars was over. Progress was the new god. All the people around the world were forced to follow the Western way and eventually become seculars, liberals, capitalist and democratic.

LOL I just looked this up. The West is so delusional. Always thinking it's figured out the solution to every problem, and getting triggered when it finds out that not everyone agrees.

Suddenly 2015-17 and the foundations of liberalism were destroyed by two key events: Brexit and Donald Trump. Decades of liberal propaganda and we all of a sudden realize that the inevitability of democracy was just a chimera.

I think the fact that neither Iraq nor Afghanistan worked out was another sign, just one that wasn't as obvious to people in the West.

If liberal, secular democracy was truly the pinnacle of human civilization, how come it couldn't prevail in these countries, even after years of America dropping freedom on them from the greatest air force in the world?

There were also other signs. China may have adopted a form of capitalism, but it's still pretty distinctly Chinese in nature, and more importantly, it hasn't adopted secular, social liberalism. Russia may have given up on communism, but it didn't fall inline with the Western order either. Instead, they became more conservative.

But you're right that Brexit and Trump were the the real wake up calls for the West. It was hilarious to see people on national American news programs seriously questioning democracy after the 2016 election. To see a bunch of people on national TV, the same people who previously uncritically praised the bloodshed in Afghanistan and Iraq as a victory for democracy, and therefore humanity, now discussing faults of democracy that I had identified as a teenager was great. Maybe they should listen to me more often lol.

Although I don't buy entirely this White BS about being oppressed /poor first worlders lol) I do acknowledge their anger and frustration. White population is declining, White middle-class is declining too, Western nations are unable to win wars or even to stop massive movement of foreign peoples. And so on.

Their frustrations are not completely without merit. The problem is they've been manipulated into blaming the wrong people. They blame poor immigrants and refugees, when the real problem is that capitalism has concentrated all the wealth of the world in a small group of elite.

In the coming years, with the West in decline, I believe we will witness a cataclysm. I am 100% sure that the Western Liberal order will collapse. And with it all the Western discourse and narrative about democracy, secularism and liberalism will collapse too. You see guys every century has some key years that will mark the dynamics of it. In the XXth century it was 1917 (Russian revolution) and 1918 (defeat of Germany). The rest of the century revolved around this two events (WWII and Cold War). I believe we are about to witness a similar event in the coming years.

Western history tells us that when economic stagnation and political instability refuse to leave it doesn't end well. West will go authoritarian and perhaps even totalitarian in the coming years. History is back with a revenge. Enjoy the world order.

Agreed. The question is, what will replace it? I don't have faith in China or India. When the West collapses, they'll fall along with them.

So who will step up?

Great post overall, brother.

[Firdousi]

LOL I just looked this up. The West is so delusional. Always thinking it's figured out the solution to every problem, and getting triggered when it finds out that not everyone agrees.

I think the fact that neither Iraq nor Afghanistan worked out was another sign, just one that wasn't as obvious to people in the West.

If liberal, secular democracy was truly the pinnacle of human civilization, how come it couldn't prevail in these countries, even after years of America dropping freedom on them from the greatest air force in the world?

There were also other signs. China may have adopted a form of capitalism, but it's still pretty distinctly Chinese in nature, and more importantly, it hasn't adopted secular, social liberalism. Russia may have given up on communism, but it didn't fall inline with the Western order either. Instead, they became more conservative.

But you're right that Brexit and Trump were the the real wake up calls for the West. It was hilarious to see people on national American news programs seriously questioning democracy after the 2016 election. To see a bunch of people on national TV, the same people who previously uncritically praised the bloodshed in Afghanistan and Iraq as a victory for democracy, and therefore humanity, now discussing faults of democracy that I had identified as a teenager was great. Maybe they should listen to me more often lol.



Their frustrations are not completely without merit. The problem is they've been manipulated into blaming the wrong people. They blame poor immigrants and refugees, when the real problem is that capitalism has concentrated all the wealth of the world in a small group of elite.



Agreed. The question is, what will replace it? I don't have faith in China or India. When the West collapses, they'll fall along with them.

So who will step up?

Great post overall, brother.

Yeah, nowadays sounds very delusional and hilarious, but I guess back then there was a lot of optimism in the Western world. Thats why for over a decade they were bragging about the "end of history", the "inevitability of democracy", "peace dividends" and "war no more". Westerners really thought they won and that was that.

Still some of the points made by Western pundits like Fukuyama are not entirely wrong. "No bourgeois no democracy" said a genius once, and he was right. Once a country develops its economy and middle-class/bourgeois become bigger and stronger, they start pushing for more rights and participation. We are witnessing this in Iran. Also we are witnessing a phenomena similar in the West where the middle class is declining and also the confidence is declining too.

I have said several times that Muslims hating democracy is propaganda spread by the Western media and governments. In Afghanistan millions of our fellow countrymen participate in the elections although they know polling places will be targeted by suicide attacks. They know hundred of people will die and still go and vote. Do you seriously believe that Westerners would the same thing?

Regarding China, the West had this absurd strategy. They knew that the rise of China was unstoppable so instead of adopting a strategy of "containment" they opted to fully integrate China into the global liberal order. West believed once connected to the rest of the world, China would go liberal. This was a mistake. By integrating China now this country is able to export his cheap products almost everywhere while the prospect of that country becoming a liberal democracy are almost dead. After all why would China go democratic? Democracy promotes factionalism. In a multicultural and multiethnic country like that it would be a catastrophe. In the Chinese psyche the negative effects of factionalism are deeply rooted after all their country was twice devastated because of it (Song Dynasty and the Monghols and the Ming Dynasty with the Manchu). So they know very how dangerous democracy can be because hundreds of book and articles have been written since then by Chinese intellectuals discouraging such behaviors.

Angry White people are mad almost at everyone. I can not blame them. I would be angry too. White millennial youngsters are a bunch of decadent losers with no values, no dignity, no commitment, no ambition, nothing.. Men are effeminate and women are arrogant. Families are destroyed. Middle class is almost destroyed or doomed. Economic stagnation refuses to leave. Mass immigration. Political corruption. Feminism. Gay parades. Low birth rates. High divorce rates. Drug culture. All these factors make people anxious and frustrated so its the best moment for strongmen and authoritarianism. I believe only a strong and radical patriarchy can save the West right now. Otherwise its doomed to collapse.

What will replace it? Hard to say. The West might collapse soon but the Western discourse about modernity and liberalism won't leave. Western global system (capitalism, modern technology, interconnected world, modern transport,..) won't go anywhere. But the West as the main link in the chain will stop. West´s politics are increasingly becoming more reactive and less pro-active. This means new players are setting the pace and have a say in global politics and economy.

[Firdousi]

In the coming days I will try to elaborate a bit more. I would like to focus a bit more on the Western decline when it comes to power projection and also the vacuum left by it. The rest of the world is fed up with Western arrogance and Western empty sermons about democracy and human rights.