It is true that Western governments are often hypocritical about the moral and political values they claim to represent. But at least they do have standards
Many thanks, Marco. I very much agree with your worries about those tendencies, which do indeed endanger western identity. The reason why I worry more about Trump is that I see those damaging tendencies as being reversible, in the normal course of debate and alternation in power. My worry about Trump is that not only would his return to the White House represent a fundamental rejection of basic tenets of US law and constitutionality, he is the sort of leader capable of making changes that are either irreversible or, at least, very hard to reverse. And in terms of geopolitics and both the reputation and the unity of the West his re-election would be transformative — again in a way likely to be hard to reverse. Best wishes, meanwhile!
Hitler had standards, which he made sure were upheld throughout his time as Führer. I am reminded of the old blues refrain, "If I didn't have no bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all".
Excellent piece. Indeed the defining feature of the West has been the primacy of liberal values centered around the individual. Exactly because of this, though, I do not think the reelection of Trump is the only — or even the biggest - threat. At least equally damaging in my mind is the tendency to sacrifice key liberal values such as freedom of speech and equal opportunity in the name of “higher values” that take on a quasi-religious significance. I am thinking of the censorship on traditional and social media to “save democracy” or to protect “science” from dissent (during Covid); of the curbing of free speech on college campuses; of the discrimination against Asians in university admissions in the name of diversity. That’s the West losing its identity.
Many thanks, Marco. I very much agree with your worries about those tendencies, which do indeed endanger western identity. The reason why I worry more about Trump is that I see those damaging tendencies as being reversible, in the normal course of debate and alternation in power. My worry about Trump is that not only would his return to the White House represent a fundamental rejection of basic tenets of US law and constitutionality, he is the sort of leader capable of making changes that are either irreversible or, at least, very hard to reverse. And in terms of geopolitics and both the reputation and the unity of the West his re-election would be transformative — again in a way likely to be hard to reverse. Best wishes, meanwhile!
Hitler had standards, which he made sure were upheld throughout his time as Führer. I am reminded of the old blues refrain, "If I didn't have no bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all".
Excellent piece. Indeed the defining feature of the West has been the primacy of liberal values centered around the individual. Exactly because of this, though, I do not think the reelection of Trump is the only — or even the biggest - threat. At least equally damaging in my mind is the tendency to sacrifice key liberal values such as freedom of speech and equal opportunity in the name of “higher values” that take on a quasi-religious significance. I am thinking of the censorship on traditional and social media to “save democracy” or to protect “science” from dissent (during Covid); of the curbing of free speech on college campuses; of the discrimination against Asians in university admissions in the name of diversity. That’s the West losing its identity.