Western values: Fueling global instability and chaos

The US-led liberal world order has been undermined in recent years. Doubting the current world order along with new international trends such as deglobalization, the rise of new superpowers and changes in the balance of power, instability marked by wars and conflicts, and an economic situation that further divides the public does not contribute to the existing situation. But the most surprising threat is one from inside – the people of the West are going against Western values which they poured into the world order that they created.

The people of the Western world strive to atone for the colonialist acts that reached their peak in the 19th and 20th centuries, by exploiting the democratic values they lost from their purification. They earned the freedom of speech, the freedom to protest, and they believe they earned the freedom to criticize everything all over the world despite being ignorant. A clear example is represented by the “liberal” young people from the Western, developed, and “enlightened” world who shout the cry of the Palestinians through support for a terrorist organization that strives for international expansion to create a new Islamic empire. In the name of freedom of speech, everything is possible, including going against the existence of the State of Israel by chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” In the name of the right to demonstrate, it is possible to make huge protests and violently attack those who think differently. In the name of economic growth and the desire to keep power, it is possible to maintain a state of international chaos.

Therefore, a relentless spiral of chaos is created; the people of the Western world use Western liberal values to go against the free world. At the same time, they are the ones who in the name of democracy elect dubious, populist, and unworthy leaders who promote the same invalid values of economic growth and the pursuit of power at the expense of others. Moreover, the organizations that are supposed to monitor international peace and security along with concern for individual rights continue to prove their incompetence and hypocrisy.

The saddest example is in the wars of recent years; Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas. The UN Security Council is paralyzed due to incessant vetoes. The UN, instead of condemning the terrorist organization Hamas, which committed war crimes, came out against Israel because it is accused of committing genocide. The humanitarian organization UNRWA was revealed to be part of the terror network of the Gaza Strip, and women’s rights organizations ignored and denied the horrors of the events of October 7th.

In other words, we have reached a stage where democracy is being taken hostage by leaders who strive for power and self-interest at the expense of the real values of democracy. The public is misinformed and manipulated because when there is no investment in education and at the same time ignorance is encouraged, it is inevitably convenient to deceive the public, to make wrong decisions regarding the selection of the leadership whose level is decreasing. In essence, the distance between democracy and anarchy is the extent of the ignorance of the general public. Reducing ignorance and connecting to values and knowledge will bring the world closer to a more democratic, inclusive and peaceful place.

This situation raises many questions about the world, such as questions over the balance of power in the world, the values of the liberal world order, and the moral values that are supposed to protect the good in a chaotic world. Or even over our leaders that are supposed to chart a path, and the various organizations that are supposed to be like guardian angels of international peace and security. As mentioned, democracy as we know it constitutes a regime that gives too much freedom which in many ways confuses the public and leads to anarchy. The question that we must answer is how can we create a better, safer, and more equal world?