The rise of the West is a simple story to tell culturally: It’s about Europe moving toward openness, cosmopolitanism, intellectual freedom, transparent rules, and, above all, institutional checks and balances. US President Donald Trump negates these values at every turn.
WASHINGTON, DC – Among the more remarkable features of US President Donald Trump’s meandering speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos was his invocation of the cultural bonds that made the West so prosperous. But Trump obviously did not believe a word he said when he praised the “special culture” and “spirit that lifted the West.” After all, that culture was liberal, market-oriented, and committed to providing dignity to all people. It challenged entrenched hierarchies and rejected absolute authority. The West prospered by rejecting the type of regime he is seeking to create in America, embraced in Hungary, Turkey, and elsewhere, and would like to see take root across Europe.
