Global Power Fragments As Western Authority Recedes
Vacuum widens as policy loses focus and reach
The Western order will not survive Jeffrey Epstein list going public. However, Washington and Brussels insist their order still leads the world, yet their record is showing nothing but weakness, they are drifting and fracturing. Western institutions are stuck in deadlock and unable to act. We are seeing leadership credibility fading as the leaders have lost trust, restlessness amongsg allies show frustration, and new groups are filling the gap without offering direction. President Trump is handing out tariffs without a clear plan. Those aimed at Brazil do nothing for U.S. strategy and only protect Bolsonaro, upsetting a key partner and showing a White House driven by donor pressure. Europe's foreign policy is disjointed and is underperforming. China avoids taking the lead, and Russia isn't trusted enough to lead, and the result is a rudderless system that no longer centres on the Atlantic world.
When it comes to the Gulf monarchies, it is best to look at what the actually do, not what they say. Abu Dhabi entered the Abraham Accords, yet now feels buyer’s remorse after seeing Israel demand absolute security while granting none at all to neighbours. It's like as if they are not aware of the Greater Israel Plan, but it is taking shape right before everyone's eyes. Riyadh now talks more with Tehran and criticises Israel, even though its military ties keep it closely linked to the U.S. Cairo has begun phasing out its aging fleet of American-made F-16 fighter jets in favour of the Chinese Shenyang J-15. The decision marks a significant pivot away from decades of reliance on U.S. military hardware and highlights China's growing influence in the Middle East arms market. This transition not only reflects Egypt's desire for more autonomous defense procurement but also cements Beijing's role as a serious competitor to Washington in the regional security architecture. Years of war in Ukraine and ongoing support for Israel have stretched Washington’s military stockpiles thin. At the same time, Moscow’s traditional footholds in the Middle East are weakening, leaving a vacuum in regional power dynamics. In this shifting landscape, Middle Eastern governments are increasingly making pragmatic choices, cutting new deals, exploring alternative partners like China, and charting their own course without waiting for approval from Washington or Moscow. It appears, the era of Western dominance in the region is no longer taken for granted, they are not waiting on the West to lead.
Ukraine is the stage where Washington’s contradictions are playing out. Donald Trump halts arms, resumes them, then denies awareness of his own order. The parasitic donors want an escalation, the electoral base wants a retreat, and the policy swings follow wherever the cheque book directs. Russian planners recognise the pattern and advance on the ground while stockpiling missiles that outrange shrinking Western hardware.
Ukraine doesn’t have enough troops to make full use of new weapons, even if a lot of them showed up. Europe talks the loudest about stepping up, but it still relies heavily on U.S. supplies and money. At this point, one can be forgiven for getting tired of speeches from Europe's puppet leaders, they don’t matter much, what counts is who has the factories, stockpiles, and trained soldiers. And on that front, Russia has the upper hand.
The deterioration in the US is most troubling, the U.S. Constitution is being slowly weakened, as government surveillance and spying grows; free speech is curtailed and punished; religion starts to shape laws; and legal fairness is being heavily influenced by politics.
A society once admired as an idea now polices dissent and treats outcomes as legitimate only when they please the controller.
Abroad, Washington once defended international law; today it scorns the same rules when allies face scrutiny. At its peak power of owning and controlling, the U.S. was good at giving the illusion of standing up for international law, but now it is forced to openly ignores those same rules when its allies are under the spotlight. Genocide protests meet criminal charges while indicted leaders receive escorts through allied airspace. People protesting genocide are getting arrested, while accused leaders travel safely through friendly countries’ airspace. These reversals drain moral authority faster than any rival propaganda.
Europe is part and parcel of the problem or it can be argued, the author it, via City of London of course. Governments that once promised “never again” now support harsh actions in Gaza and punish anyone who speaks out against it. German rearmament targets Russia, yet Berlin’s strategic compass still follows Washington, not German voters. Paris and London mouth autonomy but join each fresh sanction round even after earlier rounds failed. The union’s vaunted values prove malleable when commercial or alliance pressures mount. Citizens note the gap between public virtue and private policy, and trust is deteriorating further.
A wider pattern is becoming clear across the world. The West used to set the agenda with its industry, money, and respected institutions. Those pillars erode when production shifts abroad, debt funds consumption, and councils of power ignore majority wishes at home.
Emerging states perceive opportunity rather than threat in this power vacuum. They establish ad hoc alliances, provide arms and financial support without conditions, and circumvent sanctions through alternative payment channels. While none have yet assumed coherent leadership, each challenge to Western dominance gradually erodes its primacy. Policy makers in London should draw three blunt conclusions. First, it is not the loudest megaphone but material capacity decides modern conflict; Second, alliances endure only while they serve mutual interests; unilateral tariffs and legal double standards corrode loyalty. Third, domestic cohesion anchors foreign influence; a state that sidelines its own traditions loses overseas appeal faster than markets can be replaced.
Repair begins with disciplined stewardship of resources, restoration of legal consistency, and acceptance that others now shape outcomes once dictated from Washington or Brussels. Without those steps, the West risks further slide from steward to spectator while rivals fill the space with transactions that ignore Western vetoes.
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