Renewing the West’s Unique Universalism

1. Civilization—the Pivot of Geopolitics Civilization is the new pivot of geopolitics. The West’s retreat and the resurgence of China puts civilizational divergence at the heart of international relations at a time when the populist revolt since Brexit and Trump’s victory in 2016 has redefined Western politics along cultural lines.1 From the extreme identity politics that is sweeping the West to the rejection of Western universalism in the non-Western world, civilizational norms are as important as military might and economic power. As Christopher Coker writes, we are “living in a world in which civilisation is fast becoming the currency of international politics.”2