West will be knocked from its pedestal

THE CORONAVIRUS crisis is causing a shift in the global power balance.

In an influential essay, published by Spanish newspaper El Pais, South Korean-born philosopher Byung-Chul Han said, “Asian states like Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Singapore, that have an authoritarian mentality which comes from their cultural tradition” have weathered the crisis better than the West.

China will display the superiority of its system even more proudly.

It remains to be seen how the worldwide mentality could be altered in the aftermath of the pandemic.

The question also remains whether a change in mindset, especially in the West, will have a lasting effect on international politics. The feeling of Western supremacism and European or American exceptionalism is strong, and rooted in centuries of hegemony.

It may prove hard to shake off the feeling of entitlement.

The hawkish and warmongering stance of the Trump regime towards China is perhaps the best example, symbolised by growing anti-Chinese hostility among the US population.

The age-old strategy of finding a scapegoat will always be easier than facing the uncomfortable truths of one’s failure as a country.

Regardless of the mindset the Western public opinion settles on, Harvard international relations expert Stephen Walt summarised it well when he wrote: “Coronavirus will accelerate the shift of power and influence from west to east… The governments’ response in Europe and the US has been very sceptical, and likely to weaken the power of the Western brand.”

SAMAOEN OSMAN | Cape Town