Since Donald Trump became president, the West has been reshaping itself. Christoph Heusgen observes how old alliances are changing. The USA is gradually retreating from its leadership role and its principles. Russia and China are following their own paths. The classical "West," shaped during the Cold War, is dissolving. At the same time, Europe remains committed to democratic values and the rule of law. New partnerships with countries such as Canada or Australia might emerge. Heusgen sees the potential for an «Alliance of Multilateralism».

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The transformation of the West

Since Donald Trump came to power, the alliance of Western states can no longer rely on the United States. But is there a “West” without the United States? And what is the “West” anyway? Christoph Heusgen assesses the situation and predicts an alliance of multilateralism.
Summary Since Donald Trump became president, the West has been reshaping itself. Christoph Heusgen observes how old alliances are changing. The USA is gradually retreating from its leadership role and its principles. Russia and China are following their own paths. The classical "West," shaped during the Cold War, is dissolving. At the same time, Europe remains committed to democratic values and the rule of law. New partnerships with countries such as Canada or Australia might emerge. Heusgen sees the potential for an «Alliance of Multilateralism».
Published on 29.07.2025
Christoph Heusgen

There is no question in my mind that the "West" is changing. I am even convinced that developments in recent years raise an even more fundamental question: does the classic "West" still exist?
 

The East and China

The term originates from the Cold War, when the "East" and the "West" were opposed to each other. The Iron Curtain was erected, and the Berlin Wall was built. The leading power of the "East", the Soviet Union, then collapsed in 1989, the Iron Curtain fell, and the "end of history" seemed to have been reached. But with Putin's return to power in 2012, at the latest, a resurrection of Stalin's dictatorial system of rule, the "East", could be observed in the form of a totalitarian Russia that wants to link itself either to the Soviet Union or the Tsarist Empire. However, Russia has lost its leading position: economically, technologically and demographically, Russia is on the decline, as American Senator McCain predicted years ago: "Russia will become China's gas station in perpetuity." China has taken over Russia's leading role in the classic "East" and is trying to expand itself globally much more actively than the old Soviet Union did. But there are also initial signs that China has passed its zenith.
 

The classic West no longer exists

The "West" is different: here, the decades-long leading power, the USA, has withdrawn from the classic Western alliance. The appearance of US Vice President Vance at the Munich Security Conference, where he acted as a mouthpiece for the German right-wing extremist party AfD, and the humiliating reception of Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House made it clear to everyone that the US has abandoned its role as the leading Western power and that “Western” values such as democracy, separation of powers, the rule of law and respect for international law no longer apply to it. The Western superpower has become a "transactional", unprincipled, unpredictable state guided by narrowly defined national interests. Without its superpower, the classic "West" no longer exists.

“The Western superpower has become a 'transactional', unprincipled, unpredictable state guided by narrowly defined national interests.”
Prof. Dr. Christoph Heusgen

The EU and new partners

However, the fundamental ideas of the "West" will survive: above all, the European Union, which was established after the catastrophes of two world wars, remains a strong player that remains true to its fundamental principles of the rule of law, democracy, solidarity, market economy and human rights, even if populists and nationalists are also wreaking havoc in the EU. Here, it is important to remain vigilant and to take the wind out of the sails of opponents of an open society through good governance. And the European Union is not alone: we are seeing important countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia deliberately distancing themselves from the United States and moving closer to the European Union and the fundamental principles it represents. For its part, the EU is reaching out to potential partners around the world—from Switzerland to South America—to form a new alliance committed to free trade and the rule of law.
 

The alliance of multilateralism

Thus, on the ruins of the old "West", a new alliance of multilateralism is emerging. It remains to be seen whether it will prevail against opponents from within and without, namely Russia, China and the US, which may well revert to its old role in the medium term. But at a time when the international rules which are based on the UN Charter are under attack, the Western alliance sends a signal of hope that this order does have a future, that it will regain its appeal and that even more countries, including those in the Global South, will feel more comfortable in a world where the strength of the law prevails and not the law of the strong.

Image: Adobe Stock / AlinStock