Cultural clash: Western minds in a world of contrasts

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Modern Diplomacy
4 Aug 2023 15:51

In a piece published by Modern Diplomacy, Mohammed Nosseir, an Egyptian liberal politician, acknowledges that Western civilization's evolution is often imposed on others, without recognizing that different societies may prioritize different aspects, such as religion, individualism, or community-oriented values.

The Statue of Liberty is pictured in New York. (AFP via Getty Images)

Global discourse often revolves around trends in Western nations, which can dominate the world's attention for a few months. However, many of these topics are seen as irrelevant, irrational, or immoral by non-Westerners. The discourse uses evocative terms like "hero", "betrayer," "ally," or "adversary" to label the rest of the world, reinforcing the Western perspective and isolating certain leaders as adversaries. This approach complicates world dynamics, as it creates a divisive framework of heroes versus villains instead of recognizing shared interests and potential for compromise.

That’s the take offered by Mohammed Nosseir, an Egyptian liberal politician, who argued that the Western viewpoint failed to consider the diversity of the rest of the world, where values and priorities may differ based on cultural contexts.

In a piece published by Modern Diplomacy, Nosseir acknowledged that Western civilization's evolution is often imposed on others, without recognizing that different societies may prioritize different aspects, such as religion, individualism, or community-oriented values.

Western intelligence can be comprehensive but may lack an understanding of other cultures due to biases and limited perspectives, Nosseir maintained.

Additionally, Western media also tends to sustain this political dilemma by prioritizing Western elite perspectives and overlooking viewpoints from adversaries.

In Nosseir's view, the Western approach to foreign military intervention and policies can be criticized for serving narrow interests and failing to address world crises effectively. Western politicians' rhetoric and policies should be evaluated based on results, not just their democratic image.

He is also corroborating the idea that Western nations should avoid taking their power for granted, as absolute power can lead to backlash and negative perceptions worldwide.

The gist of Nosseir's argument is that the rest of the world does not necessarily oppose the West but is critical of its narrow-mindedness, egoism, and double standards.

"The West doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the rest of the world. The latter aren’t against the West per se, but against their narrow-minded approach, egoism, and double standards. The true success of Western nations should be measured by their ability to maneuver the rollercoaster of world events in a direction that makes this world peaceful and prosperous, which entails aligning outraged nations, not isolating them. This could happen by fading out Western hegemony and having a cross-cultural dialogue among universal citizens on how the world should function," he concludes.