Battle for West’s identity intensifies in the US, UK

One element of our current global crisis is an internal western struggle for securing the identity of the West. Although it has been building up for years, two developments in recent days have given it a new momentum within the West and greater global visibility.

- Atul Mishra

The first was the assassination of Charlie Kirk, an influential Right-wing American activist and media personality described by his supporters as a "plumbline Republican". The second was the "Unite the Kingdom" rally in the UK, led by far-Right activist Tommy Robinson, who has served multiple prison sentences in the past. The rally saw the participation of over one lakh people, one of the largest in the UK's recent history.

Kirk and Robinson are part of an increasingly large number of individuals, groups and organisations - some more prominent and influential than others - who believe - in varying degrees of strength - that the West as an idea and a force in human affairs is facing an existential threat. One of them is Elon Musk. Speaking to the UK rally through a video-link, Musk said: "Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die." The subtext was Kirk's assassination.

Partisans of this struggle believe that the West is a civilisation, and amongst the finest that humanity has seen. Its roots lie in classical Greece and Rome. It is held together by the Christian faith. It was nourished by the European Renaissance and modernised by the Enlightenment. Its politics is marked by democracy and freedoms, foremost amongst the latter being the right to free thought and speech. Its founders are White people who are God fearing, family-oriented, industrious, and enterprising.