NOW IS THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT (Richard III I,I,I)

The East is the land of the rising sun, indeed. The West feels like a sinking fleet of ships awry, yesterday's Armada reduced to a bygone. The speed of the reversal of fortunes is shocking.

President Xi mused over the West in almost philosophical terms. Indeed, can a concept which implodes still claim an identity? America no longer holds itself together. President Biden looks sometimes like King Lear, still formidable in theory but diminished in the daylight. Europeans return to the attic where yesterday's lethal instincts were stored. Churchill said that a nation who forgets its past has no future, but this might be corrected as a nation that forgets to learn from its past errors.

It is hard to foresee what Putin will do regarding the Ukraine. To a point it is becoming indifferent since Kiev stands alone and since nobody will lift a finger if Russia decides to make a move. The sanctions will not deter. They might even amuse.

The East looks on.  A number of Western countries will snub the Winter Olympic Games... just enough to let their athletes participate, while China is certain to embarrass the chorus line of the USA & Co by spectacular organization  and medals. Contrary to Russia, China acts in largely its own star system. It adheres to its imperial past but makes sure that some more inclusive episodes are erased. The many historians who came up after Mao had to make room for the historical codex of President Xi. The Chinese leadership is fierce in  the pursuit of power internally and influence wherever it is perceived as being in its interest. Through a sophisticated strategy conducted by superb performers it has infiltrated finance, the arts, technology, giving it an edge both in soft- and hard-power.

The pandemic has only laid bare the dysfunctions in the West. Not only is the response uneven, it looks as if the disease could spread to the minds and souls. It might sound exaggerated but one should not exclude that the incoherent responses might ultimately lead to extreme destabilization, civil unrest and war. The diaspora of nation states, the EU requiem in Brussels, the NATO blues, the American emergency, are creating the perfect storm. Putin can stir it, Xi can sip it.

The West fights on all fronts. Climate change erodes the land. Conspiracy realtors poison the minds. Democratic institutions fail citizens who are dazed by fake news  and the rise of a hybrid mindset which risks entering into to a fraudulent algorithm. No wonder the suitors are looking elsewhere!