The term “de-westernisation” — often used in political and academic discourse — refers to a growing global movement seeking to dismantle Western dominance in favour of a multipolar world order. It challenges the political and economic unipolarity that the United States has imposed for over three decades and calls for alternatives to Western-controlled institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
At the heart of this movement is a push to dethrone the U.S. dollar as the sole global trade currency and to establish new financial blocs, including the expanded BRICS alliance, the Global South, and emerging poles of power rooted in civilisational states like China, Russia, and India. This direction also demands revitalising the United Nations and reasserting international law as the foundation of global relations.
But de-westernisation does not stop at confronting Western military and economic hegemony — it also questions the values the West claims to champion: the selective application of human rights, a fracturing democracy, and a liberalism that often results in weakened social solidarity, threats to the family structure, and the rise of oligarchic rule and xenophobia, fueling internal disintegration and undermining societal cohesion within Western nations.
Two Recent Shifts Marking a Turning Point
Two recent developments have reinforced the momentum of this global pivot away from the West — events that are likely to trigger major geopolitical consequences:
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- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Russia, and his alignment with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov around the shared goal of constructing a multipolar international system. The visit came as a precursor to President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to Moscow to mark the 60th anniversary of the Victory over Nazism — or what Russians call the Great Patriotic War. This is no ceremonial event; it is a platform for redefining the world order.
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- The decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to raise global tariffs, effectively shattering the very foundation of globalisation — a process once synonymous with Americanisation. In doing so, Trump has turned the Trojan horse the U.S. once used to expand its influence inward against itself.
From Globalisation to De-Coupling
Trump’s trade policy signals a strategic decoupling, replacing the “win-win” narrative of globalisation with a lose-lose reality, as described by many economists. China’s retaliation — raising tariffs on American goods and restricting critical rare earth exports — has initiated a cascading trade war with the potential to reshape global supply chains and trigger a new phase of economic conflict.
Many international observers argue that Trump’s recent soft tone toward Russia, alongside his hardline stance on Ukraine, is part of a calculated effort to pull Moscow away from Beijing and disrupt what both countries have called their “no-limits friendship.”
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, even floated the idea of recognising Russian control over Russian-speaking territories in Ukraine — a gesture reminiscent of Nixon’s diplomatic pivot to China during the Cold War to isolate the Soviet Union.
But Will History Repeat Itself?
Can Putin be persuaded to abandon a deep strategic alignment with China, forged through shared economic ventures, mutual distrust of the West, and multilateral frameworks like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?
It seems unlikely. For Putin, the West remains the “Empire of Lies” — a term he uses to describe America’s broken promises, such as the expansion of NATO despite previous assurances, or Washington’s covert support for regime change via orchestrated “colour revolutions.”
The upcoming China-Russia summit, under the banner of commemorating WWII victory, is more than symbolism — it may become a foundational moment in reordering the post-Western world, and a key step in dismantling the West’s unipolar dominance.
Trump: The Accidental Agent of De-Westernisation
Ironically, Trump himself may be the most powerful catalyst for the unraveling of Western hegemony. His policies are systematically undoing the rules that the U.S. once imposed on others.
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- The U.S., once a champion of free trade, now embraces protectionism.
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- The U.S., once the backbone of NATO, now weakens its European allies.
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- The U.S., once claiming it defeated the Soviet Union through freedom and free markets, now abandons those ideals for transactional geopolitics.
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- The U.S., once the enforcer of a rules-based global order, now openly uses force and threats to redraw borders and settle disputes.
This exposes the internal contradictions of American leadership — undermining the very legitimacy it used to command international obedience.
Western Fragility and Strategic Miscalculations
America has demonstrated dominance over Europe, which — without U.S. protection — is often described as an economic giant with a clay military base. In the Middle East, the U.S. sidelined other powers and acted unilaterally to maintain dominance.
Yet Washington’s edge over Russia lies mainly in economic power, and its edge over China lies in military alliances and forward-deployed forces. But can the U.S. outlast both China and Russia in what its own strategists call “the long game”?
And will it maintain trust with Europe, after Trump and his administration undermined commitments and treated allies with thinly veiled contempt? Even in the Middle East, the U.S. no longer holds uncontested sway.
The U.S.-led approach to global politics, which prioritises force over law and abrogation of commitments, will inevitably trigger backlash. The upcoming China-Russia summit may well be the beginning of a strategic reorientation that no longer favours American dominance.
Economic Blowback and Internal Crisis
Trump’s protectionist measures, while politically expedient, come at a cost. They will hurt the U.S. economy, decrease household income, and may sway future elections.
American voters may soon reconsider the Trumpian foreign policy playbook, realising that its long-term damage outweighs short-term gains. Ironically, Trumpism could become the very force that accelerates the internal and external fragmentation of the Western world — and the United States itself.
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