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Powering Down: Does Dissent in the West Signal That It's Losing Clout?

© AP Photo / Virginia MayoEU and US flags seen beneath the moon
EU and US flags seen beneath the moon - Sputnik International
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The West continues to rapidly lose its clout, which had been based on democracy and human rights, according to the German newspaper Tagesspiegel.

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Tagesspiegel columnist Malte Lehming believes that even though Western countries are still full of ambitions, they are swiftly losing their power, which had previously based on their adherence to democratic principles and respect for human rights, RIA Novosti reported.

"Europe and the US, together, [gave us] the concept of the West. Once, the West claimed to be strong enough to defend its values. Its ambitions so far remain unchanged, but there is already no power to fulfill them,"Lehming said.

He specifically attributed the fading clout of the West to its "escape from responsibility." As an example, he singled out German Chancellor Angela Merkel's botched policy with regard to refugees.

© AFP 2023 / DPA/Bernd Von Jutrczenka Asylum seeker (C, L) takes a selfie picture with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C, R) following Merkel's visit at a branch of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and a camp for asylum-seekers in Berlin on September 10, 2015.
Asylum seeker (C, L) takes a selfie picture with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C, R) following Merkel's visit at a branch of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and a camp for asylum-seekers in Berlin on September 10, 2015. - Sputnik International
Asylum seeker (C, L) takes a selfie picture with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C, R) following Merkel's visit at a branch of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and a camp for asylum-seekers in Berlin on September 10, 2015.

He recalled that Merkel decided to give the go-ahead for receiving more than a million migrants all by herself, without discussing it with her European partners. Later, Merkel pledged that "we can manage it," thus actually making German citizens responsible for the problem, according to Lehming.

He said that "the split of European unity" could also be seen during the financial crisis in Greece, when France and Germany failed to arrive at a consensus on the matter.

In addition, US presidential candidate Donald Trump's aggressive rhetoric irritates Europeans because it reflects all their prejudices against the Americans, Lehming said.

"A curious drama is in the air: Europe and America are walking side by side, but each has its own fundamental idea of the future," he pointed out.

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Merkel has repeatedly been slammed for her 'open doors' policy, as the growing influx of refugees has raised security concerns among the local population.

However, despite widespread opposition among Germans and a number of their elected officials, Merkel has refused to close the country's borders and set a limit on the number of migrants.

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