ABSTRACT
Why has the West, which set the terms for global governance for over half a century, failed to provide global leadership in recent times? And what policies can the West, particularly the United States and the European Union, adopt to strengthen global governance? This chapter identifies three strategic mistakes: becoming complacent even as China and the rest of Asia emerged as competitors; continuing to cling to powerful privileges in key intergovernmental organizations; and Washington’s unilateral response to the rise of China. Today, as the West can no longer dominate the world, it is in Western interests to strengthen institutions and norms of global governance. To do so, the chapter argues, Western civilization should return to its fundamental principles of fairness and equity in governance and embrace multilateralism enthusiastically.
