`Westlessness`: is the west really in a state of peril?
(The Guardian China)

Top diplomats disagreed over the global relevance of the west at the Munich security conferenceThe chosen theme of the Munich security conference - once a party for Nato and now a Davos for the world´s diplomats - was `westlessness`. The organisers wanted to capture the fear that the west is now so divided and challenged by the rise of China its whole existence has become imperilled.It was not a concept that won universal acclaim. Margrethe Vestager, the EU vice-president, hit back in one session: `I never thought about ´westlessness´ before. Are we here discussing our own depression and asking the rest of the world to join in as a sort of collective mindfulness exercise? I don´t really don´t get this.` European values - the rule of law and the integrity of the individual - had spread across the world, she insisted. Related: US urges Britain to take another `hard look` at letting Huawei into 5G Continue reading...