The reason the west has distinguished itself as the "free world" over the last century is largely because many western countries have liberal democracies built on consensus-based governance. That's not limited just to the west, of course, but the west pioneered it and for decades were considered the "leaders of the free world."

There have always been authoritarian governments, and hardly ever a shortage of animosity between them and the "free world."

Of course, the "free world" itself was never perfect. But it did make a lot of progress. The Nordic Model was perhaps the most pro-social form of governance the world has seen to date.

Unfortunately, the west is deteriorating. People are losing faith in liberal democracy as many of its weaknesses are leading to critical failures (such as ungovernable stalemates like in France, or polarizing politics such as the US), neoliberalism giving corporations too much power and late-stage capitalism becoming a transition from financial oligarchy to technofeudalism, and a resurgence of far-right authoritarianism due to a combination of factors (widespread discontent due to social inequality, economic stagnation, and wealth disparity; misguided ire due to algorithmic manipulation, sensationalist reactionary populism, and foreign adversarial disinformation/propaganda/psyops/hybrid warfare).

It really feels like the western experiment is falling apart, and I don't know what the future holds but it looks bleak. Prior to the post-WWII rules-based order, the world was a dark place. Maybe it hasn't exactly been a bright place since, but it's been brighter than otherwise, brighter than it was before. Some people say it's good that the west is falling apart, but they forget that the values of humanism, equality, and diversity were incubated within this western experiment. There's a reason everybody wants to move to the west, and it's not because it sucks. Maybe it does suck, but not as bad as other places. Why else would people be leaving their homes to move to the west? It's because they're seeking a promise of a future; a civil order, a social safety net, education and career opportunities.

What happens if the west falls apart? What happens if it gives in to far-right authoritarianism? What if the social order collapses? People like Putin, Lukashenko, Orban, Khamenei, they would have a big chuckle. That would be a very dark day for the world.

The world is already facing dark days, but they can still get much darker. The world still seems to be getting darker. Every year lately seems to reach a new low. We're entering an age where chaos, hatred, violence, and oppression rein.

It doesn't have to be this way. Not everywhere. The last strongholds of democracy can still hold together. Europe, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan. There are more places that can still be considered part of the free world, but it seems like every one is facing troubles. Everywhere, that way of life is coming under attack.

I don't know what the answer is. It feels like a force of history that's as unstoppable as an avalanche. Maybe there was a point in time when it all hung in the balance, but once it tipped over to the wrong side it's all been tumbling down since. Maybe either side it tipped, it would tumble. Maybe holding that delicate balance was the trick. In that view, it's quite impressive that it lasted as long as it did. The last time the world order broke down so catastrophically was in the lead-up to WWII.

No, I don't think there's any stopping the dark days that lie ahead. We failed...