This discussion is significant as it redefines the historical narrative of the western alliance, especially in light of current geopolitical tensions and America's shifting relationships with European allies.

Was the ‘western alliance’ dreamt up to further American and British interests? Georgios Varouxakis argues that the idea is older, quintessentially European, and even anti-imperialistFor your book The West: The History of an Idea, you spent 12 years researching what people mean when they talk about “the west”. At a time when America’s president shows more admiration for autocratic Russia than for Nato-allied countries in Europe, are we witnessing the end of the west as an idea? I certainly wouldn’t write off the west. What we are seeing is a challenge to a version of the west that had America as its leader. But it doesn’t have to signal the end. The west is crucial to Europeans, and they have been the core of it. America joined at some point as an offshoot; it has been isolationist before, and it may become isolationist again. So we may see a different version of the west for a while, with its core in Europe, as it historically has mostly been. But America will surely return sooner or later.A west without America is hard to get one’s head around. When we use that term, most people think of the cold war, and a western alliance led by the Anglosphere … Of course. One common view is that the notion of the west gains traction with the foundation of Nato in 1949 and the cold war. At the other extreme there’s the “from Plato to Nato” idea, which says the west started with ancient Greeks when they fought off the Persians. Meanwhile, among historians, there has been a boringly universal consensus that the west as a self-conscious idea begins in the 1880s or 90s, and is due primarily to the needs of British imperialism: it was invented to justify imperialism, to demarcate the oriental east of Asia and Arab peoples as an “other”. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/sep/03/europe-is-the-core-america-joined-as-an-offshoot-the-historian-challenging-what-the-west-means">Continue reading...</a>

تعتبر هذه المناقشة مهمة لأنها تعيد تعريف السرد التاريخي للتحالف الغربي، خاصة في ضوء التوترات الجيوسياسية الحالية والعلاقات المتغيرة لأمريكا مع حلفائها الأوروبيين.

يستكشف المؤرخ جورجيوس فاروكاس مفهوم 'الغرب' في كتابه، حيث يجادل بأنه أوروبي بحت ومناهض للإمبريالية، متحديًا الفكرة القائلة بأنه تم إنشاؤه لخدمة المصالح الأمريكية والبريطانية.

Esta discusión es significativa ya que redefine la narrativa histórica de la alianza occidental, especialmente a la luz de las tensiones geopolíticas actuales y las relaciones cambiantes de América con sus aliados europeos.

El historiador Georgios Varouxakis explora el concepto de 'occidente' en su libro, argumentando que es fundamentalmente europeo y antiimperialista, desafiando la noción de que fue creado para servir a los intereses estadounidenses y británicos.

Cette discussion est importante car elle redéfinit le récit historique de l'alliance occidentale, surtout à la lumière des tensions géopolitiques actuelles et des relations changeantes de l'Amérique avec ses alliés européens.

L'historien Georgios Varouxakis explore le concept de 'l'ouest' dans son livre, soutenant qu'il est fondamentalement européen et anti-impérialiste, remettant en question l'idée qu'il a été créé pour servir les intérêts américains et britanniques.

Historian Georgios Varouxakis explores the concept of 'the west' in his book, arguing that it is fundamentally European and anti-imperialist, challenging the notion that it was created to serve American and British interests.

‘Europe is the core – America joined as an offshoot’: the historian challenging what ‘the west’ means

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