Putin Wants a Clash of Civilizations. Is ‘The West’ Falling for It? (behind paywall), The New York Times, March 11, 2022, Thomas Meaney.

…The more we hear about the resolve of the West, the more the values of a liberal international order appear like the provincial set of principles of a particular people, in a particular place.

Of the 10 most-populous countries in the world, only one — the United States — supports major economic sanctions against Russia… Nor do non-Western states appear to welcome the kind of economic disruptions that will result…

The rest of the world is concerned not only about wider economic immiseration but also about the global escalation of a conflict between two “civilizations” that share the preponderance of the world’s nuclear weapons between them.

(read more) (Posted in Political/Foreign Policy)