1. Civilization—the Pivot of Geopolitics

Civilization is the new pivot of geopolitics. The West’s retreat and the resurgence of China puts civilizational divergence at the heart of international relations at a time when the populist revolt since Brexit and Trump’s victory in 2016 has redefined Western politics along cultural lines.¹ From the extreme identity politics that is sweeping the West to the rejection of Western universalism in the non-Western world, civilizational norms are as important as military might and economic power. As Christopher Coker writes, we are “living in a world in which civilisation is fast becoming the currency of international politics.”²