The Shrinking Western Dream

The Western world’s material edge is slipping. Its dominance was built on intellectual drive, entrepreneurial daring, and the hard lessons of conflict, which together powered innovation and global supremacy. Today, that advantage is waning, not only because manufacturing has shifted elsewhere, but also because its lead in the knowledge economy now faces intense competition from emerging powers.

Immigration, once the gateway through which ambitious outsiders rode Western surpluses, is being redefined. It is no longer about attracting the best and brightest but about filling the gaps left by demographic decline. Over time, such inflows could resemble a form of reverse colonisation, provoking resistance within Western societies. Even short of that, these migrants are unlikely to be the high-value innovators who once reinforced Western dominance.

For the wider world, this means dwindling opportunities. The West will still import labour to keep its systems running, but the stage it once offered for talented individuals to flourish is shrinking fast. The Western dream, once expansive, is now a narrowing prospect.

Niraj Kumar Jha