A Post-Western World?

As the Ottomans finally vanquished their perpetual foes, the Byzantines, by successfully capturing Constantinople in 1453 another succession of seminal events were taking place. The ‘Reconquista’, the annexation of Muslim Kingdoms and Emirates and the eventual expulsion of Andalusian (Spanish) Muslims by rival Spanish Christian Kingdoms, was also drawing to a close. However, the consequences of these two events were divergent. The capture of Constantinople was a major blow to Christendom and allowed the expansion of Ottoman rule into Europe creating the fear of the Muslim ‘other’ due to their apparent land and naval invincibility. Indeed, as Edward Said wrote, “until the end of the 17th century the ‘Ottoman’ peril lurked alongside Europe to represent for the whole of Christian civilization a constant danger”. Yet although Turkic and thus Muslim civilisation flourished, it had reached its apogee long ago. Indeed, the dominance of the Ottomans hid the fact that a hegemonic shift had already occurred.

The conquest of the last Muslim Kingdom in Spain, the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in 1492 paved the way for Spanish maritime exploration and thus their ascendancy. There were many reasons for this undertaking. The marital union of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had effectively united the crowns of Castille and Aragon, which laid the foundation for a united Spain, and allowed the subjugation of Andalusian Muslims. Fundamentally, like their Portuguese neighbours the Spanish recognised the increasing value of international trade. However, trade in the Mediterranean, and thus trade with the East, was an Ottoman monopoly. This unfavourable status quo was coupled with the extant rulers’ familial connections with the Austrian Habsburgs, the archrivals of the Ottomans. Thus, the 1492 Castillian-Aragonese expedition of Christopher Columbus was launched in a bid to find a sea-based trade route and thus partake in the lucrative trade with the East. Subsequently, Columbus inadvertently discovered the Americas. Concurrently, the Portuguese quest for world exploration and trade, initiated by Prince Henry the Navigator, led to the Portuguese quickly acquiring colonies in the coastal regions of Africa. Thus opening up trade with the East whilst bypassing the Ottomans and establishing Western European hegemony.

Thus, what relevance does this have today? The fact that a hegemonic shift can occur without a cataclysmic catalyst is evidence of the transient nature of power. Whilst the USA and the rest of Europe pump in billions of Dollars/Pounds/Euros, China’s economy in comparison remains rather buoyant. Moreover, India and Latin America, who trade heavily with the USA, have weathered the economic storm much better than expected. Additionally, the extent to which Chinese Yuans remain vital for the American economy is astounding. For example, in the May of this year China held $801.5 billion of U.S. Treasury debt, the largest foreign holdings in the world. As the recession fails to abate, one speculates whether there has been a decisive hegemonic shift to the East creating a Post-Western World.