The collapse of western hegemony, the failure of free-market fundamentalism, and the domestic decline of public services over the past twenty-five years form the central thesis of Owen Jones’s new book, The Fall of the West: How They Really Lost It. Guardian columnist Owen Jones argues that the political certainties of the turn of the millennium—anchored by Tony Blair’s platitudes, free-market ideology, and US military supremacy—have crashed amid economic failures, foreign policy disasters, and political crises that render the concept of “the west” increasingly quaint.
Geopolitical Failures and the Erosion of International Law
Revisiting the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq highlights not only conservative estimates of half a million deaths but also total strategic failure. Owen Jones writes that the 2021 evacuation of Kabul airport stands among the starkest images of American decline yet broadcast to the world.
These interventions destabilized the region and systematically weakened international law. The precedent began when Nato bombed Yugoslavia without UN Security Council authorization in 1999, followed by the 2003 invasion of Iraq without UN approval. According to Owen Jones, these actions allowed Vladimir Putin to dismiss western objections when he subsequently invaded Ukraine on dubious pretexts.
The international rule of law faced further indifference when Keir Starmer asserted that Israel had the right to cut off water and electricity to 2 million civilians in Gaza—constituting a war crime—in retaliation for Hamas’s attacks on October 7, 2023.
Domestic Decline, Austerity, and the Rise of the Far Right
Alongside foreign policy disasters, the book details domestic economic decline built on chronic insecurity and precarious employment. During the 2000s, New Labour pursued Thatcherite policies that turned essential services into assets designed to generate returns. Passengers paid higher fares for overcrowded trains while water companies loaded themselves with debt and paid out dividends, as rivers and seas were fouled.
Following the 2008 financial crisis, bankers were rescued through bailouts funded by austerity measures. Owen Jones notes a direct correlation between the inability of centrist governments to tackle economic decline and the rise of the far right across Britain and other nations.
Eyewitness Accounts and Historical Reckoning
The book weaves in snippets of interviews with eyewitnesses, journalists, scholars, and activists. Contributors include the director of the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad, a former Lehman Brothers employee, a former head of the Afghan Red Crescent, Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis, and conservative commentator Andrew Sullivan. Sullivan, a repentant cheerleader for the Iraq war, admits he was wrong on the major issues regarding its morality, practicality, and rationale.
While well-informed readers will find familiar terrain regarding Bush and Blair’s wars, the financial crash, and populist surges, the framing places the recent news cycle firmly into historical context. Owen Jones points to the aggressive privatization of the Russian economy in the 1990s, which brought terrible economic hardship and ultimately fueled Putin’s revanchist nationalism, while describing the second Trump administration as the logical endpoint of free-market philosophy.
Core argument and turning points of western decline
What is the core argument of Owen Jones’s book?
The book argues that the political and economic certainties of the turn of the millennium—specifically free-market fundamentalism, western military supremacy, and unbridled privatization—have collapsed due to strategic foreign policy failures, domestic economic decline, and the erosion of international law.
Which historical events are cited as turning points in western decline?
Key turning points include the unauthorized Nato bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the 2008 financial crisis, the subsequent imposition of austerity, and the 2021 evacuation of Kabul airport.
Who are some of the notable figures interviewed in the book?
Interviewees include conservative commentator Andrew Sullivan, Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis, a former Lehman Brothers employee, a former head of the Afghan Red Crescent, and the director of the Iraq National Museum in Baghdad.
How does the book connect past economic policies to modern political trends?
Owen Jones links the privatization of essential services and the 2008 financial bailouts to persistent economic insecurity, arguing that the failure of centrist governments to address this decline directly fuels the rise of the far right.
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