The Narratives – Mohamed Miah

By Mohamed Miah

The world is vast, stretching across continents that dwarf Europe in size, population, and resources. Yet for centuries, this tiny cluster of nations has dominated the global stage, dictating the terms of progress, trade, and politics. How? By leaning into a “little man syndrome”—a tendency to overcompensate for its physical and geographical limitations with aggressive colonisation, exploitation, and control.

But the world is changing, and this Western dominance is no longer secure. The rise of nations in the East—China, India, South Korea, and beyond—signals a massive shift in global power. While the West struggles with its own contradictions, from greed-fuelled policies to crumbling education systems, the East is outpacing it in innovation, ambition, and sheer determination. What happens when the “little man” starts losing the fight?

From Influence to Oppression

The West likes to talk about its “influence”—how it spread democracy, modernisation, and free markets across the globe. But let’s not sugar-coat history. This wasn’t influence; it was bullying and oppression. Colonisation wasn’t a partnership; it was a forced extraction of resources, wealth, and dignity. From the partitioning of Africa to the exploitation of India, the West built its empires by taking what wasn’t theirs and suppressing those who resisted.

This arrogance didn’t just shape the past—it’s still shaping the present. Western powers often lecture the rest of the world about morality while clinging to systems designed to keep themselves on top. But as the East rises, those systems are being challenged like never before.

The East Hungry, Ambitious, and Unstoppable

While the West clings to its past, the East is focused on the future. Countries like China and India are redefining what global power looks like, and they’re doing it by prioritising education, innovation, and long-term strategy.

Education The Eastern Engine

Education is the foundation of this shift. In the East, it’s not just a personal achievement—it’s a societal mission. Families in China, India, South Korea, and Japan pour everything into ensuring their children excel, knowing education is the best way to break barriers and secure a better future. This isn’t limited to the upper class—students from villages and cities alike compete on a level playing field, driven by hunger and ambition.

Contrast this with the West. Prestigious institutions like Oxford, Cambridge, and Harvard have traded merit for money. Admissions are increasingly skewed in favour of the wealthy and well-connected, sidelining brilliant minds in favour of legacy students or donors’ children. What was once a meritocracy has become a playground for the elite.

And this is why the East is pulling ahead. Chinese universities like Tsinghua and Peking are producing world-class graduates, and India’s IITs churn out engineers and scientists who lead the world’s biggest tech firms. In the West, meanwhile, rising tuition costs and student debt have turned education into a privilege, not a right.

From Space to Innovation The East’s Ascent

The rise of the East isn’t just about education—it’s about applying that knowledge to reshape the world. Take the space race, for example.

In 2023, India’s Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon’s south pole, a feat no other nation has achieved. And they did it for a fraction of the cost of NASA or European missions. Meanwhile, China is building lunar bases and planning manned missions to Mars, competing with (and sometimes surpassing) Western space programmes.

But it’s not just about space. The East is leading in industries that will define the future—AI, renewable energy, and quantum computing. China is the world’s largest producer of solar panels and electric vehicles. India, known as the “pharmacy of the world,” is revolutionising global healthcare with affordable medicines and vaccines. These aren’t one-off achievements; they’re part of a long-term strategy to dominate globally.

The West’s Greed Is Backfiring

Ironically, the West’s decline is a problem of its own making. For decades, Western corporations outsourced manufacturing, research, and development to countries like China and India in search of higher profits. The result? These nations absorbed the knowledge, technology, and wealth they needed to transform themselves into global leaders.

Now, the same corporations that once drove Western dominance are abandoning ship. Why stay in high-cost economies like the UK or the US when the East offers cheaper labour, booming markets, and government support? The West’s obsession with short-term gains has handed the keys to the future to the East.

Class, Privilege, and Stagnation in the West

Another major problem for the West is its rigid class system, which quietly determines who succeeds and who doesn’t. Politics and privilege often decide whether someone becomes a CEO or a cleaner, regardless of talent or work ethic. If you’re born into the wrong postcode, your chances of climbing the ladder are slim to none.

In the East, while inequalities exist, education often serves as a great equaliser. Success isn’t handed out—it’s earned through hard work and determination. This cultural mindset fuels ambition across all levels of society, creating a workforce that’s not just competitive but relentless.

The West’s Response: Desperation and Denial

Faced with these challenges, the West is lashing out. Sanctions, trade wars, and aggressive rhetoric reveal a desperate attempt to maintain control. Europe, in particular, has become increasingly aggressive, clinging to outdated power structures that no longer serve the modern world.

America, too, is feeling the heat. The dollar’s dominance is under threat as BRICS nations work to create alternative payment systems. Even allies like Australia and New Zealand are beginning to look Eastward, recognising where the future lies.

What Happens Next?

In the next 50 years, the global balance of power will look unrecognisable. The East will dominate in education, science, and innovation, leaving the West struggling to adapt. Migration patterns could reverse, with Western professionals moving to Eastern cities in search of better opportunities—a stark contrast to the past.

For the West, this isn’t the end of the road, but it is a wake-up call. To stay relevant, Western nations need to:

1. Reinvest in education: Bring back meritocracy and make education accessible for all.

2. Embrace collaboration: Partner with the East rather than resisting its rise.

3. Tackle inequality: Break down class barriers to unleash untapped talent.

But these changes require humility—something the West has rarely shown in its long history of dominance.

The End of Little Man Syndrome

The West can no longer rely on the overconfidence and arrogance that defined its rise. The world is bigger now, and power is shifting to those who earned it through hard work, resilience, and vision. Whether the West adapts or fades into irrelevance is up to its leaders—and its people.

The question is no longer “How does the West maintain control?” but “Can the West learn to live in a more balanced world?” The answer will define the next chapter of global history.