Though the West still occupies the moral high ground on many important issues – such as the Islamic State and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the global system is far less clear-cut today. Internal social challenges, which have called into question the justness of Western countries’ liberal model, have exacerbated politicians’ reticence.
其中的区别不难认识。冷战期间，西方明确占领了道德制高点，这令西方的言与行都有了自信。尽管西方仍在许多问题上占据着道德制高点——比如伊斯兰国和俄罗斯入侵乌克兰——但如今全球体系已不再明确无误。内部社会挑战给西方国家自由模式的公正性提出了疑问，也加剧了政客的缄默。