"The West", NATO, the Allies of WW2, and other organizations

All the discussions about all the other things, like the role of NATO in the Middle East protests, the whole Sudan thing, the "Axis of Evil" thing, all got me thinking...

What is "The West"?

Is NATO about defending against the Soviet Union or is NATO an alliance of democratic nations that fight to further democratic government forms? Or, is it a tool to further the goals of "The West"?

Is Israel part of "The West"? Israel is frequently described as having a special relationship with one of the main powers of "The West".

Are Japan or South Korea part of "The West"? After all, "The West" sure is influential in the continued existence of South Korea.

Is the IMF a tool to further the goals of "The West"?

Is the World Bank a tool to further the goals of "The West"?

Well, the Soviet Union is no more.

South Korea and Japan were part of now-defunct SEATO, so they're not part of NATO.

I thought the point of NATO was its collective defense? The "attack against one is attack against all" part?

What is "The West" ?

depending on the situation and the speaker. usually shorthand for Cultures / Peoples / Nations that originated on Western Europe.

The other wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_west

Is NATO about defending against the Soviet Union or is NATO an alliance of democratic nations that fight to further democratic government forms? Or, is it a tool to further the goals of "The West"?

the first until The Great Politics Mess Up, now it had no goal

> Is Israel part of "The West"?

Yes

> Are Japan or South Korea part of "The West"? After all, "The West" sure is influential in the continued existence of South Korea.

i dont think so, their culture is quite different, although they could be included in some cases

> Is the IMF a tool to further the goals of "The West"? Is the World Bank a tool to further the goals of "The West"?

No, although both institution is dominated by the west

Indeed, with DSK now on trial, BRIC (Brazil Russia India China) is trying to claim leadership of the IMF right now rather than let it fall to yet another Western European.

I consider "the West" to refer to the peoples who are from, or originate from, central and western Europe in the most part. While it's not on paper, Japan and South Korea are pretty much our buddies as well, kinda representing a half-way point allied with the western powers. Both have been a bit westernised and now enjoy (or grapple with) a combination of their own traditional cultures and western ideas. Militarily speaking, they're also more or less under western protection — last year's whole Korea scare had a Crowning Moment Of Heartwarming when the West, almost entirely and collectively pledged their support, culminating in Germany nearly throwing the shits.

edited 8th Jun '11 3:06:26 AM by MadassAlex

NATO was created to counter the Soviet Union - the Soviet Union doesn't exist any more, and the original purpose of NATO is gone, too. Now it exists only to further the interests of the US, and, if you ask me, the whole world would be happier if it was gone.

In before someone posts about Operation Gladio.

Okay seriously, I'm confused by the topic, is it equating the West to be only NATO, and/or are we talking about what NATO should do?

Edit: On second reading it looks like we're defining both.

I think all these western institutions are no different from any other large institution. They can be used responsibly or irresponsibly.

edited 8th Jun '11 3:38:29 AM by Exploder

^Damn, I was just going to mention that (having started reading a book about it recently).

But anyway, "The West" is a loosely defined coalition of countries that are on the upside of the "5% of the world's population control 95% of the wealth" factoid.

I personally define "The West" as "Any country allied to, furthers the interests of or is supported/supports the United States"

The West to me = EU/US and their (loyal) client states.