In recent years, many observers have bemoaned the decline of the Western democratic model. But any self-reflection on this deplorable development was never truly profound and honestly conducted, as it was always much easier to blame autocratic competitors as the culprits.

The retreat of Western forces from Afghanistan, and most recently, Mali and Niger, sparked only rather short-lived moments of self-reflection on the modes and limits of Western engagement outside the wider North-Atlantic hemisphere.

While everywhere, “Zeitenwenden” is called for in the field of security and defence policy, the field of international development cooperation — though second in terms of foreign spending of national budgets of the large Western democratic nations! — has somehow managed to elude a critical and honest debate within the wider public.