Cyber Westphalia and the Post-Digital Man: The Case of Culture Wars in Liberal Democracies After 2014

Abstract

Liberal democracies experienced an unexpected resurgence of nationalism in the 2010s. Although many accounts have sought to explain this development, few acknowledge the sudden, simultaneous, and profound ideologization of both the ideological left and right. Consequently, prevailing narratives about nationalism’s rise fail to capture the broader transformation that defined the decade. This paper argues that technological innovation, reaching a critical threshold around 2014, fundamentally reconfigured the institutional and cultural framework of liberal-democratic states, catalyzing the emergence of contemporary culture wars. These innovations reshaped everyday life, giving rise to a ‘post-digital’ reality and a corresponding ‘post-digital’ individual. The transformation also created new avenues for foreign actors to influence identity formation within liberal democracies, exacerbating a legitimacy crisis in the West. In response, Western governments have begun pursuing a new, ‘Cyber-Westphalian’ liberal-democratic consensus aimed at restoring political stability in the post-digital age.