The 21st century will be one of conflict with the Middle East and decline of the West, according to French author and Islamism expert Alexandre del Valle.

Western countries are steadily losing their status on the international arena, French political commentator and professor Alexandre del Valle told French news website Atlantico.

"We are about to dive into a century characterized by the progressive and continuous decline of the West, which does not mean decline or disappearance, but a loss of hegemony and intellectual and ideological influence," del Valle told Atlantico.

© Photo : Russian Defence Ministry 2015: The Year Russia Stood Up to Washington in the Middle East and Said 'Enough'

Another important point for Alexander del Valle is civilization's entry into a multipolar world. This is evidenced by the strategic strengthening of the Russia-China duo, the rise of India and the return to the forefront of Iran, Turkey and Egypt.

These developments suggest that globalization is not going so well, and that the world formed after the Cold War will be characterized by the formation of ideological and geopolitical poles, seeking to get rid of the domination of the West, above all indicated by Russia's position.

"This [new] Russia refuses to let the Americans destabilize friendly regimes and attack its direct interests in the name of so-called human rights, also violated by friends of the West, such as the Gulf's Islamist and slave-trading monarchies," he added, referencing the Gulf monarchies' abusive migrant labor practices.

When it comes to future challenges for humanity, del Valle focuses on energy dependence.

"Gulf countries will at some point become the one of the centers and the main global sponsor of radical Islamism. So there is certainly more than a link between the geopolitics of the struggle against Islamism and the energy transition," del Valle said.



Del Valle is a mainstream French author with generally right-wing views, who has criticized political opponents of the United States, Israel and neo-liberalism. However, he believes that Russia should be included in a strategic alliance between the US and Western Europe instead of having ties with countries critical of the United States.