L’Occidente è vivo. W l’Occidente.

ASERI, as part of the ASERIncontra review , is pleased to present the volume

L’Occidente è vivo. W l’Occidente.
Per sfatare la retorica del declinismo

by Paolo Messa
Rubbettino Editore

Monday 14 September 2026, 5.30 p.m.
in ASERI, Via San Vittore 18, Milan

there is no live streaming

Introduces:
Damiano Palano, Director of ASERI

SPEAKERS

Paolo Messa, Atlantic Council's Europe Center, author of the book

Viviana Mazza, Corriere della Sera

Mario Vanni, Spencer Stuart

Valbona Zeneli, Atlantic Council's Europe Center

MODERATE

Antonio Campati, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

The book:

For over thirty years, the idea of the decline of the West has dominated public debate, amid economic crises, political polarization and increasingly complex global challenges. But how much does this story really correspond to reality? In this lucid and documented essay, Paolo Messa dismantles the rhetoric of declinism by showing how it has become, more than an analysis, a strategic narrative often fueled and amplified by authoritarian regimes to weaken trust in liberal democracies. Through data, historical comparisons and geopolitical analysis, the author demonstrates that the West is not a civilization in its twilight, but a system in profound transformation: resilient, innovative and capable of self-correction. Far from being a sign of irreversible crisis, dissent, pluralism and self-criticism represent its vital force. A book that invites us to distinguish between perception and reality and to recognize, without triumphalism and fatalism, why the West is still alive.

Participation is free upon registration:

For info: info.aseri@unicatt.it