As for the West, at an everyday level people are neither interested in nor afraid of the West. It rarely comes into discussions, and the news outlets may have an item from time to time but it is well down the main page on the website. In other words, for ordinary people the West has become irrelevant.
heh.
The whole section on optimism really hits me. Imagine feeling optimistic about the place you live, and where it's going. Must be like a dream.