Yesterday, FinlandA country of 5 million people on the Baltic Sea. t has been independent since 1917. declared it would apply to join NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members.. A country that shares an 800-mile border with Russia will join the western alliance Putin opposes.

Finland's entry overrules almost a century of neutralityFinland's position in the Cold War, where it did not oppose the Soviet Union in return for remaining independent, gave rise to the term Finlandisation. . It is likely to persuade neighbouring Sweden to follow. 

For some, it is proof: Putin's assault on Ukraine is bringing Europe together. As historian Timothy Garton Ash says, "the EU and NATO are becoming closer... we're seeing a consolidated enlargement of the WestThere is no single idea of the West, but most accounts consider it to include most of Europe, Oceania and North America. These countries are seen to be unified through an advanced economy, democratic government, human rights and rule of law.".

This seems to fly in the face of the idea that the West is in decline.

In the 1920s, German historian Oswald Spengler argued that all civilisations rose then fell and that Europe was on the way down. He did not live to see World War Two turn many European nations into vassalsSubordinates of another. Although most European countries were not technically subordinate to the US and the Soviet Union, in practice their alliance with the larger power controlled much of their politics and economies during the Cold War. of two superpowersThe US and the Soviet Union, which were replaced the largely European "great powers" such as the UK, France and Germany as the most influential and powerful in the world..

The end of the Cold War and the growth of the EU promised a new world led by the US and Europe. But the values that the West promoted - human rights, freedom, equality, democracy and rule of law - have come under threat, often from within.

Inequality has grown: in the UK today, the top 1% of households have 230 times more wealth than those in the bottom 10%. Divisions in society have led to populist leaders. Terrorism has made Western cities feel less secure.

NATO, one of the standard-bearers for Western power, has been criticised. Jeremy Corbyn argued that NATO "should have shut up shop in 1990", French president Emmanuel Macron called it "brain-dead".

Some think Putin's invasion of Ukraine has changed everything. The US and Europe acted together with unprecedented speed.

Western countries could join forces to project their values. NATO might keep growing, as more countries seek protection. One day, even Russia might be able to join. Garton Ash says: "I think that NATO in principle should be open to a genuinely democratic Russia."

Others think the decline is terminal. This unity in the face of Russian aggression is set against declining living standards, shrinking populations and rancorous domestic politics - as well as the growth of powers like China.

Many commenters have declared Putin's attack on Ukraine a reaction to his country's decline. But could the same be said of the Western countries huddling together to defend against him?

Yes: It is darkest before dawn. Putin's evil actions have given the countries and institutions of the West a new sense of a shared purpose and a mission. This new Western unity will reshape the world.

No: Decline is not always a straight line. The West might be united against Russia for the moment. But there are many challenges at home and abroad ahead that could easily shatter this show of strength.

Or... The fortunes of civilisations do not simply go up and down. Europe may have waned in power, but its people have a higher quality of life than they did when it ruled the world. Which is better?