Is the affluent west running the danger of losing its own narrative?  It would seem likely, given that some of its most powerful examples are in the process of domestic immolations that threaten the very kind of internationalism they were trying to construct over the last few decades.Britain, America, France, Germany and Canada, with its own fixations on SNC-Lavalin, and others, are watching the world order slowly unravel before them while trapped within the vortex of their own internal problems.It's helpful to recall what the world looked like a mere three decades ago.  Communism was in its last throes of legitimacy and liberal democracy, fueled by mounds of capital and an uncommon sense of collective goodwill, appeared to have permanently secured the throne as history's ultimate champion of governance.Many things combined to get us thinking that way.  The human rights agenda gained dominance and global initiatives to ensure equality between the sexes, eradication of poverty, cancelling of debts, and a new era of environmental awareness all came together in an effort to pave a more equitable way for humanity.But what was actually touted as a victory for democracy was to become an open field for a full-throttled capitalism.   Martin Wolf of the Financial Times became one of its great exponents, believing that the “magic of the market” would usher in a great coming together of societies.What seemed inevitable in 1989 now seems implausible.  Michael Ignatieff, one of the chief advocates of the global human rights agenda in that earlier era, confessed recently that, “there is no such thing as a global community.”  Clearly things haven't progressed as so many of us hoped only a short time ago.Ignatieff's recent insightful book, Ordinary Virtues: Moral Order in a Divided World, is a fascinating study of how domestic and frequently tribal values in various countries, fought back against the overlaying of the Western elitist agenda.  In effect, that agenda represented “progress in a hurry” – something historical forces pushed back hard against.What we are left with are the ideals of internationalism disappearing under the realities of a domestic politics destined to overwhelm it.  Watch any newscast in Britain, France, America or Canada and you will see pitched battles over domestic agendas that virtually blind anyone to the greater realities that these same nations once championed – climate change, refugees, economic union, eradication of poverty or gender equality.  These efforts are still going on, but not to anyone's notice since everything seems to be about our internal problems.Watch Question Period on a day of your choosing and you will hear little, if any, issues being raised regarding what was once deemed as the greatest international challenges.  As important as the Lavalin controversy is, it has effectively taken these largely global activities off the public agenda.  This is also happening in Germany, Hungary, China and India.  Everywhere one looks, the overarching global story is being transcended, even trounced, by domestic political wars.For years commentators believed that the stock market likely stood as humanity's best chance for progress.  Nobody thinks that anymore.  It's for the elites, the corporate rulers, to play with on the international map.  They are out of touch and we know it.What we are in touch with, however, are democracies fulminating from within – unemployment, immigration, political dysfunction, disillusionment, and the sense of opportunity lost.  The world at large – that complex expanse we once believed we could move towards Eden – is roiling with explosive identity politics built on historical anger and not a little political gamesmanship.  It is a world that could soon come to envelop us with its blinding anger and issues.In our penchant to follow every movement in Brexit, the White House or SNC-Lavalin, we are missing out on a larger story, one in which women fight everywhere for equality, the poor seek to rise, the environment struggles to survive and humanity searches for hope.  As a nation, we once threw our collective weight into the fight for a better world.  Now, our domestic politics transcends all else, threatening to undermine our hard-earned reputation as a soft power bent on getting beyond ourselves and fighting for a better planet.  We can remain entranced by the Lavalin controversy if we wish, but the dedication to our greater principles is proving to be no match for our obsession with scandal.Glen Pearson was a career professional firefighter and is a former Member of Parliament from southwestern Ontario.  He and his wife adopted three children from South Sudan and reside in London, Ontario.  He has been the co-director of the London Food Bank for 32 years.  He writes regularly for the London Free Press and also shares his views on a blog entitled “The Parallel Parliament“.   Follow him on twitter @GlenPearson.