Victor Davis Hanson doesn't find much to be optimistic about in his latest piece.
I really can't say that I blame him for his pessimism.
The UN passes a resolution, then has to hold a telethon to get the needed forces to enforce the resolution. France wants to lead, but doesn't want to assume any real risk. The rest of Europe still doesn't seem to care much about any of it, either. I have seen or heard little from Germany, Britain, or any other EU nation, on this. Europe showed more solidarity over some damned cartoons, but when a real challenge is presented, they cannot be found.
Doesn't look good for the longterm survival of western civilization, does it?
3 comments:
From VDH's essay:
As the cliché goes: the Middle East needs to wake up and disown Islamic fascism.
For the most part, Muslims themselves do not differentiate between Islam and Islamofascism. Herein lies a very serious problem.
Three years ago no one was talking about profiling at airports. Now the British are exploring how best to do it.
And Muslim "civil rights groups" are squawking like hell.
The West seems to be playing catch-up to the terrorists. Or, if you prefer, Muslims act (or nearly act), and the West reacts. We're going to get burned with that kind of crisis management.
Even the most timid and prone to appeasement in the West are beginning to see that it is becoming a question of “the Islamists or us.”
With all due respect to VDH, not all are on board the seeing through the appeasement. Look at the Left!
AOW,
//Muslims act (or nearly act), and the West reacts.//
Well said. Herein lies the fundamental problem with the non-Muslim world's philosophy, on dealing with this problem.
We are stuck on defense, while they are constantly on offense. Defense is necessary. But if you do not get the ball once in awhile and try to score, You are going to lose.
Not only that, in football, you get tired quicker playing the reaction and catch-up game that is required of a good defense. For that reason, a good offense can wear a superior defense down, late in the game.
I do think that the truely global community we have today will suffice as a lame support structure to uphold Western society when it becomes too weak to stand alone.
While the Islamists and others (Communists in particular) would love to destroy western civ... they will have a tough time doing so because the more you squeeze it, the tougher it gets. Pre WWII, it was in real danger of dying to Communism and the Nazis, but when push came to shove, it shoved back.. HARD.
It think this is because America, and most European nations are based off of inate human desires and needs, not fear and oppresion.
Thus, the global information age means that any would-be dictator would have a hard time controlling much more than a state the size of Michigan unless he's trying to do it in an area who's society is not built upon the precepts of freedom, democracy, liberty, and justice (i.e. China and the Mid-East).
Even those nations are struggling with control issues because of that pesky internet and other communication means showing people that they can have a voice if they are willing to fight for it.
I have much more confidence in the ability of western civilization to remain flexable, sustainable, and all together too hard for Islamofaciests and others to pin down for the kill.
Think Dandy-Lions in your yard. Even with a lot of weed killer... they just keep coming back and sprouting up.
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