Very interesting article. I think one thing that he doesn’t mention, even after noting that the only similar phenomenon occurred in the USSR, is that Iran functions exactly like a Communist country, although one that has not opted for atheism and instead features their demonic “Allah” (speaking through his not-poor-at-all representatives, the mullahs). Otherwise, with state ownership, state control of every aspect of people’s lives, etc., you have essentially the same thing as a Communist state. The only thing that has enabled it to survive this long is oil.
Iran is a theocracy, and in theory, all Islamic countries should be theocracies because secular power and religious power are one and the same in Islam, something that has never been true in orthodox Christianity. Calvin tried it (although he wasn’t exactly orthodox) and it didn’t work simply because it’s incompatible with Christianity.
But most Islamic countries, except for certain regions that are under groups like the Taleban, interpret this loosely enough to permit them or their monarchs to survive. They are still oppressive societies, but the state/mosque doesn’t control every aspect of one’s economic life. I think it’s disturbing that Obama is approving of groups who would impose this kind of control - the new government of Somalia, the takeover by the Taleban of the beautiful Swat valley, etc. It probably indicates a lot about him. Either he’s stupid - or he’s evil and on their side.
Economic optimism has a lot to do with birthrates. The US has always had a higher birthrate than European countries in modern times because we are optimistic about the future and feel we have some control over our conditions. I suspect that’s about to change.
He’s not stupid. That leaves your second option.