Posted on 11/07/2006 5:05:52 AM PST by governsleastgovernsbest
A few weeks ago on the Right Angle TV show I host, my guest was Barry Strauss, the brilliant professor of history and the classics at Cornell University. Our conversation focused on his recent book, "The Trojan War", which one reviewer has described as so authoritative "it may well preempt future historians from ever trying to improve on it."
Toward the end of the show I invited Prof. Strauss to comment on whether he saw any parallels between the fall of Greek and Roman civilizations and the situation in the West today. While eschewing sweeping generalizations, the professor did observe that one sign of a civilization in decline is its disinclination to believe in itself coupled with a loss of will to fight for its survival.
We clearly see that in the reflexive multi-culturalism and moral relativism of the left. Far from portraying Western civilization as history's great liberalizing force, the left denies Western exceptionalism and portrays it, if anything, as responsible for most of the world's ills.
Perhaps the surest sign of a civilization in peril is a refusal to take seriously the threat from its mortal enemies. Enter HDS Greenway and his Boston Globe column of this morning, A misguided faith in force. Greenway's column is an ode to "a thoughtful new book by Martin Woollacott titled 'After Suez, Adrift in the American Century.'" Inevitably, Greenway concludes that "parallels with today's Anglo-American attempt to force the West's will on the Middle East are unavoidable."
Of particular note is this line from Woollacott:
"The irrationality of British fears in the 1950s had its parallel in America in 2003 when the dangers represented by Osama bin Laden on the one hand and Saddam Hussein on the other were both exaggerated and conflated."
Not only does Greenway endorse Woollacott's analysis, he takes it a giant step further:
"One can hear the echoes of Eden in President Bush's fears of an evil empire-like Muslim caliphate from Indonesia to Spain -- as if Islamic extremists had the remotest possibility of achieving such a goal."
There you have it. The Western left discounting the specific threat of Al-Qaeda, and more broadly rejecting the idea that Islamic extremists have even the "remotest possibility" of achieving their ends. That way lies the path to extinction.
Finkelstein lives in Ithaca, NY. Beginning later this week he will be reporting for MRC from Iraq. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net
Death-of-the-West ping to Today show list.
This is the kind of treasonous partisanship that gets people killed.
Howard Dean didn't show up. I saw him yesterday on Fox and in all seriousness he looked and sounded heavily medicated.
So then we are safer now than we were before 9/11? Which is it?
So, if they don't have a chance... why is it that we discovered (through international eavesdropping) a plan to blow up a bunch of airliners full of people over the USA?
Oh sure...maybe they don't have a chance of winning...but that doesn't mean they don't have a chance of killing a bunch of innocent people.
I don't know who saw the special on Fox news over the weekend on the danger of Islam but this clown needs to see it. These people are coming for us, whether we acknowledge it or not.
I hear fudge-packing is his passion...
Like Priam, Strauss would ignore Cassandra if she was shouting in his ear.
The Islamic Extremists indeed do not have a chance to achieve their dreams of a grand caliphate...as long as the Republicans are running things in the USA!
GET OUT AND VOTE TODAY!!! VOTE REPUBLICAN!!!
Yes, we are.
No chance of success? Look to Europe -- demographics is destiny.
The Left downplayed Communism and Fascism. They're doing the same thing with Jihadism.
Heads stuck in the sand or other darker, ruder places won't change the reality. Europe, especially France is already making more and more accomodation.
Why do some people have such a cultural suicide death wish?
Well actually they don't really have a chance (IF we remain strong and vigilent). Wahhabism/Salafism is a backward looking ideology and is doomed to failure. That's not to say they can't and will cause a great deal of death, destruction & misery, not unlike their forerunners communism fascism. And like their forerunners they are (to quote R. Reagan) doomed to the ashheap of history.
Before 9/11 we (most Americans) were not aware of the threat, so were in danger. Today we are, and by being aware of the threat and by taking actions against it we are safer.
Note: Safer not safe. And when this threat is defeated (and make no mistake it will be, there'll be something else. There's always something else.
Why do some people have such a cultural suicide death wish?
Insanity? Well maybe not baglady crazy, but certainly it's a refusal to look at the world as it really is.
Yes, the most important of Rummy's Rules:
In 100 years, we'll be a Spanish-speaking Muslim country, winking at the Constitution along the way.
:(
Not that either one of us will be around but I got a $100 dollar bill that says you're wrong. In fact I'll go farther in 30-40 years Islamofascism will have the same influence on the world as the KKK has in America today.
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