[Diogenesis]

Blair and other Scotland Yard officials now acknowledge
that the "pool of potential terrorists in England"
is in the hundreds of thousands, whereas they had previously
thought they were in the hundreds."

Meanwhile, at US Homeland Security,

[expatguy]

"Many in the West in recent years have been enamored and envious of the social stability and economic growth rates exhibited by countries in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia and Singapore. Multiculturalism and diversity here are often heralded as the primary catalyst for development, growth and ingenuity both here and abroad. What many in the West fail to understand that is that this perceived Utopian society that many in the West wish to emulate would never function without the authoritative measures needed to constantly behind the scenes defuse all the ethnic and religious time bombs present in such a multicultural society."

"To maintain order and to ensure steady economic growth, stability both social and political, many are seemingly willing to initially forgo civil liberties in return for safety and stability. It is the safety and security of the nation that comes first before the individual. Countries such as Malaysia and Singapore prize stability and consensus while at the same time eschewing what they see as Western-style democracy which they claim has an emphasis on political conflict and debate."

"In the years ahead, as the world tries desperately to cope with population increases, demographic imbalances, unemployment, and both external and internal threats from quasi-fascist movements such as Islamic fundamentalism it will be social order and stability that will become of paramount importance to many people, much more so than liberty or freedom. Having already placed their lives in the omnipotent hands of the State, is it really such a leap of logic for one to foresee that individuals in the near future will think nothing of sacrificing freedom for security?

"Not unlike the countries in Southeast Asia, America and the West will seriously have to consider implementating further authoritative measures within our own societies in the near future to deal with the revanche of Islamic fundamentalism should we fail to address the political aspirations and aspects of Islam now."

From An American Expat in Southeast Asia ~ originally posted in 2005