Posted on 02/13/2006 9:50:03 PM PST by Daralundy
Nothing is quite as surreal as the Islamic world’s fury at the liberal and innocuous Danes. How could anyone wish to burn their embassies and kill their citizens, when they have always offered all the politically correct, multicultural platitudes and welcomed in any and all from the Middle East?
Now the furor over the cartoons, coming on the heels of the bombings in Madrid and London, the French rioting, the murders in Holland, and the failed European negotiations with the Iranian theocracy have shaken Europe to its foundations.
If the most liberal and tolerant states in Europe such as Holland and Denmark have the most problems with Islamic radicals, then what does that say about the continent as a whole? Why were not the calculating jihadists singling out a more unapologetic Catholic Poland that has larger contingents in Iraq and is far prouder of its Christian roots?
Do the Europeans sense that the more open, free-wheeling and non-judgmental the culture, the more it is hated by the jihadists? If Europe as a whole is more pro-Palestinian than the United States, disapproved of Iraq, and yet is still hated as much, is magnanimity at last exposed as appeasement—earning only contempt from an emboldened enemy?
Don’t look, however, for any overt expression of alarm. It is too much to ask of the European Union for now to go on the record supporting the right of Danish free expression or to demand an embargo of Iran as it approaches nuclear autonomy. Instead, expect the European reaction to be far more subtle: the same old public utopian rhetoric, but in the shadows a newfound desire to galvanize against the threat of Islamic fascism.
Here is what we can probably anticipate. First, will come a radical departure from past immigration practices. Islam will be praised; the Middle East assured that Europe is tolerant—but very few newcomers from across the Mediterranean let in.
There will be continued public furor over the American efforts in Iraq, but far greater secret efforts to coordinate with the United States—in everything from isolating the Assad regime in Syria to rethinking missile defense. For the past three years the post-colonial Europeans have wished the Americans to learn their imperial lessons by failing in Iraq. Yet it may well be that many in private will now wish us to succeed, if only in the hopes that such Middle East democracies will be less likely in the future to turn loose their mobs to burn European embassies and threaten their citizens.
We won’t see much public condemnation of Hamas, but more likely quiet efforts to pull the plug slowly on subsidies for such terrorists. The Europeans praised Arafat, then learned that he was singularly corrupt. Nothing disturbs a European more than to be swindled and damned as immoral in the process. Subsidies to Jew-hating Hamas terrorists only ensure both.
Europe will still talk about bringing Turkey into the fold of the West, but de facto is horrified at the thought that millions of a religion that empowers so many to go berserk over a few cartoons might soon comprise the most populous nation of Europe. I doubt any European diplomat will invest any political capital at all in restarting in earnest Turkish/European Union talks.
We can also look forward to more bizarre pronouncements such as Jacques Chirac’s warning about the French nuclear deterrent. In point of fact, Europe has no real defenses against a 9/11-like attack. They know it. So do the terrorists.
Crash an airliner into the dome of St. Peter’s or knock down the Eiffel Tower tomorrow: Europe has no mechanism to hunt down the perpetrators in the Hindu Kush, the Bekka Valley, or the wilds of Iran—much less, like the United States, to hold a rogue regime responsible.
Frustrated by its lack of military resources, but cognizant of the classical need to warn an enemy that more is to be lost than won from starting a war, France is reduced to bluster about nuclear weapons—threats that probably are either not believed or welcomed by the jihadists. In lieu of a credible military, Europe will send more tiny contingents to Afghanistan, remind the world that Britain and France are nuclear, and somehow hurry up to construct a conventional deterrent where there is now none at all.
Finally, the Europeans who despised the unilateral and preemptory George Bush will start to grate at his new multilateral side even more. Be careful what you wish for, especially when an American leader may now not necessarily be such an easy target of caricature—or may not always do the dirty work of fighting jihadists from Pakistan to the Sunni Triangle.
Instead, by letting the Europeans take the lead with the Iranian negotiations, and keeping nearly silent about the cartoon hysteria, the United States essentially has told the Europeans, “Here is the sort of restrained sober and judicious global diplomacy that you so welcome.”
Because of slated troop withdrawals from European bases, and a new American weariness with the old anti-Americanism, some Europeans are beginning to recoil at the idea that they might well be on their own—and in a war against fanatical enemies that they have appeased and without rational friends that they have estranged.
In response, we may see less of the anti-American rhetoric and a return to the Cold War slogans of a “strong Atlantic Alliance” and “an essential Nato,” as nuclear jihadists replace the fear of 300 Soviet divisions.
So now Europe is being thrust right into the middle of the so-called war against Islamic fascism. Once threatened, it will either react with a newly acquired Churchillian maturity to protect its civilization, or cave, in hopes that even more Chamberlain-type appeasement will satisfy the Islamists.
It should be a fascinating spring ahead.
Let me know if you want in or out.
Links: FR Index of his articles: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=victordavishanson
His website: http://victorhanson.com/ NRO archive: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson-archive.asp
Thank you.
Victor Davis Hanson BTTT
Wanna' bet?
But, in military fact, they are. Period.
Military chief sees delay in NATO reaction force
Link
This article shows that they can not even assemble 8,000 troops (out of 25,000 planned for a RDF) for a planned exercise from all of Europe
All of the EU combined could not project force anywhere, under almost any scenario.
And if they could, Iran would kick their collective ass.
The only thing that they CAN do is let us take care of the mess that they created by not attacking us in public for attacking the Islamos ourselves.
Good assessment. A long time indeed.
But men such as these will always step up, if for nothing else, to at least pick up the pieces.
And it may very well end up like that.
R.I.P.
Oh ... Victor? That's ten demerits for wandering from reality. ;)
Touche.
It will always run to Daddy for lawyers, guns and money when it gets into a jam, though.
Daddy's patience is wearing thin.
Thank you I appreciate the reply and the photograph .
kind regards
I am glad to see so many people here becoming emboldened to speak and write truth. We must rid ourselves of this multicultural fascism.
"They will do whatever Solana wants them to do."
Now there's a scary character. Came from nowhere (teacher) to the top in no time. A Faustian bargain somewhere along the line I'd say.
What does it say about people who think you can appease them by being politically correct ?
An Islamic Europe might be worse than a fascist Europe.
We'll have to depend on the heirs to King John Sobieski III yet again.
<< They'll attack islamo-fascism with unparalled zeal, just to show the world that they are NOT eunuchs. >>
What with?
Snide, sneeringly-superior, supercilious, scornful and sanctimonious verbal assaults, maybe?
No Europeon Neo-Soviet state has even a tenth of a viable military. Not even once-great Britain, which, while having real Paras, Royal Marines and SAS, at least pretends to have one.
And every one has abrogated its very national sovereignty to the false gods of earth-worship, multiculturalism, politicl correctness and of so-called and much-vaunted collectivist "health-care" -- and puts more energy into anti-Americanism than into defense.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1401971/posts The Islamitization of French Schools--a leaked report
Or Britan, or Germany, or Pakistan ... oops! I think the Packrats have them already.
I pray that Europe will reawaken before it falls into a new dark age.
Europe is a continent whose societies are based on rationality which is why Marxism is so appealing in contrast to the US which is based on morality. When the rational decision becomes to expel or inter the Muslims they will do it with no second thoughts as they've done throughout their history. The violence will probably be much worse than we would ever tolerate here but will in their minds be justified. While they don't have strong war fighting capabilities, European countries have very strong police and internal security apparatuses that could easily be used to round up population groups.
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