UPDATED: Old Iron Curtain and New Europe: Bush in Slovakia/The Movement from South to North

Austin Bay Blog ^ | February 26, 2005 | various

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Bush gets a warm welcome in Slovakia — behind the old Iron Curtain and in “New Europe” the “idea of the West” isn’t dead, it’s vibrant.

Review this week’s debate –loosely centered on Mark Steyn’s proposition that the idea of the West is dead– via this link. [Ed: But is that what he meant? See below for the discussion.] Scroll through the comments on the original post for background. My take, no matter the exegesis of Steyn’s last line: The West isn’t dead, it’s expanding. NATO remains a prime tool for “confidence building.” I am also confident that the people of France can ultimately handle democracy, just like the Iraqis. Someday they will be liberated from Chirac and his ilk. (Paint Paris Purple!) As “Old Europe” confronts its host of problems, new, genuinely progressive leaders will replace the current crop of declinists and defeatists whose anti-American cant is a complete cop-out. Europeans will leave the Flower Generation and join the New Greatest Generation.

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I ran across this looking for something else. This is long. The main point is not just the initial postings, but the comments by readers, too. There are a lot of good posts and good points made here.