.... In his latest book, In Europe's Shadow, he goes back to Romania, and finds pleasant surprises, including a happy mixture of devoutly practised eastern Christianity and pro-Western strategic orientation. A country that was literally a dark place in the 1980s, because of economic misery, power shortages and an exceptionally harsh form of communism, has lightened up in many ways, he discovers.
Corruption may flourish but so too does healthy political opposition to that vice. If his optimism is well-founded, then we have to conclude that eastern Christianity and Western political alignment may, after all, be compatible, despite the claims to the contrary by the late Professor Sam Huntington, who popularised the idea of a “clash of civilisations” as a driver of global conflict.
.... So is Mr Kaplan merely repeating the idea, widespread among American conservatives, that Europe, because of its soft-mindedness in the face of Islam, is rapidly turning into Eurabia, a Muslim or half-Muslim space? No, his point is more interesting and nuanced than that. In his view, the historically Christian countries of Europe would be making a mistake if they responded to the Muslim influx by erecting new barriers or raising high the banner of cultural nativism.
[TOP RATED COMMENT 19 votes] I admire the writings of Robert Kaplan but in this case, his recommendation is off the mark.
Why you ask?
Because secular progressive Europeans have proven to be utterly spineless when it comes to confronting the barbaric attitudes and beliefs of their Muslim populations, be that bloodthirstiness for anyone who even so much as criticizes their religion (including against their own fellow Muslims), a worse than medieval attitude towards women and gays and a contempt for secularism and favoring instead of fundamentalism of the one faith on earth that is MOST conducive at this point to violence and barbarism (as opposed to say Hinduism, Judaism, Jainism, Christianity or Buddhism).
Yes, the best possible thing would have been for secular progressives - and not Christian fundamentalists - to stand up for these values. But these spineless pathetic impotent eunuchs fear the label of racism FAR FAR MORE than they love Western values and will turn and run with their tails between their legs. They want to oh so be loved and accepted so so much, they will lay supine as inferior but prouder cultures that will readily employ violence rape and pillage their civilization.
Unfortunately the only Westerners who seem to have the balls to stand up to the Islamic threat are religions Christians. Not the best choice but infinitely more preferable to the Islamic barbarians.
[2ND 18] "Law, not culture, is Europe’s answer to Islam, a pundit says"
And who makes the laws? The majority. So, what will happen when we have a Muslim majority in Europe in the (near) future?
[3RD 16] .... "In previous writings, what marked Mr Kaplan out from other international-affairs pundits was the way he liked to explore as well as theorise. His musings on state failure were rooted in wanderings round the roughest parts of West Africa, and his ideas about the Balkans were forged in smoky, sweaty writers’ clubs in Sofia and Belgrade. Perhaps now is the moment for him, or some cub reporter under his tutelage, to get on the road again."
Yes! Get on the road again. There is no shortcut to this road.
Credit to secular law for the mere thoughts contained in this refreshing article!
[4TH 15] It is always amusing to see old academics theorising on how the West might absorb the Islamic culture and ideology.
Of course the question might be better answered by observing empirically how minority Muslim society is absorbed in Asia or Africa. The answer of course it isn't. There are Christian/Buddhist/ Hindu societies and there are the Muslims. They do not mix socially and even have different laws. This in itself is not terrible; the problem is that their Sharia law insists that they are superior and that they must convert the others by all means possible - normally by intimidation and violence. Their greatest allegiance will always be to the Uma (the Muslim world) and the Koran.
How anyone can equate the Greek Orthodox of Eastern Europe and their rejection of corruption with the Muslims only confirms that this old academic should leave his ivory tower and start travelling in the real world. [The Economist] Read more
