American Thinker: the loss of Europe
The migration crisis, the attacks in Paris and other events in Europe are a serious cause for concern, and also can provoke panic among the population. In connection with the latest events, negative forecasts are regularly made, the authors of which predict for the European countries a lot of new problems, economic, political, social and other nature, or even a complete collapse of the existing order. Similar forecasts are expressed by experts from Europe, from Russia and even from overseas. American political scientists also do not stand aside, and are trying to predict the European future.
November 16, the American conservative American Thinker edition, published an article by John N. Hall with the saying name Europe's Loss. As is clear from the title, the author of the publication is not inclined to optimistic forecasts and perceives the current situation in Europe with great concern. Based on what has been happening lately on the European continent, Hall is trying to predict what will happen to him in the near future and in the long term.
At the beginning of the article, J. Hall recalls the past greatness of Europe. Just over a century ago, this continent was the center of the world and the master of the universe. European empires had possessions throughout the world. Europe was bigger and better than anyone in everything. But then everything went to hell. After Napoleon I, Europe for about a hundred years lived relatively calmly and peacefully, but after this period World War I began, a couple of decades after which World War II happened. In the postwar period, Europe lost its leadership and lost its colonies. Moreover, she herself came under the protectorate of her former colony (meaning the United States, which includes several former colonies of European states).
According to Hall, Europe had to endure a century of “terrible political leadership” and immediately lists all those leaders who led the continent to its current plight. According to the author, this category includes Herbert Henry Asquith (Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1908-16), Wilhelm II (King of Prussia and Kaiser of the German Empire in 1888-1918), Georges Clemenceau (French Prime Minister in 1906- 1909 and 1917-1920), Chamberlain (apparently Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister in 1937-1940), as well as fascists from different countries and modern politicians. Among the latter, J. Hall attributes “traitors to the Euro-Arab dialogue” from the headquarters of the European Union and other representatives of the modern leadership of European countries. Because of them, according to the author, the continent experienced one terrible catastrophe after another. For every clever and far-sighted politician at the level of Winston Churchill, there were “grapes” of villains, mediocrity, madmen and fools with a mania of their own or national greatness.
The blunders, failures and mistakes of the last century allow us to consider the current Europe as a “fallen continent”. In favor of this, in particular, is the fact that the most terrible events of the last century are again beginning to make themselves felt. For example, the Holocaust was only a few decades ago, but, nevertheless, anti-Semitism is again beginning to spread throughout Europe. European Jewry, according to Hall, is once again under attack, and people are forced to leave. It seems that Europe has not learned the lessons of the past.
The author of the publication American Thinker believes that Europe has committed suicide, and has been working on this “project” for the last hundred years, which can be clearly seen in its stories. However, right now she is closest to death. The main "symptom" of J. Hall calls for the fact that Europe allows "invading" their lands to immigrant Muslims who do not wish to assimilate and join the European society. European leaders look paralyzed because they cannot stop this flow.
The current migration crisis, as well as the social phenomena that preceded it, can lead to serious negative consequences for Europe. The author notes that demographers have already calculated possible risks for European states. If the residents of Muslim countries continue to come to Europe, get settled there and have children, and if the present low birth rates among native Europeans remain, then the continent has a specific future. Already during this century, such processes can lead to the fact that the majority of the population will be Muslim immigrants or their descendants. Europe will cease to be Europe, Hall notes and immediately proposes a new name for it: Eurabia, caliphate. As a result, the “spring of Western civilization” will simply disappear, which will be one of the biggest tragedies in the history of mankind.
In support of his words, J. Hall refers to a book by Bruce Bauer entitled While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West from Within (“While Europe was asleep: how radical Islam destroys the West from the inside”), the author of which, in turn, quotes Danish journalist Lars Hedegaard and leads his opinion on the future of Europe.
Hedegaard argues: if the thinking intelligentsia is not given due attention, the United States can say goodbye to Europe. The future of the continent will not be like predictions. Moreover, there is a risk of war like the events in Lebanon. When the continent is divided into enclaves, in each of which Christianity or Islam dominates, manifestation of constant friction, including turning into open armed conflicts, is possible. No one can resolve the situation, and it will be terrible. In addition, B. Bower and L. Hedegaard spoke negatively about the European media. According to them, in the event of the formation of such an unfavorable situation, a part of the press will change its views in accordance with the current situation, while its other representatives will simply run away, leaving the problem to the local residents.
J. Hall also recalls the Dutch politician Pim Fortaine, who in the late nineties warned that the current problem directly affected the children and grandchildren of current Europeans. After that, the author offers Europeans to ask themselves: what led the continent to the current crisis?
By asking a question, the author of the publication American Thinker immediately gives an answer to it. Europe’s problem lies in its leadership. It was the European leaders who put the whole continent on the brink of the abyss. At the same time, however, the problem is not only in the ruling circles. The cultural elite, the media, academia and even religious figures - all of them, according to Hall, are to some extent responsible for the current problems.
As a result, Europe needs to clean the elites. If necessary, one should even assume the role of a martyr, like P. Fortuyn (killed by political opponents in 2002), who managed to establish his own political party. Europe must stand for the creation and promotion of new political parties of a patriotic orientation, which will not betray or sell their voters. Hall believes that one can even make sacrifices to save Europe, including the disintegration of the European Union, if such a step helps the Europeans to save civilization. Also, residents of Europe should pay attention to the birth and upbringing of children. Here the author is ironic: there is nothing surprising in the fact that young Europeans are late in having a family and children, if you remember what kind of future they were given by the previous generation.
Outside the West, the author recalls, the world is rather gloomy and harsh. However, becoming a “caliphate”, Europe will be a real hell in which the children of today's Europeans will live. Europe was already able to see hell on the night of November 13, when the terrorists carried out a series of attacks in Paris. One of the manifestations of the reaction to these events was the article by Mark Stein The Barbarians Are Inside, And There Are No Gates, published shortly after the attacks. J. Hall recommends this publication for reading, and also quotes Stein's other work.
In his fundamental work America Alone: The End in the World as We Know It (M. America alone: the end of the world as we know it), M. Stein argues that Europe can avoid new dark ages in only one way: it must act right now. Probably, Europeans should think about what they can lose. This may be an additional incentive to action.
The main thing that Europe can lose in the future is freedom. Everything else that has a continent, it is built on freedom. The whole history of Western civilization, the author of American Thinker regards as one long and painful path to freedom. Because of this, even an ordinary person has freedom, dignity and hope.
However, Hall fears, freedom may degenerate into a license to serve a higher purpose. From here comes another European problem: nihilism in certain manifestations. In the context of the migration crisis, this leads to disagreements on various issues, with the result that the Islamists may even sneer at the usual freedoms for Europeans.
In addition to freedom, European identity is at stake. If Muslim immigrants will become the majority and establish a new “caliphate”, how will they relate to European values? Will they leave the Vatican or the Chartreuse? Or perhaps these sights will suffer the same fate as the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan or the monuments of Syria and Iraq? Nevertheless, such “objects” can be preserved if they are altered accordingly. With a bitter smile, J. Hall assumes that the minarets will even improve the appearance of the architectural monuments and decorate them. Or, he asks, will Europeans not worry about the monuments of the Christian world because of the loss of their own faith?
Another painful loss that threatens Europe is the loss of self-worth. After 1300 years of success in fighting these guys, today's generation of Europeans may be defeated. However, how will this happen? In battle or because someone did nothing? If Europe loses all past conquests, its present inhabitants will not be worthy of their great ancestors and the civilization that they left to their descendants.
On top of all this, Europe can lose no less important conquest, namely fun. Hall urges not to diminish its importance in people's lives. It was fun and joy that was one of the achievements of civilization, which is valuable in itself. But will the hypothetical “caliphate” be allowed to have fun? Will the new authorities ban kites, as the Taliban did in their time in Afghanistan? Here J. Hall is trying hard to make a joke: how could Benjamin Franklin be able to deliver his famous experience without a snake?
In the end, Europeans will lose modernity, prosperity and other things that they tend to take for granted and take for granted. All this will be lost.
In support of his words about the dangers of the observed processes, J. Hall again talks about the sad prospects associated with Islamization. He argues that the word "Islam", contrary to the claims of Islamic propagandists, means not "peace", but "submission". The author believes that Islamic ideology demands complete submission from a person and can be classified as totalitarian. In addition, he urges Europeans to believe at least something. If they do not want to believe in God, in civilization or freedom, then let them believe at least in the future of their children. If they cannot and this, is it worth saving Europe?
In conclusion of his article, J.N. Hall reminds: if Europe wants to survive, then it should change. Europe must leave behind the losses and mistakes of the 20th century and go forward. It should focus on the gains achieved before the First World War during the previous two and a half thousand years of its history. The whole world is about to lose the great European heritage.
***
The edition of American Thinker is known for its conservative views, and therefore the position of its authors on certain issues may be the subject of controversy. Actually, the article “The Loss of Europe” by John N. Hall is a good example of this. Indeed, one can agree with some ideas and suggestions of the author, while others look too bold. Nevertheless, the author expressed his opinion on the future of Europe, while maintaining the current trends.
First of all, it is necessary to note the fact of the appearance in the American press of publications related to the European migration crisis and its possible consequences. Over the past few months, the flow of refugees and immigrants from the countries of the Middle East and North Africa has increased. All these people, unwilling or unable to stay in their own countries, are trying to get to Europe and settle down there. The bill of immigrants is already going on hundreds of thousands, which causes concern among the local population, and also becomes an urgent issue on the agenda of the authorities. As we see, the issue of mass immigration to a certain extent concerns the American public.
The current situation with new immigrants is further complicated by the fact that communities of migrants who do not want to assimilate appeared quite a long time ago and have already become commonplace in several European countries. Thus, the emergence of the “Eurasia caliphate”, about which Hall writes, contributes not only to the current flow of immigrants, but also to already existing communities formed many years ago.
In the context of such communities, we should recall the recent actions of the French and Belgian security forces. After the Paris attacks, an investigation led the police to the suburbs of several cities, densely populated by migrants from other countries. It is reported that these areas are a real breeding ground for crime, and, as recent events show, can be the basis for the preparation of terrorist acts. It is not difficult to guess what the consequences in terms of public sentiment may be in terrorist attacks and special operations to search for and capture terrorists.
In parallel with the search for those involved in the terrorist attacks, the migration crisis continues. All new and new refugees from the Middle Eastern and North African countries, in which armed conflicts continue, are trying to get to Europe and solve at least some of their problems. The authorities of European countries are trying to take certain measures, but all their actions, it seems, are not yet able to solve the existing problem.
Against the background of the migration crisis, ratings of political forces are growing, appealing to patriotic feelings and national identity. Politicians with such programs can only point to the obvious miscalculations of the authorities and their consequences, thereby earning the trust of their fellow citizens. It is far from a fact that, having received powers, they will be able to successfully solve all the problems, but this tendency can speak about public attitudes.
With the individual ideas and conclusions of Mr. Hall, you can agree or argue. At the same time, however, it is extremely difficult to argue that the lack of real action to solve existing problems with migrants, including those who had settled in a new place, could have the most negative consequences for the whole of Europe. It is not necessary that in the future in France, Germany and other countries, there will appear a “Eurasian caliphate”, but the current situation simply cannot but cause concern about the future of the entire continent. Time will tell how problems will be solved and whether European leaders will listen to J. Hall.
Europe's Loss Article:
http://americanthinker.com/articles/2015/11/europes_loss.html
November 16, the American conservative American Thinker edition, published an article by John N. Hall with the saying name Europe's Loss. As is clear from the title, the author of the publication is not inclined to optimistic forecasts and perceives the current situation in Europe with great concern. Based on what has been happening lately on the European continent, Hall is trying to predict what will happen to him in the near future and in the long term.
At the beginning of the article, J. Hall recalls the past greatness of Europe. Just over a century ago, this continent was the center of the world and the master of the universe. European empires had possessions throughout the world. Europe was bigger and better than anyone in everything. But then everything went to hell. After Napoleon I, Europe for about a hundred years lived relatively calmly and peacefully, but after this period World War I began, a couple of decades after which World War II happened. In the postwar period, Europe lost its leadership and lost its colonies. Moreover, she herself came under the protectorate of her former colony (meaning the United States, which includes several former colonies of European states).
According to Hall, Europe had to endure a century of “terrible political leadership” and immediately lists all those leaders who led the continent to its current plight. According to the author, this category includes Herbert Henry Asquith (Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1908-16), Wilhelm II (King of Prussia and Kaiser of the German Empire in 1888-1918), Georges Clemenceau (French Prime Minister in 1906- 1909 and 1917-1920), Chamberlain (apparently Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister in 1937-1940), as well as fascists from different countries and modern politicians. Among the latter, J. Hall attributes “traitors to the Euro-Arab dialogue” from the headquarters of the European Union and other representatives of the modern leadership of European countries. Because of them, according to the author, the continent experienced one terrible catastrophe after another. For every clever and far-sighted politician at the level of Winston Churchill, there were “grapes” of villains, mediocrity, madmen and fools with a mania of their own or national greatness.
The blunders, failures and mistakes of the last century allow us to consider the current Europe as a “fallen continent”. In favor of this, in particular, is the fact that the most terrible events of the last century are again beginning to make themselves felt. For example, the Holocaust was only a few decades ago, but, nevertheless, anti-Semitism is again beginning to spread throughout Europe. European Jewry, according to Hall, is once again under attack, and people are forced to leave. It seems that Europe has not learned the lessons of the past.
The author of the publication American Thinker believes that Europe has committed suicide, and has been working on this “project” for the last hundred years, which can be clearly seen in its stories. However, right now she is closest to death. The main "symptom" of J. Hall calls for the fact that Europe allows "invading" their lands to immigrant Muslims who do not wish to assimilate and join the European society. European leaders look paralyzed because they cannot stop this flow.
The current migration crisis, as well as the social phenomena that preceded it, can lead to serious negative consequences for Europe. The author notes that demographers have already calculated possible risks for European states. If the residents of Muslim countries continue to come to Europe, get settled there and have children, and if the present low birth rates among native Europeans remain, then the continent has a specific future. Already during this century, such processes can lead to the fact that the majority of the population will be Muslim immigrants or their descendants. Europe will cease to be Europe, Hall notes and immediately proposes a new name for it: Eurabia, caliphate. As a result, the “spring of Western civilization” will simply disappear, which will be one of the biggest tragedies in the history of mankind.
In support of his words, J. Hall refers to a book by Bruce Bauer entitled While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West from Within (“While Europe was asleep: how radical Islam destroys the West from the inside”), the author of which, in turn, quotes Danish journalist Lars Hedegaard and leads his opinion on the future of Europe.
Hedegaard argues: if the thinking intelligentsia is not given due attention, the United States can say goodbye to Europe. The future of the continent will not be like predictions. Moreover, there is a risk of war like the events in Lebanon. When the continent is divided into enclaves, in each of which Christianity or Islam dominates, manifestation of constant friction, including turning into open armed conflicts, is possible. No one can resolve the situation, and it will be terrible. In addition, B. Bower and L. Hedegaard spoke negatively about the European media. According to them, in the event of the formation of such an unfavorable situation, a part of the press will change its views in accordance with the current situation, while its other representatives will simply run away, leaving the problem to the local residents.
J. Hall also recalls the Dutch politician Pim Fortaine, who in the late nineties warned that the current problem directly affected the children and grandchildren of current Europeans. After that, the author offers Europeans to ask themselves: what led the continent to the current crisis?
By asking a question, the author of the publication American Thinker immediately gives an answer to it. Europe’s problem lies in its leadership. It was the European leaders who put the whole continent on the brink of the abyss. At the same time, however, the problem is not only in the ruling circles. The cultural elite, the media, academia and even religious figures - all of them, according to Hall, are to some extent responsible for the current problems.
As a result, Europe needs to clean the elites. If necessary, one should even assume the role of a martyr, like P. Fortuyn (killed by political opponents in 2002), who managed to establish his own political party. Europe must stand for the creation and promotion of new political parties of a patriotic orientation, which will not betray or sell their voters. Hall believes that one can even make sacrifices to save Europe, including the disintegration of the European Union, if such a step helps the Europeans to save civilization. Also, residents of Europe should pay attention to the birth and upbringing of children. Here the author is ironic: there is nothing surprising in the fact that young Europeans are late in having a family and children, if you remember what kind of future they were given by the previous generation.
Outside the West, the author recalls, the world is rather gloomy and harsh. However, becoming a “caliphate”, Europe will be a real hell in which the children of today's Europeans will live. Europe was already able to see hell on the night of November 13, when the terrorists carried out a series of attacks in Paris. One of the manifestations of the reaction to these events was the article by Mark Stein The Barbarians Are Inside, And There Are No Gates, published shortly after the attacks. J. Hall recommends this publication for reading, and also quotes Stein's other work.
In his fundamental work America Alone: The End in the World as We Know It (M. America alone: the end of the world as we know it), M. Stein argues that Europe can avoid new dark ages in only one way: it must act right now. Probably, Europeans should think about what they can lose. This may be an additional incentive to action.
The main thing that Europe can lose in the future is freedom. Everything else that has a continent, it is built on freedom. The whole history of Western civilization, the author of American Thinker regards as one long and painful path to freedom. Because of this, even an ordinary person has freedom, dignity and hope.
However, Hall fears, freedom may degenerate into a license to serve a higher purpose. From here comes another European problem: nihilism in certain manifestations. In the context of the migration crisis, this leads to disagreements on various issues, with the result that the Islamists may even sneer at the usual freedoms for Europeans.
In addition to freedom, European identity is at stake. If Muslim immigrants will become the majority and establish a new “caliphate”, how will they relate to European values? Will they leave the Vatican or the Chartreuse? Or perhaps these sights will suffer the same fate as the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan or the monuments of Syria and Iraq? Nevertheless, such “objects” can be preserved if they are altered accordingly. With a bitter smile, J. Hall assumes that the minarets will even improve the appearance of the architectural monuments and decorate them. Or, he asks, will Europeans not worry about the monuments of the Christian world because of the loss of their own faith?
Another painful loss that threatens Europe is the loss of self-worth. After 1300 years of success in fighting these guys, today's generation of Europeans may be defeated. However, how will this happen? In battle or because someone did nothing? If Europe loses all past conquests, its present inhabitants will not be worthy of their great ancestors and the civilization that they left to their descendants.
On top of all this, Europe can lose no less important conquest, namely fun. Hall urges not to diminish its importance in people's lives. It was fun and joy that was one of the achievements of civilization, which is valuable in itself. But will the hypothetical “caliphate” be allowed to have fun? Will the new authorities ban kites, as the Taliban did in their time in Afghanistan? Here J. Hall is trying hard to make a joke: how could Benjamin Franklin be able to deliver his famous experience without a snake?
In the end, Europeans will lose modernity, prosperity and other things that they tend to take for granted and take for granted. All this will be lost.
In support of his words about the dangers of the observed processes, J. Hall again talks about the sad prospects associated with Islamization. He argues that the word "Islam", contrary to the claims of Islamic propagandists, means not "peace", but "submission". The author believes that Islamic ideology demands complete submission from a person and can be classified as totalitarian. In addition, he urges Europeans to believe at least something. If they do not want to believe in God, in civilization or freedom, then let them believe at least in the future of their children. If they cannot and this, is it worth saving Europe?
In conclusion of his article, J.N. Hall reminds: if Europe wants to survive, then it should change. Europe must leave behind the losses and mistakes of the 20th century and go forward. It should focus on the gains achieved before the First World War during the previous two and a half thousand years of its history. The whole world is about to lose the great European heritage.
***
The edition of American Thinker is known for its conservative views, and therefore the position of its authors on certain issues may be the subject of controversy. Actually, the article “The Loss of Europe” by John N. Hall is a good example of this. Indeed, one can agree with some ideas and suggestions of the author, while others look too bold. Nevertheless, the author expressed his opinion on the future of Europe, while maintaining the current trends.
First of all, it is necessary to note the fact of the appearance in the American press of publications related to the European migration crisis and its possible consequences. Over the past few months, the flow of refugees and immigrants from the countries of the Middle East and North Africa has increased. All these people, unwilling or unable to stay in their own countries, are trying to get to Europe and settle down there. The bill of immigrants is already going on hundreds of thousands, which causes concern among the local population, and also becomes an urgent issue on the agenda of the authorities. As we see, the issue of mass immigration to a certain extent concerns the American public.
The current situation with new immigrants is further complicated by the fact that communities of migrants who do not want to assimilate appeared quite a long time ago and have already become commonplace in several European countries. Thus, the emergence of the “Eurasia caliphate”, about which Hall writes, contributes not only to the current flow of immigrants, but also to already existing communities formed many years ago.
In the context of such communities, we should recall the recent actions of the French and Belgian security forces. After the Paris attacks, an investigation led the police to the suburbs of several cities, densely populated by migrants from other countries. It is reported that these areas are a real breeding ground for crime, and, as recent events show, can be the basis for the preparation of terrorist acts. It is not difficult to guess what the consequences in terms of public sentiment may be in terrorist attacks and special operations to search for and capture terrorists.
In parallel with the search for those involved in the terrorist attacks, the migration crisis continues. All new and new refugees from the Middle Eastern and North African countries, in which armed conflicts continue, are trying to get to Europe and solve at least some of their problems. The authorities of European countries are trying to take certain measures, but all their actions, it seems, are not yet able to solve the existing problem.
Against the background of the migration crisis, ratings of political forces are growing, appealing to patriotic feelings and national identity. Politicians with such programs can only point to the obvious miscalculations of the authorities and their consequences, thereby earning the trust of their fellow citizens. It is far from a fact that, having received powers, they will be able to successfully solve all the problems, but this tendency can speak about public attitudes.
With the individual ideas and conclusions of Mr. Hall, you can agree or argue. At the same time, however, it is extremely difficult to argue that the lack of real action to solve existing problems with migrants, including those who had settled in a new place, could have the most negative consequences for the whole of Europe. It is not necessary that in the future in France, Germany and other countries, there will appear a “Eurasian caliphate”, but the current situation simply cannot but cause concern about the future of the entire continent. Time will tell how problems will be solved and whether European leaders will listen to J. Hall.
Europe's Loss Article:
http://americanthinker.com/articles/2015/11/europes_loss.html
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