People seem to like this old DK post, here are a few excerpts, re clash of civilizations:
"The Egyptian elections gave two Islamist parties, the Muslim Brotherhood
and the Salafists, well over half the votes. Something similar has happened in
Tunisia. The Egyptian brotherhood has announced that it opposes, for now at
least, a coalition with the Salafists. But the significance of these
developments remains enormous. A clash of civilizations looms on the horizon,
because the momentum of western civilization has been halted, and then
reversed, in the last half century.…Western civilization has been under
attack from the left and the right here in the United States….A clash of
civilizations looms because the hegemony of western civilization is now a thing
of the past….Israel was created by secularists in the wake of the Second World
War, when no one imagined what a role religion would play in the lives of those
not yet born. It dreamed, apparently, of a relatively secular Middle East in
which it could co-exist with its neighbors."
Yes.
I would just add that the West has most tellingly been under attack here, not either from the left, or from the right, as DK says, but rather from what has been called by, eg E J Dionne, The Vital Center, the bi partisan globalist consensus, especially in the last half century to which he refers.
Another very very important point, one I have referred to in posts, as 'the other incalculable blunder', was one Sir Michael Howard pointed out at various times, that the later decline of the West, after WWI, but especially at and after WWII, was the result of strictly American decision making.
Basically, we got rid of Western Europe's civilizational empires such as they admittedly were, starting after WWI, taking over only what we felt like having, and then singlehandedly during and after WWII, left Eastern Europe under the control of an absolutist Orthodox Civilizational, lower class, merely ostensibly socialist (fit with FDR) , dictator, Stalin.
One reason why someone like Field Marshall Montgomery, who had been in a position to know, and who (unlike Patton) survived the WWII debacle, pointed out that we had lost it to the Soviets.
http://bozonbloggon.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-other-incalculable-blunder-bigger.html
Terms search: vital center, trading American interests, bad divorce, before 1776.
Another very very important point, one I have referred to in posts, as 'the other incalculable blunder', was one Sir Michael Howard pointed out at various times, that the later decline of the West, after WWI, but especially at and after WWII, was the result of strictly American decision making.
Basically, we got rid of Western Europe's civilizational empires such as they admittedly were, starting after WWI, taking over only what we felt like having, and then singlehandedly during and after WWII, left Eastern Europe under the control of an absolutist Orthodox Civilizational, lower class, merely ostensibly socialist (fit with FDR) , dictator, Stalin.
One reason why someone like Field Marshall Montgomery, who had been in a position to know, and who (unlike Patton) survived the WWII debacle, pointed out that we had lost it to the Soviets.
' (Eisenhower:) "From a tactical point of view," he said, "it is highly inadvisable for the American Army to take Berlin and I hope political influence won't cause me to take the city. It has no tactical or strategic value and would place upon the American forces the burden of caring for thousands and thousands of Germans, displaced PERSONS
and Allied prisoners of war." Patton was dismayed. "Ike, I don't see how you figure that out," he said. "We had better take Berlin, and quick-- and on to the Oder!" '
and Allied prisoners of war." Patton was dismayed. "Ike, I don't see how you figure that out," he said. "We had better take Berlin, and quick-- and on to the Oder!" '
'...(Patton) again urged Eisenhower to take Berlin. It could be done, argued Patton, in forty-eight hours. "Well, who would want it?" Eisenhower asked. Patton paused, then put both hands on Eisenhower's shoulders and said "I think history will answer that question for you." ' Toland, The Last 100 Days, p 371.
http://bozonbloggon.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-other-incalculable-blunder-bigger.html
Terms search: vital center, trading American interests, bad divorce, before 1776.
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