From the article you asked us to read referencing the difference between European and American views on global strategy:
What, in short, is the evil to be extirpated?
Helloooo... Europe... It's called Islamic militancy.. The attempt by a small but extremely violent group of muslim society hell bent on trying to impose a theocratic political system over a huge portion of the world's population.
And the reason that this is occurring is because the rate of economic and political change in the middle east is stagnating and actually degrading. Middle Eastern nations are faced with populations growing faster than their economies, and incredible corruption and repression by leaders who pillage their people and hide their ill gotten gains in Swiss and Western bank accounts.
Certainly, the new American doctrine is based on a valid and urgent concern: the impossibility of deterring terrorists who welcome suicide and who offer no targets for retaliation.
Aside from a certain knack for the obvious with the above statement, the author neglects to mention that this attitude is not just being developed by a relative few "wackos", but is being exported and taught to a whole generation of young children by some rich Saudis... Saudis who are using the proceeds of their oil sales to attack Western society. And I don't care if it's a deliberate action on the part of the Saudi Royal family, or in response to being extorted by Wahhabi militants to fund their militant activities.. It's all the same from a geo-political standpoint.. The Saudi system must be forced to change into something more tolerant, or put is a very constrictive "box".
The prospect of "needing" to reform the political culture of nearly the entire Islamic world demoralizes some, energizes others toward nation-building.
This prospect seems to frighten Europe, despite the ample historical evidence that a festering situation as we see in the middle east will only grow worse wiht time, not better.. And usually it requires major military action and loss of life down the road after it's too late to nip it in the bud.
The "war on terror" is the US wake-up call to both the clash of civilizations that is ALREADY occurring as these corrupt political systesm are unwilling/unable to make the necessary societal and economic changes (despite their incredible wealth). And the pressure will only mount on these authoritarian governments until they break as it did in Iran, and threatens to do once again.
Saudi Arabia's population is over 50% under the age of 18. That's a recipe for major economic and political stress, which such a government as their Saudi Royal family cannot manage or understand from their luxurious palaces and private 747's. They don't know how to grow an economy, and are held political hostage by their militant religious leaders with whom they have inter-married.
And I will say one more thing about your author's article... AT NO TIME does he explain how Europe either possessed a strategy, or detailed what that strategy was, for how the US should deal with the "war on terror"..
Thus, I have the sense that it's essentially an opinion that maintains the "if we don't face the problem, it will eventually go away"...
But the demographics and lack of economic progress in the Middle East dictate that this will NOT be the case...
And demographic trend, like the US baby boom, drive all other aspects of society.. either for better or worse.
Hawk |
