The Third World in general and the Islamic World in particular have burst their bounds
This is such nonsense that it's almost startling to me that anyone would dare to post it in a public place. The Third World in general isn't bursting any bounds, and civilization sure as hell isn't retreating to any islands. There's a problem in Africa and the Islamic world, yes. Look at Latin America and Asia, though, and you see a democratizing and modernizing trend that seems nearly irreversible. There are trouble spots, yes, but it's those spots that are the islands, not the peaceful areas. More people in the developing world are living in emerging democracies and at least adopting the principles of economic freedom than at any time in history.
These democracies aren't perfect, of course, and most have a lot of struggling ahead. What else would you expect? Many have been nations for less than 50 years. Many had to win independence through destructive wars with colonial masters who refused to concede that their time was done. Many were bequeathed insanely irrational borders that made ethnic conflict inevitable. Many were dragged, straight out of independence, into serving as proxies in the cold war. Still, a lot of them are working their way toward peace, democracy, and economic freedom at a fairly respectable rate. American democracy didn't spring fullblown out of a hat either. 100 years after our independence, half our population were second class citizens, we had just finished fighting a civil war, and we were still busy slaughtering our indigenous population. American politics in the 1890s were not much less corrupt than Nigerian politics today. It didn't come easily to us, and it's no easier for others. That doesn't mean the people who are struggling to achieve freedom don't deserve some respect and cooperation from us.
People like Ferguson and the Belmont Club howler like the idea of a world divided into noble Americans, Euro-weenies, and tinpot third world dictatorships. That worldview is every bit as skewed as the fantasies of Al Jazeera. Niall Ferguson needs to take his pipe dream of a return to the 19th century and pop it where the sun don't shine, because it's not going to happen. The old way is gone, and it's not coming back. Either we build something new - something that works for all those who are free and struggling to be free, not just for us - or we give up. I wonder if we're up to it.
I agree that the vision from the left is a failure. The vision from the right is no better. To find a vision that can work you need to move to the center, stop the shouting, take a bit from both sides, and blend with a heavy dose of common sense, probably the commodity most lacking in American politics today. I don't see it happening any time soon. |
