[lit-ideas] Re: At War with Ourselves
- From: "Andy Amago" <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2006 17:30:36 -0500
Lawrence, check out Newsweek for information about the French riots. You might
be surprised; it's nothing like what you say, unless you say Newsweek is wrong.
It makes one wonder why you care about clashes of civilization if you write
stuff that is downright uncivilized, not to mention uninformed and ultimately
counterproductive.
----- Original Message -----
From: Lawrence Helm
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 3/2/2006 5:01:25 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: At War with Ourselves
Judy,
France at the leadership level believes in multiculturalism. The bulk of the
sabots on the ground think otherwise; hence one of the reasons for the
unassimilabiltiy of Muslims into French society. Furthermore, much of France
has fancied that they have a special relationship with Arabs given their long
term love for their former colony, Algeria. They mourn for it as Arabs mourn
for Andalusia. The French opposed the U.S. on Iraq partly because they loved
Arabs and partly because some of them had an intimate relationship with their
buddy Saddam Hussein.
Hanson is a scholar and not likely to rely solely upon Newspapers for his
information on France, but my impression is that what has appeared in them on
France over the months has been a stolid adherence to failed policies.
Multiculturalism hasn?t worked, appeasement hasn?t worked, and proffering
friendship hasn?t worked. France has been the European champion of the Arabs
and that hasn?t worked.
But I too (along with Hanson) have noticed a slow change in European attitudes
toward the Islamist problems. Had the Islamists attacked only the U.S. and
left the Europeans alone, the Leftists around the world would more and more
vocally blame the U.S. for the Islamists attacks against it. But the Islamists
aren?t that smart or well organized. Like one of the animals in an Aesop Fable
they must kill because that is who they are. If they can?t kill Americans then
the French will do just as well. An infidel is after all an infidel.
Thanks for posting the Hanson article
http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson021806.html . Hanson is one of the
clearest thinking historians writing today. He hasn?t given up on the
Europeans because of his long ranged belief in the West. Various parts of the
West may do stupid things from time to time, but in terms of fighting ability,
no civilization can stand against it (see Hanson?s The Western Way of War). We
(the West) could make short work of the Islamists if we were to agree (as the
West) to do that.
Lawrence
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