Hail Mary

Even though I think the United States and its allies were right to overthrow Saddam Hussein and establish a democratic state in Iraq, and I continue to support our efforts there, I've always harbored doubts as to whether the United States would be able to build a democratic Middle East that could last more than, say, ten years after the United States military ceased to be the guarantor of the new democratic order. Nothing I've seen has alleviated my doubts,* and I've wondered whether the United States should continue to expend blood and treasure on democratizing the Middle East. A government elected by its citizens is merely the capstone of a successful democracy. More important is a robust civil society dedicated to individual liberty, meritocracy and the rule of law under a government strong enough to maintain order and obliged to control itself. Without these, I can't see democracy succeeding in the Middle East. Is this effectively being built in Iraq? Only time will tell, but the cosnervative in me says that you can't completely remake a society overnight, or even over the course of a few years. Add to this the problem of rebuilding a civil society all but wiped out by a totalitarian dictator, and things only look bleaker. Still, despite the monumental task at hand, I am once again convinced that democratization of the Middle East is the only way to save the West from the doom that threatens to descend upon it.

Fjordman has written a piece for The Brussels Journal about the demographic situation facing the developed world. Essentially, he argues that mass-immigration from failed states is threatening to bring about the end of most European societies because these immigrants come from failed states and bring with them the cultures of these failed states which then threaten to become major political and cultural driving forces in the countries to which these immigrants immigrate. Ultimately, he concludes that European elites lack the will to do anything about this and that this will lead either to extreme civil unrest or the collapse of Europe or both. Now, the United States can't compel Europe to deal with its immigration problem. Heck, it can't even deal with its own immigration problem. Instead, the United States is promoting the ideal of democracy and individual liberty to the failed states that most threaten the West in order create the incentive for those who would otherwise leave their country in search of material well-being to remain and seek their fortunes in their own lands. This was and is supposed to be a way to stop terrorism at its source, but it also looks like the only way save Europe from itself.

It's a long shot, a Hail Mary, but I can't see any better alternatives at this point.

*However, the Iraqi insurgency may turn out to be just what is needed to instill long-term faith in the Iraqi government.