The idea of a multicultural society and open borders sounds,
well, enlightened. Let people go where they want to go and be who they want to
be. Why not?
With the recent bombings in Brussels Europeans are being
faced with the cold, hard reality that their naiveté about allowing potential
terrorists into their midst – terrorists who then provide a support system for
other terrorists -- can be deadly.
The European Union’s policy of essentially open borders once
someone reaches an EU country has allowed terrorists unfettered and
unchallenged access practically everywhere. Its embrace of multiculturalism has
enabled immigrants to avoid assimilation and instead establish beachheads where
local police have no control, and no vision to pre-empt attacks.
The “United States of Europe” once envisioned has become a
loose confederation of micro states within states; a return to the chaos that
was Europe for centuries. There may be a common currency for many, but the
divisions remain by language and culture – exacerbated by an influx of
immigrants with languages and values alien to the countries in which they’re settling.
In short, the EU is coming apart from forces within and
without.
Members with unstable economies want bailouts for
out-of-control government spending on bloated bureaucracies and social
programs. More stable members are
pushing back, demanding more institutional concessions and austerity measures before
coughing up the money. Those seeking aid are refusing to accept those
concessions and austerity measures.
Then there’s the issue of the flood of mostly Muslim immigrants
from places like the Middle East and Africa. Most of these people don’t have
job skills, don’t speak the languages, and don’t understand – or openly reject
– the customs and culture of the countries they seek to enter.
The last thing many EU members need is more mouths to feed
and families to support. They also don’t want more racial and ethnic unrest
than they’re already experiencing.
Consequently, more and more EU members are restricting
access or even sealing their borders to prevent those same immigrants from
overwhelming their social support systems, and, truth be told, overwhelming
their own cultures and values
The heads of some EU members – such as Angela Merkel of
Germany, most notably – are imploring their citizens to welcome the immigrants,
but resistance is growing. When ISIS
claims that it’s embedding hundreds if not thousands of its trained Islamic
terrorists into the hordes of immigrants trying to cross over into Europe it’s
easy to see why.
After the attacks in Paris, the bombings in Brussels, and
the attacks that preceded these by Islamic terrorists elsewhere, many living in
the EU feel they are under siege, betrayed by social activists and politicians
who have left them seemingly defenseless. Their police are not allowed to enter
certain areas, their cultures and values are under assault, their fellow
citizens are being murdered, and their politicians seem incapable or unwilling
to do anything to stop this.
Honestly, I don’t blame them for feeling betrayed.
What’s going to happen now? Will these episodes of terror
for terror’s sake – and ISIS’ latest promise to send hundreds more fighters to
wage war on Europe – galvanize the citizens there to demand changes? Will the continuing slaughter of innocents
move politicians to action in unison?
Frankly, I doubt it.
It’s important to remember that the only times in Europe’s
long history it’s been even remotely united have been under the rule of
conquerors. It took the Romans, Charlemagne, Napoleon, and the Nazis to bring
major parts of Europe under unified control through bloody conquest.
So the concept of one Europe is a myth. Simmering just below
the surface are competing cultures, competing values, and nationalistic tendencies.
Every country in Europe has been at war with another at some
time. In their heart of hearts, they don’t like or trust each other. And more and more of their citizens certainly
don’t like or trust the wave of immigrants invading them and trying to change
their country. They already don’t care much for their neighbors; much less
people wholly unlike them who refuse to assimilate.
It’s also important to remember that grudges between these nations
and their ethnic groups are measured in centuries. The Serbs still talk about the 500 years the
Turks enslaved them. The Greeks still talk about all their wars with the Turks.
When Yugoslavia broke apart with the death of Tito, the Serbs, Bosnians, Croats, and other groups there quickly divided along ethnic and religious lines and started killing each other again
Why? Because they still hate each other, based on centuries-old
events.
Already nationalist parties are gaining political strength
in practically every EU member. There’s
a popular movement in the UK to leave the EU entirely. In Germany Merkel’s party took big hits from
right-wing nationalist parties in recent elections. Marine Le Pen’s
conservative party in France is stirring strong nationalist feelings and
winning in many polls. In Brussels
right-wing “black shirts” disrupted a memorial to the victims of the recent
attacks.
There’s more than xenophobia involved here. Many of the
countries being attacked by Islamic terrorists have strong Christian roots,
whether that’s Catholic or Protestant. I don’t think that’s an accident, any
more than Islamists beheading Christians is. Islamic terrorists worldwide are
targeting Christians, from Europe, to South Asia, to Africa, and of course the
Middle East, including the bombing of Christian families in Pakistan
celebrating Easter in a public park.
The Islamic terrorists want a holy war – devout Muslims on
one side; Christians, Jews and other infidels on the other. Nothing less will
satisfy them.
They are hoping for another Crusade. The terror attacks and
slaughter will continue until they get what they so fervently desire.
The real question is whether the countries they are attacking
will unite against them.
We already know that Obama isn’t really interested; he’s not
even willing to invoke Article 5 of the NATO agreement (an attack on one is an
attack on all). We can’t count on moderate – and I use that term loosely –
Middle East countries to join in the fight in a meaningful way.
What about Europe – has it finally reached the tipping
point?
Or will it wither further under political dithering? I suspect it will in the near term. Europe is so accustomed to having the U.S.
being its ultimate protector that without a strong response from us, it doesn’t
know what to do.
And I think we all know that until we have a new President
here, our government won’t take seriously what’s happening there.
If we don't, Europe won't, regardless of how many lives are lost there in the meantime.
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