[h/t: Hedgehog]

In his April 8th column for the Jerusalem Post, Mark Steyn reviews two new books — “While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying The West From Within by Bruce Bawer, and Menace In Europe: Why The Continent’s Crisis Is America’s, Too by Claire Berlinski” and comments on what they reveal about the continuing decline of European civilization. Steyn has pointed commentary on what the differences are between those Americans that dislike European folly and the Europeans that revile Americans and our way of life.

The difference between “anti-Americanism” and “anti-Europeanism” is obvious. In, say, 2025, America will be much as it is today – big, powerful, albeit (to sophisticated Continentals) absurdly vulgar and provincial. But in 20 years’ time Europe will be an economically moribund demographic basket case: Seventeen Continental nations have what’s known as “lowest-low” fertility – below 1.3 live births per woman – from which no population has ever recovered.

For those want to keeping score, don’t bet on Europe without getting a ton of points!

The only question about Europe is whether it’s going to be (a) catastrophically bad or (b) apocalyptically bad, as in head for the hills, here come the Four Horsemen: Death (the self-extinction of European races too self-absorbed to breed), Famine (the withering of unaffordable social programs), War (civil strife as the disaffected decide to move beyond mere Citroen-torching) and Conquest (the inevitable victory of the Muslim successor population already in place).

The only “salvation” that I can foresee for Europe is Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy joining with and backing the United States in stopping Iran from becoming a nuclear power. To do so would force them to somehow “deal” with their un-assimilated Muslim populations sooner rather than later. In the process, they might even have to back away from their inefficient, crumbling social-welfare societal structure — maybe even procreating once in a blue-moon or so? Lot’s o’ hot, nasty sex goin’ on over there — how about a few “European” babies coming out of the deal?

Unfortunately, Mr. Steyn’s analysis is probably way to much on-the-mark:

I’d say Option (b) looks the better bet, for a few if not all Continental nations: United they’ll fall, but divided a handful might stand a chance.
(…)
[Quoting Charles Murray] . . . even if it were affordable, the European social democratic state would still be fatal. “Give people plenty and security, and they will fall into spiritual torpor,” he writes. “When life becomes an extended picnic, with nothing of importance to do, ideas of greatness become an irritant.” If Bawer’s book is a wake-up call, Murray reminds us that western Europe long ago threw away the alarm clock and decided to sleep in.

When Europe does finally wake up and call for room service, what it will find knocking on the door is the stoning pit and a rusty-serrated knife! (db)

Technorati Tags: Mark Steyn, Decline of Europe

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 9th, 2006 at 11:40 am and is filed under Dhimmitude, Europe at the Crossroads, Islam. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.  |   Print This Post  |   Email This Post

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