Posted by
Buster Foghorn on Friday, January 26, 2007 11:22:38 AM
Lee Harris, in “Civilization And Its Enemies,” presents an in-depth look at our current military conflict with radical Islamic extremism. He discusses 9/11 in the context of a fantasy ideology; the nature of the enemy and the role of ruthlessness in warfare; and the critical role that forgetfulness plays in understanding why civilizations fail and the risks that we are facing.
This is a grand adventure that examines Western Civilization from the early Greeks, through the Enlightenment up to the present day. It covers a wide-ranging discussion of how military conflicts and philosophical thought from the past apply to our current situation.
The discussion also raises ideas that shine light on the endless futility of a Middle East Peace Process in any region that has not experienced “the civilizing process” societies must go through and the essential requirement of “respectability” for any nation.
Civilization And Its Enemies, is a perfect set-piece (the past, present and future) to read along with Oriana Fallaci, The Force of Reason, and Mark Steyn, America Alone.
In, The Force of Reason, Oriana Fallaci, explains how European leadership and those who shaped public opinion failed to meet the challenges of assimilating their Middle Eastern immigrants. She discusses her shock and disbelief at the role of the “elites” in trading away basic western values. Her journey especially covers the recent past.
In, America Alone, Mark Steyn, explains why the future of Europe is hard-wired into an Islamic presence that is based upon demographics and the declining birth rates in most European countries (except for the high birth rates of Islamic immigrants). His view is one of the future and how the countries of Europe have failed to maintain a necessary population base to preserve their basic values and identity.
Civilization And Its Defense offers perspective and presents our conflict against an extremist Islamic ideology with a broader brush that helps the reader to put our current situation in historical context and understand why we face what President Bush refers to as the defining challenge of the 21st Century.