Menace in Europe Podcast
We are talking today to journalist,Claire Berlinski, whose new book, Menace in Europe : Why the Continent's Crisis Is America's, Too,
comes out today. Claire is back in the States from Istanbul to promote her new book and she took the time to talk with us about radical Islamists in Europe, the problems with assimilation, the psychological trauma facing Europe, and the possible need for a national therapist in France! I would sign up but I don't think I am up to that job. Perhaps Shrinkwrapped, Dr. Sanity, Neo-neocon, or Shrinkette would qualify. You can listen to the podcast (you don't need an iPod) by clicking here or you can subscribe to iTunes.
You can find a dialup version here, and there's a collection of all our podcasts here.
As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.
posted by Helen at 7:33 PM
17 Comments:
Uh, cheesecake photos of Claire Berlinski?
Great interview.
Also, I second Charle's suggestion.
I just want to thank you guys not only for doing these interviews as "free ice cream" but also for making them practical for dialup users.
I think this was the best so far. It was more conversational than questions and answers. Also, much better than an interview with her that I saw on TV (O'Reilly, maybe)
Excellent! I've got a few books to buy now 8^)
While I realize that Glenn has been plugging Berlinski's book, I'm disappointed neither of you challenged her on any of her points. I guess you agree too much with her to be interviewing her. It was like a giant infomercial. I normally really like Instapundit.
As an American of Indian origin, who lived in central Europe for nearly 14 years, I can sadly only confirm Ms. Berlinski's analysis. From the interview, I think she has done an excellent job of portraying the grave European malaise and I look forward to reading her book. The one thing I really understood about Europe after a decade and a half of total immersion was how something unfathomable like WWII could take place, and why it could very easily happen again.
It is very interesting that a most honest and unfettered perspective on national crises can only be provided from a foreigner's view. However, as much as nations love to tell one another what the other should be doing, they hate being told from abroad what is wrong with them. Nations, while behaving like individuals, never trust one another enough to seek advice and ask each other how to improve themselves. Nation coaching is needed more than nation building. While the U.S. is no angel in this regard, I can confirm from my own experience that there is no place with a more secure future than the U.S.A., thanks to many sound fundamental economic and legal values incorporated in the American model.
Some other aspects of European society not mentioned in the interview worth reflection include:
Regionalism - You will rarely find anyone in Europe who has internalized their identity as a European. In fact Europeans, deep inside, still struggle with national identities--their historical identity lies in their region, with their dialect, that defines their own people. Not only does this affect commerce, but on an emotional level, Europeans do not connect with each other, because such localized identities create internal barriers to accepting others. Then imagine what the reaction is like for foreigners with a different skin color.
Ethnic Hegemony - although largely mythological, Europe is entangled in the idea that a single ethnic group should dominate a specific region, and feel that the history of their continent vindicates this point of view. This explains why the E.U., as an aggregate of European power, was ultimately unable to intervene (and will not be able to in the future) in the Balkan war in former Yugoslavia. Ethnic cleansing can start happening in Europe within weeks, nearly anywhere.
Historical Perspectives -- As the debate about the role of certain neutral countries in the Holocaust and in collaboration with the Nazis shows, although Europe is subconciously traumatized by WWII, the present generation has totally erased the war experience from their memory. WWII is not discussed and is redacted out in the minds of the entire continent, otherwise, there would be no way to continue to live together peacefully. The backside of this is that there is no intellectual barrier in place in Europe to prevent another terrible menace from demogaugery and ethnic violence.
Sorry for the long post. I can provide more personal perspectives on request.
Anonymous 11:53:
Why don't you start your own podcast and ask Ms. Berlinski to join you so you can air your disagreements with her. Then please email me so I can critique it on your blog. I look forward to hearing from you.
Gaurav:
Thanks for your thoughts.
It was a particularly compelling PodCast. As a European…a 45 yr old Englishman as it happens, born in India, lived in Sri Lanka Singapore and now South Africa as well as a fair bit all over Blighty (the UK), I certainly didn't find myself agreeing with everything Ms Berlinski said; but I did agree with much of it, and she provided some useful insights that were fresh to me. It was great that she was given space to say her piece, to develop trains of thought without being tangented, this is all too rare in interviews.
On the European war trauma thing; I think the French are more traumatised than any other European state after the carnage of WW1, their collaboration with the Axis powers in WW2 (well its stronger than collaboration- many French formations fought on the Axis side in Europe, North Africa, Madagascar and in Indonchina), their defeat at the hands of the Viet Mhinn in Vietnam and their defeat in Algeria. This I posit has knocked the French psyche more than any other European state; much more than the Poles who suffered proportionally more in WW2 than any nation, including the Soviets. Indeed I've heard it argued quite convincingly that the French psyche has never recovered from the carnage of Verdun.
I think Ms Berlinski is very right in that the European ‘super state’ is a no-no; despite the best wishes of the pan European elite. The model will be much more a British inclined trading block than a Franco-Germanic headed ‘United States of Europe’, more European states are starting to see things the British way. She’s also right that the American template for the assimilation of immigrants is far, far better for all than that of the Europeans; including the British. A little critique, she stuck a little too closely to my mind to her European remit, to me that was a bit artificial; that’s not quite how the World works. She didn’t touch on the ascendancy of Australia; very much an Anglosphere nation with absolutely everything is in its favour – currently only 20 million people but the size of the continental US (Australia is 32 times the size of the UK), nor on the massive influence as an Anglosphere nation that the land of my birth – India is going to have as a huge US strategic partner…..I could go on.
Back to Europe; there is the demographic issue and the all too apparent tendency of appeasement and submission to Islamification (hell Islam means submission). I’m really not sure how this will pan out myself. The French again are in the front line here having proportionally more unassimilated Muslims than any other European state; pro rata more than twice as many as the UK. So its simple to watch them to see what’s coming down the tubes, it doesn’t look good.
I do think there is much wishful thinking and much denial going on, in the US, Europe and indeed elsewhere. There are some more tough calls to be made, it will be interesting to see which, if any of the European nations taxonomy identifies them as vertebrates!
Nick (South Africa)
I think Europeans and Americans have a different mindset. The American model wouldn't work in Europe.
Yes, Europeans would do well to assimilate immigrants better. When I lived there, the Europeans I knew were quite openly xenophobic towards immigrants (so not as taboo as she says) and hysterically anti-American as Berlinski notes.
If 90% of Spain was against invading Iraq in the first place, how can electing Zapatero be appeasing terrorists? Surely, not electing the leader you want to spite the terrorists is letting the terrorists win. That is also erroneously linking Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein.
Anonymous: While I realize that Glenn has been plugging Berlinski's book, I'm disappointed neither of you challenged her on any of her points.
It's exactly the sort of studied negativism that Instapundit accuses the mainstream media of having. The point is not to constructively criticize Europe, it's to bury it for not liking American Republican policies. Although, as is often the case with studied negativism, there are elements of truth to it.
The truth is that Iraq, which is 97% Muslim, is a far greater threat to the United States than problems in the European Union, which is 3% or so Muslim. For that matter, if it so bad that many European Muslims aren't assimilated, then the United States should take another look at how it treats illegal Hispanic immigrants. They aren't going away because they are integral to the American economy, but their illegal status is a great barrier to assimilation.
Okay, maybe it's a bit more than 3%. According to this page, the European Union has 23 million Muslims, which is 5%.
On the other hand, 97% for Iraq may also be an underestimate. Most of the other 3% is Christian, and they may all leave or convert, or get killed, as the country slides toward theocracy.
Or should we say, greg dislikes the podcast cuz, it did not say what he wants to hear. And that he is upset becasue Glenn and Dr Helen havent come round to advocate Greg's ideas, Right,am I, Greg K?
"Menace in Iraq: Why That Country's Crisis is America's Crisis Too" would simply have been a much more perceptive title for Claire Berlinski's book.
This picture is worth a thousand words on this point. The top of the picture is the menace: Moktada al-Sadr. The bottom of the picture is Washington's good intentions — an American-donated squad car — and why it is America's crisis too. Washington is not even fighting this sworn enemy of America; they are handing him the keys to a kingdom.
As a Brit I must say that Claire Berlinski is amazingly accurate in her podcast. And I am amazed that, as an American, she has such a good grasp of the European situation.
With regard to why so many Europeans "hate America", one main reason that she did not mention is the hatred towards ***men*** that continually emanates from American feminists; e.g.
http://www.angryharry.com/ esSpottheChildAbuser.htm
(Apologies for some of the language.)
I ***REALLY*** enjoyed your podcast.
Thank you.
AH
Ooops. This is the correct URL.
http://www.angryharry.com/esSpottheChildAbuser.htm
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