The Case for Pessimism

I am an optimist regarding the ultimate outcome of the War with Radical Islamism: I believe that America and our allies will ultimately prevail, provided we don't succumb to the desire to give up and/or wish the jihadist threat away. Above all, I think we'll win simply because we have to, since the consequences of defeat at the hands of the Islamists are utterly unthinkable.

Mark Steyn is not an optimist:

Most people reading this have strong stomachs, so let me lay it out as baldly as I can: Much of what we loosely call the Western world will not survive this century, and much of it will effectively disappear within our lifetimes, including many if not most Western European countries. There'll probably still be a geographical area on the map marked as Italy or the Netherlands--probably--just as in Istanbul there's still a building called St. Sophia's Cathedral. But it's not a cathedral; it's merely a designation for a piece of real estate. Likewise, Italy and the Netherlands will merely be designations for real estate. The challenge for those who reckon Western civilization is on balance better than the alternatives is to figure out a way to save at least some parts of the West.


Whether or not you agree, Steyn's thought-provoking essay is well worth reading:

It's the Demography, Stupid