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Sunday, November 06, 2005I'm sure I'm not the first neocon to fit Paris into the Western Civilization vs. the Islamists framework. But thanks to Cicero for his notes on the bit, actually a parody of how some have reacted to the threat of Islamism with suggestions for exploiting the mechanism.Since spotting the bit, however, Cicero has been watching for others to take up the neocon charge. Today, he finally got another neocon on the case, the good Mr. Steyn. Steyn's was a good article, by the way. Though Cicero does do a nice job of taking apart one aspect of the thing: Oh. Battles decide nothing. People, and peoples, decide how to respond to them. And that, NOT the battle, settles what comes next.That's Cicero's response to Steyn's claim that we're witnessing a second battle of Poitiers - when the Muslims were pushed back in 732 A.D. Unfortunately for France, Cicero is write. Unfortunately, because were this a clash of arms, the CRS might stand a chance. But if this is a battle of wills between disparate peoples, well, the native French have seemed somewhere between resigned to decline and apologetic about not disappearing faster. And one fears that the French spirit - at least as contained within its political class, will wither faster than the residents of a Parisian nursing home on a hot day in July. Sarkozy looks increasingly like the best that France has to offer if it wishes to stay, er, French. Which is why, as Steyn points out, the other pols are more interested in sidelining him than making sure the next round of cars aren't burning at Elysée itself. Still, clash of civilizations and all, I should step back from my pessimism a little bit. I do think France will pull it together, finishing on a worse footing but not wholly lost. First of all, the French people are smarter than their pols, but the pols are usually smart enough to notice when they've really lost the people. Second, the one group of people more devoid of ideas - of esprit - than the French political class is the Islamist movement. When the key to solving the problems of the world is to leave it in a blaze of glory in hot pursuit of your 72 virgins, well, this doesn't bring about a lot of earthly solutions. Just a lot of body parts to sweep up before the normal part of the day resumes. In France, though, they haven't mustered even that. The youth are burning cars and committing assorted other mayhem, but staying just shy of offenses for which the French police are allowed to shoot. In short, we are witnessing anew the clash of civilizations. And in a place where the West does not have a very strong hand. The good news is it does still have a stronger hand than Islamism. Just as Western civilization will bring forth a democratic Iraq, it will eventually even bring about a functional Europe with greater charms to offer than the twisted reading of Islam that psychopaths use to unleash their fury and "French youths" identify with in a tired effort to find a new form of dignity in getting back at the man. One sentence summary, then, for Marcus: In Paris we are watching the same clash of civilizations that we've seen in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. Just so, it is another clash that the West will win, if only in spite of itself. 
posted by gbarto at 11:45 PM |
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