America Alone - 5

In the final part of America Alone, Mark Steyn talks about the premise of the book title, that in the end, America will be one of the last ones standing in the so-called "long war" of Islamification, and the only country with the potential to win it.  "Because, if America can't, nobody else in the developed world can," Steyn states, "and they'd be well advised to begin reaching their accommodations with the new realities, an Islamic Europe and a nuclear Iran being merely the warm-up acts" (153).  Steyn's belief is that most of Europe is hollow, and the United States is becoming more hollow to appease Europe.  He says, "...the United States has become a slave to its habitual if largely misplaced fondness for Europe, while Europe has become a slave to its habitual if entirely irrational hatred for America" (160).  Well said.  Europe hates us for our apparent greed and selfishness, but to me, those are only benign factors of America's success; we are the most prosperous nation known to man because of our revolutionary political and economic systems.  Yet there are so many people out there that hate America, and it clearly will not help us in the long run.  Steyn also begins to talk about our Judicial systems and its flaws (example: trials for horrible people taking forever), our diplomatic position at the moment (example: African and Arab League members of the UN voted against the USA position more than 80 percent of the time, and EU members voted against the USA position 54.5 percent of the time in the General Assembly of 2003), our economic position at the moment (example: "Americans are paying for the rope that will hang them" (165) by paying for Saudi oil), and our media and its flaws.  There is so much crap directed towards America that it has become stereotypical, but we don't deserve this, Steyn believes.  "Most Americans are familiar with their stereotype abroad: the ugly American, loud, brash, ignorant, arrogant.  It is, in most respects, the inversion of reality: America may be the most modest and retiring hegemon in history," Steyn says (174). Mark Steyn is a native Canadian, by the way.  So how can we ease the tensions?

Steyn talks about his solution in the final chapter: be proud of your nation.  Yes, it sounds cliché, but most people kind of take the pride for granted and let Europeans and Islam stomp all over them.  "This book isn't an argument for more war, more bombing, or more killing," Steyn says, "but for more will." (193).  Like Europe, we have become somewhat hollow in the sense that our outer layer is our massive military and firepower, but behind it is a lack of will and pride for our own kind.  Instead, as Steyn says (which I agree with), we hide behind the whole 'multiculturalism' facade: "Multiculturalism was conceived by the Western elites not to celebrate all cultures but to deny their own: it is, thus, the real suicide bomb" (194).  I don't think that having multiple other cultures in a society is a bad thing until it begins to dominate, hide, and scorn the native culture, and that's what appears to be happening today in America.  Yes, as I said before I even believe that having diversity in a society can be a good thing, immersing other people into different cultures.  But submitting to these other cultures and having a system of political correctness that advocates this submission is taking will and pride away from Americans.  There are blacks and whites and yellows and reds but we are "The greatest nation on God's green Earth," undivided.  We cannot forget that.  To stop Islamification, Steyn gives three possible resolutions: submit to Islam, destroy Islam, or reform Islam.  Obviously the first two are farfetched, and reforming Islam "...is not ours to do.  Ultimately, only Muslims can reform Islam.  All the free world can do is create conditions that increase the likelihood of Muslim reform, or at any rate do not actively impede it" (205).  Steyn then talks about ten things we can do to induce Islam reform, including supporting women's rights, supporting economic and political liberty in the Muslim world, transforming the energy industry to decrease dependence on Saudi oil, and ending the Iranian regime.  His general hopes for America though are low: "We have been shirking too long, and that's unworthy of a great civilization.  To see off the new Dark Ages will be tough and demanding.  The alternative will be worse" (214).

America Alone is a bit of a roller coaster to read.  The topics Steyn talks about are often scattered and unorganized.  His contentions and ideas are perfectly valid, but in my opinion, a little intense.  Islamification is probable, but not as probable as he thinks it may be.  The Muslim extremists as I see them have very little infrastructure, just a bunch of firepower and the will and hatred for America.  I feel that once we stop funding the regime by cutting how much oil we buy from them, they will die out.  Who knows though, maybe his predictions will end up being correct.  So, I would probably not recommend this book to anyone; it's a big spiderweb of ideas and it's difficult to pull ideas out of it.  Don't get me wrong, I agree with plenty of things that Steyn says in this book, but I just found it difficult to read.