August 14, 2006
Has It Begun?
Last night, an anonymous phone call to the Italian newspaper Libero warned that an unexploded bomb would be found in Milan, in front of a former Islamic centre - now a restaurant which is a preferred meeting point for foreigners (I doubt of Chinese origin, tho). The caller also reportedly said "This is the beginning of the war against Muslims".
(Corrected slightly since first published. - ed.)
A police patrol went to investigate, and indeed found a pipebomb, which probably failed to explode due to the pouring rain (and a lousy fuse).
In other news, British Muslims have overplayed their hand, and have been finally told to stuff it at a pretty high level.
A while ago, Wretchard stated the obvious: we in the West can make and use bombs as well as the Islamists do; what is missing is the will. But with the growing exasperation fuelled both by Islamist violence and the weak response of the governments, the number of people willing to resort to violence will increase. And this leads to one of those very uncomfortable questions: when the government fails to protect the citizens' rights and the welfare of the State, what is left for good citizens to do?
These stories are connected to a discussion I got into yesterday at Kevin's place. I'm not able to read the mind of the autor of the quote Kevin reported, but it seems to imply a hostile Islamic takeover in Europe, within a few years. Well, that's pretty much fantasy, something that can make you earn some money if you write an action book about it. Ask Tom Clancy.
Some seem not to know, but European countries have police forces and armies to quell insurrections; as bad as the Paris riots were, they never came even close to overthrow the legitimate French government.
However, that does not mean everything is fine and dandy. What the near future has in stock, I'm afraid, is the formation of Muslim (north African mainly) enclaves where the authority of the Government is limited if not absent, with more or less frequent riots.
In the long term, the problem is demographic: ethnic Europeans are not reproducing enough, while Muslims do reproduce fast. If the status quo is maintained, Muslims will eventually reach a critical mass and become able to exert a determinant influence on the politics of European countries. And this is indeed cause for concern - for Europeans and Americans.
However, changes can occur in that timespan. Changes in the migratory fluxes and domestic attitudes; changes in the global equilibria of power.
I think that available data and models simply do not allow to give any accurate predictions for the far future (>25 years).
(Corrected slightly since first published. - ed.)
A police patrol went to investigate, and indeed found a pipebomb, which probably failed to explode due to the pouring rain (and a lousy fuse).
In other news, British Muslims have overplayed their hand, and have been finally told to stuff it at a pretty high level.
A while ago, Wretchard stated the obvious: we in the West can make and use bombs as well as the Islamists do; what is missing is the will. But with the growing exasperation fuelled both by Islamist violence and the weak response of the governments, the number of people willing to resort to violence will increase. And this leads to one of those very uncomfortable questions: when the government fails to protect the citizens' rights and the welfare of the State, what is left for good citizens to do?
These stories are connected to a discussion I got into yesterday at Kevin's place. I'm not able to read the mind of the autor of the quote Kevin reported, but it seems to imply a hostile Islamic takeover in Europe, within a few years. Well, that's pretty much fantasy, something that can make you earn some money if you write an action book about it. Ask Tom Clancy.
Some seem not to know, but European countries have police forces and armies to quell insurrections; as bad as the Paris riots were, they never came even close to overthrow the legitimate French government.
However, that does not mean everything is fine and dandy. What the near future has in stock, I'm afraid, is the formation of Muslim (north African mainly) enclaves where the authority of the Government is limited if not absent, with more or less frequent riots.
In the long term, the problem is demographic: ethnic Europeans are not reproducing enough, while Muslims do reproduce fast. If the status quo is maintained, Muslims will eventually reach a critical mass and become able to exert a determinant influence on the politics of European countries. And this is indeed cause for concern - for Europeans and Americans.
However, changes can occur in that timespan. Changes in the migratory fluxes and domestic attitudes; changes in the global equilibria of power.
I think that available data and models simply do not allow to give any accurate predictions for the far future (>25 years).
