George Handlery about the week that was. The burden of innocence and guilt. History indicts all of us. Europe’s power frightens some Europeans. The challenge that follows from the end of American unilateralism. Jihadists can gain politically – if they know something besides killing. Monarchic lessons and the Korean Question.
 
1. Condy Rice is appalled that the international community is unable to deal with dictators. Her shock is justified. Any surprise is unwarranted. Most UN members are not democracies. More correctly put, they are democracies in name only. Such as in “The Democratic This or That of Whatever”. Generally, sharks do not attack each other when swimmers are available. The result is tolerance for the intolerable. The illustration is delivered free of charge by the inability of southern Africa’s political organization to treat Mugabe the way his record deserves it and the peril of his subjects demands.

500 years from now, when 26^th century archeologists will be slicing through the stratum of the broken remains of Frankfurt or Philadelphia, chips of silicon chips next to bits of Snickers and Big Mac wrappers under mounds of DVD shards, squashed satellite dishes among twisted nipple rings and faded Obama campaign buttons, bases of shattered toilet bowls still bolted to face away from Mecca next to popped air bubble soles still claiming victory for Nike, they will be wandering, what was is that destroyed this civilization?

The Excuse: On December 6th a 15 year old school boy was shot dead by a policeman in Athens. Apparently, the policeman had not legitimate reason for doing so.

The Aftermath: For five days now groups of young men, self-described anarchists, have been spreading mayhem in the streets of Athens and other cities throughout the country. The damages are estimated to be more than €100 million so far. More than 400 stores and other businesses have sustained damages in Athens alone. 
The Cause: Extremely high tolerance for illegal and anti-social behavior. The coverage in the international media has often cited Greece’s economic and social challenges due to the high involvement of government into the economy as the cause of the present crisis.

Two French websites – Islamisation, administered by Joachim Véliocas, and Bivouac-Id – have posted reports on the laying of the first stone of the new Grand Mosque of Tours. Notable among the dignitaries present were the Algerian Minister of Religion, the Socialist mayor of Tours, Jean Germain, and… the archbishop of Tours, Monsignor Aubertin.

Here is a revealing interview (in Norwegian -- English translation here) with the leading academic Multiculturalist in my country, Professor Thomas Hylland Eriksen of the University in Oslo, who has received millions in government funding for his projects and is something of a national celebrity. It's a few months old, but I haven't seen it until now. He says point blank that in his view the most important thing to do right now is to "deconstruct the majority [population] so thoroughly that it can never be called the majority again." End of quote. And this is the agenda of the Multiculturalists in all Western nations. Make no mistake about it. I have honored him with a mention in my book Defeating Eurabia:

George Handlery about the week that was. NATO split or only divided? Patterns of modernization: by whom and for what purpose. Gypsies against crime. Criminal victims of crime. The Enlightenment’s tradition and its implication. 9/11 and the guilt of the victims.
 
1. An understandable concern of the eastern half of the Atlantic World is its relationship to Russia. The more so since Russia is undergoing a mutation. Whatever emerges will largely determine her intentions and therefore set the parameters within which the relationship will have to unfold. In this regard, the conversation tends to shift to cautionary reservations. These ponder what Russia’s direct and indirect neighbors need to avoid in order not to antagonize her. While this makes some sense the depiction of the problem – wrong policies provoke Angst and that hostility – misses a point. It is that Russia’s vigorously communicated intransigence is allowed to net rewards that would not be extended to pure diplomacy. In the case of the Ukraine’s and Georgia’s NATO membership a middle way between the demonstration of resolution and capitulation has been agreed upon. Eventually, the two can become members. However, in response to Western Europe’s wishes, the admission procedure will not be shortened. In addition, NATO will resume its discussions about a “strategic partnership” with Russia. The interruption came about because of Georgia. So, as things stand, Russia is not getting everything it wants regarding membership and the content of talks. This means that NATO is not split (as Russia has trumpeted the situation for PR purposes) but it is divided.

Last week, a couple of Belgian television networks received a video with masked Arabs claiming to speak on behalf of al-Qaeda. The men threatened attacks in Belgium if the country does not pull its tiny military contingent from Afghanistan. The video quickly turned out not to come from al-Qaeda but to be a compilation of existing al-Qaeda tapes. It was the work either of people attempting a sick joke or of potentially dangerous amateurs from the local Muslim community trying to mimic the big boys.

A leaked intelligence document issued by Spain’s CNI spy agency in October warns that Russia is aggressively pursuing a plan to “monopolize access to energy supplies to Europe.” The report validates what many analysts have been saying for a long time, namely that Moscow is using Russian energy companies to gain geo-strategic control over northern, central and southern Europe.

I've written several essays about Islam, the West and our supposedly shared Greco-Roman heritage. One part of this legacy which we definitely didn't share was secular Roman law. Here is what Norman Davies says in his monumental book Europe: A History, page 173: "It is often said that Roman law is one of the pillars of European civilization. And so, indeed, it is. Latin lex means 'the bond', 'that which binds'. The same idea underlies that other keystone of Roman legality, the pactum or 'contract'. Once freely agreed by two parties, whether for commercial, matrimonial, or political purposes, the conditions of the contract bind the parties to observe it. As the Romans knew, the rule of law ensures sound government, commercial confidence, and orderly society."

George Handlery about the week that was. The balmy era of peace, unilateralism and the blizzard of reality. Walking on water and secular sainthood. What to worry about? Behind Communist revivals. Is it anti-Russian to reject Stalinism? A Queen, Logic and Gay Pride. Shy success = a crime sounds good and how it supports poverty.