Spengler Strikes Again-2

"The state of Israel embodies the last, best chance for the Islamic world to come to terms with the modern world. ... The premise of Western policy is to tread lightly upon Muslim sensibilities. That is an error of the first magnitude, for Muslim sensibilities are what prevent the Islamic world from creating modern states. Islam cannot produce the preconditions for democracy in the Western sense out of its own resources. Free elections in Muslim lands tend to hand power to fanatical despots. ... Islam has no inherent concept of humility; it can only be imported to Muslim countries from the outside. ... I have argued that it is the Judeo-Christian experience of divine love that make is possible for representative democracy to flourish, because imitation of God reveres the rights of the weak and helpless. ... For example, Japanese culture contains no concept of divine love in the Christian sense, but it does know humility, thanks to the instruction of the United States during 1941-1945 and the succeeding occupation. No concept of intermediate cause, or rational ordering of the universe, is to be found in mainstream Islam. ... In pagan society there is family, clan, and state; there is no intermediate function of representation, because there is no transcendent trust. ... For the Muslim world, what matters is not Israel is a functioning democracy located in Middle East, but rather that it is Israel that humbled the House of Islam. ... Israel offers an existential challenge to the Muslim world. ... Washington's misguided effort to foster Islamic democracy might be the stupiest idea in the history of foreign policy", Spengler at http://www.atimes.com/, 19 November.

I love Spengler, whoever he is. Spengler for Secretary of State, Spengler for President, dare I say it: Spengler for CEO of Goldman Sachs. Well, maybe not that.