Consensus Foreign Policy

"In almost any discussion of world affairs, there is one thing on which doves and hawks invariably agree: much more needs to be done to shore up states that are failing, in a state of collapse, or so poor that they are heading in that direction. ... In America these days, defence planners say they worry more about weak states, even non-states, than about strong ones. ... To the chagrin of old-school sceptics, nation-building is now an integral part of American strategy. Similarly, the European Union's declared security strategy sees state failure as an 'alarming' phenomenon. It opines that: 'Neighbors who are engaged in violent conflict, weak states where organized crime flourishes, dysfunctional societies or exploding population growth on its borders all pose problems for Europe.' ... Strategists have worried about failing states ever since the end of the cold war", my emphasis, The Economist, 29 January 2009, link: http://www.economist.com/world/international/PrinterFriednly.cfm?story_id=13035718.

"Gone are the days when support for the radical right cane from neo-Nazi elements in European society; they now come from ordinary citizens, concerned not only about bleeding social welfare programs, but also from worries about the continued influx of immigration--a feeling that it is likely to worsen as recession hangs over the continent. 'I voted for the Freedom Party to stop immigrants from burdening our social welfare system,' says Lukas, a grandfatherly figure and government employee. ... Such is the dynamic in today's European race relations. A December Pew Research Center's Golbal Attitudes Project reports anti-immigrant, and especially anti-Muslim sentiments, to be growing steadily across the continent. ... As European Muslims demand more mosques, state-funded Islamic schools, and even the implementation of Sharia (Islamic law) in their host countries, the term [Islamization] refers to the gradual process by which European society is becoming increasingly and visibly Muslim. ... Sharia courts have already been adopted in many cities in the UK after persistent demands by British Muslims. ... High immigration from Muslim nations, combined with fertility advantages, means that ethnic Europeans might lose their demographic counterpoise: a fact that touches a raw nerve with many. ...The sense that Europe is under seige is further heightentd by concerns over the welfare system being overtaxed by non-natives", my emphasis, Handan Satiroglu, 29 January 2009, link: http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/122868.

When you lack war fighting ability, like most European states, you can worry about "failing states". This strikes me as a militarily impotent continent's busy work. Disagreeing with the "experts", I do not think failing states strategically important. As I read in Barron's decades ago, "consensus may be comforting, but rarely proves profitable". Or in this instance, correct. "Declared security strategy"; my declared security strategy is: I can fly by flapping my arms! What nonsense! Europe should be more concerned about a real threat to its future: 25 million Moslems living within its borders.

About 40 years ago Milton Friedman said you can't have unlimited immigration and a welfare state. How right he was.