"But there are some signs that the early stage of moral confusion is beginning to give way to greater clarity. Last week, two towering intellects -- Pope Benedict XVI and Henry Kissinger -- began to offer clarity. On Tuesday, the pope gave his now famous, but still misunderstood, lecture at the University of Regensburg. And on Wednesday, Kissinger published a half-page seminal article on the risk of civilizational war in The Washington Post. "
While not the pope, Henry Kissinger is the world's premier practitioner and scholar of realpolitik. So it is consequential that in his article last week, he warned the world that "we are witnessing a carefully conceived assault, not isolated terrorist attacks, on the international system of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. The creation of organizations such as Hezbollah and al-Qaida symbolizes the fact that transnational loyalties are replacing national ones. The driving force behind this challenge is the jihadist conviction that it is the existing order that is illegitimate."
He went on to warn: "The debate sparked by the Iraq war over American rashness vs. European escapism is dwarfed by what the world now faces ... the common danger of a wider war merging into a war of civilizations against the backdrop of a nuclear-armed Middle East. ... We now know that we face the imperative of building a new world order or potential global catastrophe."
These are shocking words coming from the verbally impeccably careful diplomatist.
So, within 24 hours the pope raises the question of whether Islam is inherently violent and unreasonable, while Kissinger warns of a possible emerging nuclear clash of civilizations.
Moral clarity, anyone?
2 comments:
To me, Tony Blankley is a "mid" conservative, that is, a moderate. Some see him as a right-winger but that moniker doesn't fit his writings.
The "moral confusion" will increase in the future, Whit; in my lowly opinion. The Pope will soon be meeting with Muslim Clerics (to apologize), the Bush administration will elevate their "kowtowing" to the U.N. and will capitulate to Iran's nuclear ambitions (now Egypt wants one); the list goes on and on.
In fact, I think most Americans WANT this Chamberlain styled "peace". This explains the President's numbers going up - "keep us safe through defense and don't piss off anyone" mentality.
What ever you do, make sure the ammo levels are up! Protect your family and neighborhood. Not to worry though, we will probably go with a wimper, not a gun battle in the streets.
I think you have everything pegged about right.
The best we can do is take care of ourselves. Everything else is out of our hands.
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