Watching the collapse
Ralph Peters:
"...With the age of European imperialism, the conquests shifted in the other direction. The Islamic world of the greater Middle East, proud of its tradition of conquest, found its methods and values could not compete with modern, mechanized, liberal societies. The Mahdi's horsemen fell to Maxim guns.
"The new debate in the Muslim world, begun 200 years ago and still underway, is between those who seek to emulate the processes of the West and those who advocate a return to religious rigor. Tragically, the fanatics appear to be winning the tactical debate, which leads, inevitably, to strategic defeat and further humiliation.
"Now we face something unique in history: the collapse, before our eyes, of the competitiveness and competence of a vast civilization, that of Middle Eastern Islam. None of its cherished values - the subjugation of women, religious intolerance, economic organization based on blood ties - works anymore. The people of the Middle East simply can't compete on their own terms. And the Arab world appears close to hitting bottom."
Ralph Peters:
"...With the age of European imperialism, the conquests shifted in the other direction. The Islamic world of the greater Middle East, proud of its tradition of conquest, found its methods and values could not compete with modern, mechanized, liberal societies. The Mahdi's horsemen fell to Maxim guns.
"The new debate in the Muslim world, begun 200 years ago and still underway, is between those who seek to emulate the processes of the West and those who advocate a return to religious rigor. Tragically, the fanatics appear to be winning the tactical debate, which leads, inevitably, to strategic defeat and further humiliation.
"Now we face something unique in history: the collapse, before our eyes, of the competitiveness and competence of a vast civilization, that of Middle Eastern Islam. None of its cherished values - the subjugation of women, religious intolerance, economic organization based on blood ties - works anymore. The people of the Middle East simply can't compete on their own terms. And the Arab world appears close to hitting bottom."
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