(11-19-2013 11:27 PM)Native Georgian Wrote: (11-19-2013 10:13 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote: John Paul II was no slouch, either. He, along with Reagan and Thatcher, pushed the Soviet Union into the ash heap of history.
JPII played an absolutely huge role in that process. He preferred that his role be minimized in terms of public-awareness, but the reality is slowly being recognized. The British author John O'Sullivan -- very close to Thatcher during the 1970s-'80s, and who then replaced Wm F Buckley as editor of National Review -- wrote an excellent book about that very subject:
http://www.amazon.com/The-President-Pope...27Sullivan
Got to meet John O'Sullivan this summer.
Impressive guy. You might be interested in my notes from his talk about the Middle East.
Three periods in Arab-Islamic world in last century.
1. Parliamentary systems under leadership of west.
2. Arab socialism under leadership of intellectuals.
3. Arab Spring revolution.
Egypt 85% Islamic. Where there is a hugely dominant group, government must reflect them.
If we are going to succeed, going to have to find some way to give Islamists a means of expression.
Dealing with Muslim world – have to get them to accept the modern world more, and have to make some concessions to their lifestyle and world view.
Too late to intervene. Worst possible result would be to intervene and lose.
Everything that has been said about the Muslim Brotherhood is essentially true.
Have to get governments to restrain them.
If we allow policies antagonistic to them, their numbers will grow.
Ataturk revolution in Turkey ultimately did not take.
Find governments in that part of the world and encourage them not to penalize Islam.
Going to have revolution and instability in that part of the world for years.
England should have prevented Muslim problem with immigration policies.
But didn’t and now have to find way to deal with it.
Modern Islamist movement not so much religious movement as totalitarian anti-West movement.
Have to show what failures of new Islamist state would be.
Repression of women, bleak future for young people.
England – Nigerian Islamists executed soldier. But talking about it is disallowed.
Amsterdam – lots of beautiful churches, but has become secular place.
Muslim Brotherhood believes as they believe. If we do not hold onto our beliefs, will be overcome by Islamists.
Charles Martel, Tours, 732. Been going on for a long time.
People can coexist, but you have to have mutual respect. When tolerance becomes a one-way street, it is the way to suicide.
There are Muslim Brotherhood members in DHS.
