Europe's Pearl Harbor?

Although I’ve been annoyed at European refusal to help us more in Iraq, I’ve noted their help in Afghanistan, some in Iraq, and generally in the law enforcement side of fighting terrorism. I try not to get too upset when even something like a Spanish withdrawal happens because this will be a long war and we need voluntary cooperation. If a nation drops out of one part of the coalition, another may join, and dropouts may rejoin as others tire and scale back. Only we are crucial to the coalition. We cannot fail. Since we are the prime target I don’t think we could scale back much or for very long before being reminded of our critical role.

Besides, in two world wars, we were nearly 3 years tardy in World War I (though as a European struggle it is excusable) and two years tardy in World War II when our excuses for standing aside were less justifiable (although we were militarily weak). We helped where we could and in the end were decisive additions to the Allies in both wars. So we should cut the Europeans a little slack as long as they are net additions to our war effort. At some point, more states may help us more enthusiastically in more areas.

So one has to ask, is the brutal murder of van Gogh Europe’s Pearl Harbor?

This Christmastime could be the moment when Western Europe finally joins our war on terrorism. Anti-Islamist fear and anger from the mouths of the European volk is breaking through the surface calm perpetuated by the elite European appeasers. The assassination and mutilation of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic fanatic — and the retaliatory firebombings of mosques by ethnic Dutchmen — have forced high European leaders and news outlets to begin to publicly face up to the implications of September 11, 2001 and the migration of Muslims in large and hostile numbers into the heart of Europe.

Europe has great power still and I’ve written that I believe that when the Europeans sense the threat they will respond with ruthlessness that is part of their historical character but which has seemed to be bred out of them in the last 30 years of EUtopian dreams. As the article concludes:

Yes, through the blinding smoke of Iraq and through the endless fuming of M. Chirac, the common people — the timeless volk — of Europe are beginning to see their true enemy — radical Islam. The will to survive and prevail is not yet spent in the hearts of our European cousins. They are late to the battle that is now raging. But they are not too late. The second great anti-fascist Euro-American alliance is now beginning to form on the foundation of our two common democratic peoples. Their spineless governments will follow, and will soon be run by fighting leaders uplifted from the ranks.

We shall see if a slumbering giant has been awakened to the threat it faces.