It strikes me that at one level, you can look at that long war as Europeans rallying to expel the Moors and the whole process firing up and even creating the Spanish state that used its energy and power to discover and explore the Americas, and then pull a newly confident and technologically surging Europe into the New World.
With Europe going to the New World, the seeds of America were planted.
Without America, there would be no Long War on Islamic Fascism.
We sometimes talk of the good fortune Western democracy had in having the New World come to rescue the Old World in 1917, 1941, and 1949 to defend liberal democracy and defeat militarism, Nazism and Fascism, and Communism, each in turn. So it isn't too surprising that in 2001, duty fell to us again to lead the dwindling forces of the West who will confront evil.
But in this case, it is fascinating to see the origins of our jihadi enemies' Nemesis--America--begin with the Moslem world's desperate defense of its Spanish conquests.
Talk about blowback. It was a long time coming, but there you go.
UPDATE: A few weeks later I happen to notice a February 2003 post of mine on my original site after reading a short history of the crusades. I wrote:
By the end of the 15th century, the Islamic threat was still very potent and Europe could have been extinguished. Madden wrote, "Everyone knew that the stakes were enormous, for Christendom itself seemed on the brink of extinction. There was widespread frustration that Europeans could not shake themselves from their petty quarrels long enough to defend against the wolf at the door." He noted that the French themselves, under Emperor Charles V, allied with the Ottoman Empire, an alliance that lasted for centuries. But Madden concludes with how Europe ultimately beat the Islamic threat: "In the end, the discovery and exploitation of the New World not only saved western Europe but also propelled it to world hegemony. The Muslim threat was neutralized not by crusades to the East, but by those to the West."
Time and again, I've noticed that I return to themes that I didn't remember I wrote about before. I guess I'm consistent, at least. And I'm glad I can properly cite the source (A Concise History of the Crusades by Thomas Madden) for my internalized comments on the New World saving the Old.
