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2011-03-31 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Spengler: What do you do when there isn't a solution?

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Posted by trailing wife 2011-03-31 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 The current world & domestic situation is looking like a Perfect Storm of historical catastrophes, and the USA has Obama at the helm. God save us.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-03-31 01:02|| 2011-03-31 01:02|| Front Page Top

#2 AH, I've heard it said that when an ideology is on death's doorstep and has run its course, that is when it reaches its most extreme.

Outcome egalitarianism has had a 220 year run. I see what has happened to the world since the 1930's and more so since the 1960's and outcome egalitarianism looks like car with a stuck accelerator headed for a wall. Politicians, entertainers, mass media, educators, and even some "churches" have attached themselves, velcro-like, to the concept. It has even (see the modern Democratic Party and their association with the government takeover of the charity industry - aka known as the welfare state - and public sector unions) extended its tendrils into the alternative (and functionally superior) vision of a good and decent and prosperous society that came out of the Enlightenment, the U.S. The system of giving money and food and things away to people on credit in order to prop up the delusion that everyone can be made equally happy is dying a horrible death in front of us, as evidenced by the food riots pretending to be revolutions in the ME and North Africa and the vehenment and sometimes violent protests in Wisconsin. There will be lots more of this going forward, as the concept dies before its adherents realize its corpse is rotting. None of these folks will happily admit that their lifestyle wasn't real and that it was propped up by money confiscated unfairly from others.

The problem is that the concept of government enforced out come egalitarianism is failed and it is a physical impossibility that it can work in the real world, no matter what people think, say, do, sing, or pray. No. More. Money. Whatever their paltry virtues might be, a society or government which presumes that one of its primary functions is to eliminate or even mitigate to any extent differences in eonomic outcomes based on individuals' skill set, intelligence, and work ethic is ALWAYS more evil and oppressive than those which do not, despite the other's warts and bruises. Perhaps in some distant future the whole human race will come to this realization, but not soon.

Posted by no mo uro 2011-03-31 08:14|| 2011-03-31 08:14|| Front Page Top

#3 AH: It is somewhat reassuring to think of it as an "1848 moment". When the American Revolution came about, it started a chain reaction that circled the globe. Suddenly everyone realized that royalism was hopelessly inefficient and could not compete in the modern world of industrialism.

Copies of the US constitution poured out of the US to every corner of the globe. Unfortunately, it first took hold in France, where the situation was so bad that ultra-radicalism took root and heads were chopped off.

The grotesque excesses of the French put a real damper on the democratic revolution, so things settled down for a while until everyone could figure out what went wrong.

When they did, it was the year 1848, one hell of a year. And Europe, then, was like the Middle East today. (Tragically, it was also the same year that just the opposite of the democratic revolution was born as well, when Marx and Engels published the communist manifesto.)

The democratic revolutions began in Sicily. Then the king of France abdicated and France became a republic. Then Hungary. Then a giant Chartist (enfranchisement) rally in London.

The Pope withdrew his support for a unified Italy, which was the first major reaction against the revolutions. The Austrian army attacked a popular revolt in Prague and crushes it.

A rebellion against British rule in Sri Lanka. Ireland is struck both by a revolt and the potato famine. Switzerland become a republic based on the US constitution. The Dutch revise their constitution to make it more American-like. Revolt in Brazil. Greater Poland. Wallachia. Belgium. Denmark.

All in all, most of the revolutions failed, and were followed by counter revolutions, but the die was cast. Royalism was on the way out as a means of government.

What this means in the current situation is several things.

First and foremost, a small minority ruling a large majority, as in Syria, formerly in Iraq, is going to come under intense pressure. Yet efforts by minorities in the Gulf States to destabilize are likely all going to fail.

In Egypt, because they plan to hold elections soon, the two biggest movements, the Muslim Brotherhood, but *also*, Mubarak's political party, the National Democratic Party, will hold sway. But while the NDP is likely going to be punished, don't assume it will be an MB sweep, either.

Posted by Anonymoose 2011-03-31 09:29|| 2011-03-31 09:29|| Front Page Top

#4 "What do you do when there isn't a solution?"

Kobyashu Maru. Change the rules

Posted by Mercutio 2011-03-31 14:11|| 2011-03-31 14:11|| Front Page Top

#5 I'll tell you one thing. When MME becomes one huge Somalia and the oil stops, it won't be the people who been stopping domestic drilling and nuclear power (their foot soldiers yes, but not the bosses) who will be freezing & starving.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2011-03-31 15:30|| 2011-03-31 15:30|| Front Page Top

#6 Worth a read. Good catch TW.

Posted by JohnQC 2011-03-31 16:10|| 2011-03-31 16:10|| Front Page Top

#7 Good essay, good comments

The very notion that there is "no solution" to anything would seem to be a challenge to liberal orthodoxy.

Posted by ryuge 2011-03-31 17:08|| 2011-03-31 17:08|| Front Page Top

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