America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It

My review of Mark Steyn's America Alone - or, "If Only a Book could be Handed out like a Tract"by David L. BahnsenBased on the variety of habits I have either taken on or rid myself of over the years, I am convinced that my most enjoyed vice remaining in my arsenal is reading books, or at least buying lots of them. My collection includes many books that I feel sentimentally connected to, and it includes many pieces I have plead with people to read over the years. Some of my most treasured pieces represent the largest influence I have had in my life ideologically, outside of the actual relationships I have enjoyed with key mentors. But, it is very rare, even in my library, that a book exist which I actually wish could be turned into a tract, and distributed to the masses. Hazlitt's "Economics in One Lesson" is such a book, and certainly there are dozens that I at least think a large body of people ought to read. However, Mark Steyn's latest work, "America Alone", not only deserves the rave review I am about to give it, but I truly wish that it could be re-embodied as a miniature treatise, and force fed to every single person floating around in the United States of America during this current age.For those unfamiliar with Mark Steyn, he is the Canadian-born, New Hampshire-residing columnist who is likely the most popular editorial writer of any newspaper that syndicates him, yet the most ignored mainstream writer in today's press. As the MSM (mainstream media) attempted to do for years before the sheer extremeness of the numbers rendered it impossible with the radio popularity of Rush Limbaugh, Mark Steyn is a hit (deservedly so) in any paper that publishes him, yet he is mysteriously absent from the CNN panels and Tim Russert forums that such irrelevant personas as Maureen Dowd and E.J. Dionne Jr. often fill (as an aside, the God-send, Larry Kudlow, frequently features Mark on his afternoon show on CNBC). Mark's popularity is understandable for two main reasons: (a) As opposed to Maureen Dowd, he is an extremely gifted writer, and (b) As opposed to E.J. Dionne Jr., he is a very intelligent person. Indeed, as far as polemical skills go, Mark is unmatched even by other brilliant writers in the conservative movement. He lacks the flowery elegance of a George Will, falls short of the intellectual prowess of a Thomas Sowell (who doesn't), and yet surpasses even them in his ability to captivate readers, and render absurd the error du jour of the far left (particularly as it pertains to the topic this book was about). Beyond the fervent praise for the book I am about to review, I would strongly recommend you begin reading Mark's columns online[...]), or subscribe to a newspaper that wisely syndicates him. It will enhance the quality of your life.Speaking of "quality of life", the book I now review, "America Alone", is the best apologetic I have read for a vigilant war on terror and jihadism, and yet it really does not even purport to be so. The explicit intent of Steyn's work is to demonstrate the utter disaster our European friends have created for themselves, and to lay out the case that only America can save the planet from Global Islamic Fascism (a last hope that Steyn is only holding onto by a thin thread). In the course of persuasively proving said assertions (that Europe is doomed is nearly irrefutable, and that America is on her way to joining them short of some massive changes in thinking, is comparably demonstrable), Steyn drafts what I believe is as clear of a defense as one could write for a militarily aggressive response to the Islamic threat. But even more than the traditional neo-conservative rhetoric that is so confusingly controversial in this day and age, Steyn reinforces that what is even more urgently needed is an immediate and emphatic change of heart/mind, culturally, from the American people. Indeed, we have a military power unlike any that has ever existed; what we lack is a will and conviction to defeat those who would kill us.Many writers, myself included, have repeated ad nauseum the case for a successful posture in the face of Islamic terrorists who long ago declared war on us. For a better understanding of the contemporary history of Jihadism, see Lawrence Wright's, "The Looming Tower", which also carries with it a shocking expose of the failures of the American espionage and military community to protect us from 9/11. It is a powerful book, and provides far more depth and history than Steyn is attempting to at understanding the nature of our Islamic enemy. But, what Steyn has done in "America Alone", is go far beyond the base reality that jihadists want to kill us, say they want to kill us, have killed us, and still work passionately to kill us each and every day. He actually dares to delve into the real cultural phenomena of what is happening globally, beginning with the unavoidable subject of demography.Without blowing the entire thesis of the book, which you will remember I have actually posited that I want to turn into a tract, the numerical facts of the day and age we live in are these: Europe with its pathetic birth rate is a self-extincting waste in the generational battles we face ahead, while the Islamicists are procreating at rates that would make the Mormons jealous. The United States of America, to its credit, continues to experience net population increase year-over-year, even apart from immigration considerations, though it is teetering on breakeven numbers as of late (sans immigration). However, Spain, Italy, France, and many others, are simply put: goners. They have long ago traded a vibrant culture of family and community for an apathetic socialism that has poisoned it into a dependent state of nanny-welfarism. They have forfeited the will to survive, evidenced not just in their capitulation to terrorists, but in their inability to reproduce themselves. I not only was flabbergasted to read what trends and forecasts and reasonable expectations exist in this data, but frankly was speechless at the current numbers, as they stand right now, today. I doubt that 1% of the American people are aware that Mohammed is the 5th most popular name in the United Kingdom (now), and the single most popular name in Belgium (right now). That 40% of Rotterdam is currently Moslem, or that 30% of those in France under the age of 20 are, or that 45% of those in urban areas in France are, do not necessarily represent statistics that should scare us (though they do me), but they certainly ought to shock us. That a continent of near exclusive Anglo-Christian influences for centuries has been replaced by rank secularism, with the most ardent demographic influence and growth coming entirely from the Islamic religion, is a historical fact that has to be understood and lamented. Steyn's analysis of this is profound, and commanding material.Beyond the demography that Westerners presently face (the Islamic community reproduces at a rate of 5-8 new births per household, vs. a 1-2 rate for Europeans, and a barely 2 rate for Americans), Steyn's work masterfully mocks the apathy and political correctness that is rampant in American pop culture (and across the pond as well, of course). I hesitate to steal his thunder in terms of the voluminous illustrations of this, but I dare say that after you stop laughing at the sharp humor Steyn uses to make his various points, you will likely find yourself with a peculiar sense of discomfort and disgust at the harsh realities he highlights. We have a dangerous enemy, and they are as determined to kill us as any global threat has ever been determined to kill anyone, and yet the universal response amongst the left has been capitulation, appeasement, and inexplicable failures to deal with our problem. Political correctness has not just run amok; it has defeated the purpose of the old rhetorical device of "reductio ad absurdum" (the reductios are realities, and no one is kidding).This is a tough book to review without making the mistake of re-stating its entire set of conclusions. It is so chalk-full of empirical data, historical happenings, and leftist quotations, I can not properly summarize what Steyn has done in a brief internet review. In that sense, I really mean that this book is a must-read for any student of culture, politics, the sanctity of life, and religious affairs. No analysis of the present immigration controversy is coherent without an appreciation of the material in this book (a controversy, by the way, that highlights some absurd advocates on the right, and left). The very word, "multi-culturalism", will take on entirely new meaning for any reader of this book. Disdain for American exceptionalism will have to be re-interpreted by any real American next time they observe such from your typical Hollywood star (or Massachusetts senator, for that matter). I came away from reading this book with a renewed vigor for the things I care about most in my life (family, community, church, freedom, ambition, prosperity, and faith). However, I also came away with a renewed commitment that we fight the ideological (and military) enemy we face in Islamo-fascism, and that we do so as proud Americans, whose historical commitment to economic prosperity and ethical principles are the sole reasons we stand alone in the generations to come as we fight the jihadist efforts to capture the west. I am more proud to be an American now, than I was prior to reading the book, and yet simultaneously I am more concerned about the future of America than I was prior to reading it. I share Steyn's view of the diagnosis, and I share his views on the remedy, yet I can not bring myself to a place of optimism that such a remedy will take place. These are dangerous times we live in, and I believe our response to the danger has been anything but serious.Steyn quotes Bennett in a concluding chapter of the book: "Democracy. Immigration. Multi-culturalism. Choose any two." It is the most profound and captivating thought in the book, and it incidentally knocks both the liberal leftist loonies and the cartoonish right-wing anti-immigrationists right on their backsides. For those who want to protect the ideals this country was based on, a serious understanding of these very nuanced subjects is in order. For those serious about protecting our democracy, reading "America Alone" is a mighty fine way to start.**********************Incidentally, one of the most powerful points of the book is actually that it really doesn't matter if you are one of those pro-America, neo-con, God, guns, and gold nutballs who is anti-Jihadist, pro-American, or not. Indeed, you can be as loathing of America as Jimmy Carter and Sean Penn are, or as nasty and inflammatory about military interventionism as Lew Rockwell or John Murtha, it will not matter.You see, in this war, the enemy is truly non-partisan.

Most are by now aware of the demographic implosion stalking the West. Fewer have given it the consideration that it deserves. Patrick Buchanan's recent "State of Emergency" is must reading on the topic and with his new book, "America Alone" Steyn enters the pantheon of insightful writers addressing the problem of demographic atrophy plaguing the West. Steyn's analysis goes far beyond a simple statement of the harrowing fertility rates in Western nations. As is his usual wont, Steyn brings to the table an important, unique and fresh perspective intermingled with his usual refreshing wit.According to Steyn, this book is about "the larger forces at play in the developed world that have left Europe too enfeebled to resist its remorseless transformation into Eurabia and that call into question the future of much of the rest of the world, including the United States, Canada and beyond. The key factors are: Demographic decline; The unsustainability of the advanced Western social-democratic state; and Civilization exhaustion."Steyn pokes fun at the leftist doomsayers' preoccupation with global warming and resource exhaustion, for which there is little or no hard evidence, in favor of the very real and unequivocably established collapse of Western fertility rates. As Steyn points out, "A people that won't multiply can't go forth or go anywhere. Those who do will shape the age we live in." And guess who those people are who ARE reproducing? Why the Muslims of course.The Western world has become enervated and overcome by civilizational ennui which should come as no surprise since the "state has gradually annexed all the responsibilities of adulthood to the point where it's effectively severed its citizens from humanity's primal instincts, not least the survival instinct. In the American context, the federal deficit isn't the problem; it's the government programs that cause the deficit. These programs would be wrong even if Bill Gates wrote a check to cover them each month. They corrode the citizen's sense of self reliance to a potentially fatal degree. Big government is a national security threat: it increases your vulnerability to threats like Islamism, and makes it less likely you'll be able to summon the will to rebuff it."Europe has all but succumbed to the dull opiate of multiculturalism. Caught between the rock of collapsing fertility rates and the hard place of their increasing dependence on a government which has annexed most of the core functions of adulthood, Europeans cannot muster either the will or the babies to resist the inexorable collapse of their civilization. Their plight is compounded by the fact that Islam is providing the babies and the will to fill that vacuum. Europe is for all practical purposes lost.The central thesis of this book is that demography IS destiny. For without favorable demographics a civilization cannot long survive. And with favorable demographics, even the crude, brutish and largely unproductive can prevail. What single factor led to the civilizational dominance of England in the 1820s? A bursting population brought about by the conquest of infant mortality allowing England to send her sons and daughters to populate America, Australia, New Zealand and countless other outposts as well as civilize many many others. All of mankind owes a debt of gratitude to providence that so benign and beneficial a civilization as that of 19th century Britain first achieved demographic critical mass. Today we face a much more pernicious civilization wielding the demographic sword. That would be the sword of the prophet.There are two points that Steyn makes in "America Alone" that I take issue with. He says we have one of three options in dealing with Isalm: Surrender; Reform Islam; or Destroy Islam. Steyn says that we must work to reform Islam since the other two options are unthinkable. I believe there is a fourth option: Defeat, contain and isolate Islam. Islam cannot be reformed as history has taught us. Islam is a vicious circle of violence, mayhem and destruction called jihad. Attempts to alter this vicious circle in any way is short circuited by the Koran which asserts that any deviation from the its teachings is punishable by death. This is not a religion in any legitimate sense, but rather a death cult combined with a political ideology. It can be thought of more appropriately as the perfection of the Nazi creed. Could we have reformed Nazism?Steyn says that we Americans have failed to export our magnificent American political innovation of limited republican constitutional government which theoretically reins in the appetites of the mob. And while I generally agree with this sentiment I think it is important to point out that Americans themselves no longer share a common civilizational vision nor accept the founding tenets of our republic. Steyn believes that to consider an exit strategy in Iraq is tantamount to a shirking our civilizational responsibilities and he points to the British who managed to successfully export their form of government to the world to the benefit of mankind. But, we live in different times, and as I pointed out above, Islam cannot be reformed. Attempts to do so are a foolhardy waste of time.So, we are left with isolation, containment and the defeat of Islam as a challenge to our way of life. This will require in itself considerable will. And while we do not currently have the will to defeat Islamic supremacism and their desire for worldwide hegemoney that will come. Hopefully sooner rather than later for the longer we wait the further the scales will be tipped in Islam's favor.This is an exceptional and important book that should be read by anyone interested in the impending civilizational collapse and what, if anything, that can be done to reverse the trend. It is already too late for Western Europe. Hopefully America, civilization's last great hope, can stave off the rot of leftism and multiculturalism.

Good book and funny in places. It's a little outdated though but it has proven to be very prophetic. I have heard the second one is much better but I had to read this first obviously. If you are British then a lot of what he says may be a little confusing as it is written more for an American and Canadian audience though.

Mark Steyn has a very entertaining style of writing & you wont get tired of turning the pages. But his message is a serious one & well argued, his statistics on population changes etc are irrefutable,clearly the western world is in a suicidal decline. In Europe (certainly in Britain) the politicians are busy making any criticism of islam a 'hate crime' & therefore closing down free speech ..Already in some British cities 'sharia' patrols have attacked people drinking alcohol & dressing 'improperly'.Don't let America go the same way!

The truth that politicians won't and don't tell. A book that 'Big Brother's' Truth Ministry in 2050 would want to edit out.

Was written long ago, but slowly we see how this is become reality.

After reading this I have new and deep respect for the USA. Read this is every have doubts over the so called brash Americans leading the world. Clearly written and deeply disturbing.