Wow... best essay I’ve read here in a long time.
That was perhaps the most useful analysis in the whole of Tragedy and Hope. An even more interesting book by Quigley is The Evolution of Civilizations which paints a coherent picture of the chaos which we see as history. It describes the processes through which civilizations have arisen, flourished and collapsed. There are about two dozens true civilizations in world history. And they go through the same processes.
bfl -
“The Pakistani-Peruvian Axis
The problem of finding constructive patterns for Latin America is much more difficult than the problem of finding constructive priorities. One reason for this is that the unconstructive patterns that now prevail in Latin America are deeply entrenched as a result of centuries, even millennia of persistent background. In fact, the Latin American patterns that must be changed because today they are leading to social and cultural disruption are not really Latin American in origin, or even Iberian for that matter, but are Near Eastern and go back, for some of their aspects for two thousand or more years. As a general statement, we might say that the Latin American cultural pattern (including personality patterns and general outlook) is Arabic, while its social pattern is that of Asiatic despotism. The pattern is so prevalent today (1960s era - WD) not only in in Latin America, but in Spain, Sicily, southern Italy (Fukuyama’s ‘low trust’ societies - WD) the Near East, and in various other areas of the Mediterranean world (such as Egypt), that we might call it the “Pakistani-Peruvian axis.” For convenience of analysis, we shall divide it into “Asiatic despotism” and the “Arabic outlook.”
That was an excellent essay. I would like to seriously recommend a brand new book that covers similar topics, by David P. Goldman (Spengler of Asia Times):
http://www.amazon.com/How-Civilizations-Die-Islam-Dying/dp/159698273X
Take a look at the reviews posted under Amazon.
It is somewhat like reading Victor Davis Hanson or Mark Steyn (without the humor).
Question: Was this Arabic outlook that passed to Latin America the result of the vestiges of the Islamic Invasion of the Iberian Penninsula? In other words, would Quigley say that this outlook has been bread into the Latin American Gene Pool from the many centuries of Islamic Domination of the Iberian Penninsula?
You might find this interesting...
I remember someone here within the last week-or-so telling of having spent some time working in Saudi Arabia.
His work crew of locals, as a result of generations of inbreeding, all had some combination of one or more of bad eyes, bad ears, or bad kidneys.
Many most-likely feeble-minded, too.
Every strip mall had a hearing-aid store, an eyeglass store, and a kidney-dialysis center.
Cleon Skousen's and Gary Allen's bete noir.
Bill Clinton's idol.
The world keeps spinning and now new people find new meanings and new uses for his work ...
read later
Skousen points out that Quigley's main thrust in the book is that world socialism will triumph, and there is nothing that can be done to stop it.
Bill Clinton, while giving a speech at a Democrat National Convention stated, "Dr. Quigley was right!" Clinton helped institute more and more socialism in the American government and way of life.......
Skousen's book exposes not only Quigley, but a whole host of folks, mostly American, who did their dead level best to help make Quigley's apocalypse come true........Skousen exposes the Big Banker/Secret Society/Tax-exempt Foundation/Communist/Socialist nexus, and how they go about destroying anyone, who is well known, who tries to promote traditional Americanism over socialism.........The most recent well known victims being Sarah Palin and Herman Cain.
Currently, here in America, the collectivist batons are waved by the Clintons, much of the Democrat leadership, The Big Liberal Media, RINOs, and, of course, the Obamas.......
8:}
P.S. I believe we are at a point in our history where that the only way to stop this madness is to clean up our personal lives and spend a lot of time praying to the Creator who made us, work towards keeping all of the commandments and work towards making America truly great again......
Next step: similar deconstruction of California liberals.
Cheers!
This is off the wall & a bit irreverent — hate to attack the dead — but I couldn’t help wondering if Steven Jobs’s personality had a lot to do with his Syrian father. In his dealings with people he seemed very Arabic — hotheaded, vain, cunning, vicious, impetulant. At the same time he considered himself a poet & a romantic (other Arab traits). “Reality distortion” is a very Middle Eastern mentality.
Just my .02.
More on topic — I always felt there was a strong Arabic undercurrent in Latino societies. Part of it may have to do with the Spanish conquerors, many of whom probably intermarried with Arabs/North Africans. Likewise for Italy.
Western-style democracy only works in a gentleman culture, like Britain (formerly, anyway) or Japan. Not where it’s tribal or diverse.
For later re read.
Ping for Later.
Bookmark
bump
These conglomerates of filth are the reason for nuclear weapons. Gather the vermin into a confined area and sterilize them. After that initial cleansing, the small packs and lone wolfs of the remaining abusers can be controlled by small arms fire. There is no excuse to continue allowing scum to abuse women, rape children and harm innocents.
How long before some fringe FReeper declare that this "proves" that the CFR is "Zionist?"
Also, an older post that may interest:
Photo of Benazir Bhutto standing through sunroof moments before being shot
It's a great pic of her.