Actually, the reason for the apparent surrender is WW II.
The death and destruction in Europe wrought by that war is incomprehensible to Americans. The numbers that died, both civilian and military can not really be grasped. The result is a pacifist, never again anti war mentality.
The rules against war have come about such that trivial enemies have a distinct advantage. The Euros and the Euro worshipping Americans won’t fight. They would rather moan and groan and light candles and put out flowers.
No question. The loss forever of the best Y chromosomes between 1914-1945 throughout Europe has resulted in the present population of girly, vulnerable men who are not really inclined or capable of defending anything.
I think you caught a lot of it but not all of it, bert.
Yes, our revulsion from the devastation of WWII has led to a pacifism of the heart. But has that level of pacifism gone too far?
Americans as a whole (with exceptions) abhor violence in all forms. Once upon a time, an obnoxious bigmouth would get a well-deserved punch in the mouth for insulting your wife, your kids, etc. But now we fear being seen as law-breakers more than we feel the need to stand up for our honor. Ignore the obnoxious bigmouth and just walk way, is how we teach our children.
The Battle of Tours, and the Gates of Vienna, were setbacks for the Muslim world but not existential, society-ending defeats. They retreated but never gave up their dreams of societal domination.
I don’t believe the civilized world, where the sheep are firmly in control and peace is the norm, has the stomach for the level of destruction needed to rid the world of Islamic extremism. The word “genocide” comes into play here and I think we’ve become too soft for such a hard solution.
Then again, you never can tell what humans will do when pushed.