'The Death
of the West' is without a doubt Pat Buchanan's magnum opus. Though now more
than a decade old, it re-emerges with great relevancy in the wake of the Syrian
refugee crisis and rising tensions in the Middle-East.
The title
is to be understood literally: declining birth rates and mass immigration in
the US and Europe threaten to overwhelm native populations and extinguish their
cultural identity. Different to earlier waves of immigration, the author
argues, these people often don't share our Western values and their allegiances
lie with countries we could be at war with. And as societies in Europe grow
older, the European welfare-state can only be sustained through mass
immigration, for many Europeans not only stopped reproducing, but revel in
their demise, by celebrating being childless and having double income.
Buchanan
identifies Socialism as the root cause of the Western decline. As he astutely
observes how, come 1989, world-wide Communism has failed and why, he further
branches out into the tenets of its successor and how it managed to prevail
where the progenitor didn't – by changing the culture from within. He goes into
great detail how Globalism, Secularism, Feminism, and Gay Rights Activism often
hide behind reason and just cause, but show ill-intent towards their
dissenters; dehumanising them by calling them bigots, sexists, racists, or
homophobes and thus avoiding the debate. What follows is a well-argued, harsh
critique of the Mexican government's economic reliance on illegal immigration
and a bold defence of the nation-state concept as a necessity in preserving the
cultural identity of the United States. In his refusal of amnesty for illegal
immigrants for example, he relentlessly makes the case for deportation, by
arguing that if rule of law is ignored and pardon given, the weight of
immigration laws – however strict they may be – is nullified.
The
division and sense of separatism the author sees infecting the United States is
evident throughout the political discourse. There is a deep understanding and
acknowledgment in Buchanan's writing for the violent history of the West, but
as he keenly retorts, this is true for all nations, revealing the gut-wrenching
truth, that the West didn't start slavery, it was the West that ended it. And
while he is a big proponent of the Civil Rights Act, he sees no obligation for
the US to make any further payments to minority interest groups, because he
sees them as the great dividers, who out of self-interest will never be
satisfied with any form of reparation. And when the state keeps on giving, why
should they be?
He then goes
on to dismantle the cultural Marxist myth of equality, by arguing that there
are no equals, only equal opportunity. But then taints the relevant Thomas
Jefferson quote, which would have perfectly stood on its own, by needlessly
pointing out the Founding Father's rejection of homosexuality.
With grand
vigour he argues for the socially conservative case; even going so far as
putting blame on conservatives who surrendered the culture war and retreated
solely to economics (read: Neocons), only for the libertarian element of the
right to grow stronger. Whatever you may think about the man, it takes guts to
slaughter the holy cow of free market capitalism as a right-winger.
As is to be
expected by Buchanan, Christianity repeatedly sneaks its way into his
argumentation and it is here where the book is at its weakest. While it may be
true that a traditionalist, faith-based society produces higher birth rates, a
return to faith cannot be a goal unto itself, but must come from conviction.
Pure pragmatism does not suffice, when it comes to people's acceptance of a
divine creator. However, I also understand that it is not in the author's
purview to make the case for Christ. As a stout unbeliever and Cultural
Catholic, I therefore have to reject his battle-cry for a return to Christian
predominance in Western society. From my European Classical Liberal perspective
though, I at least have to commend the author for being open about some of his
statist views, which befits someone who accepts God as an ultimate authority;
something I always found to be contradictive to the libertarian-leaning wing of
the right – and a pitfall Buchanan wisely avoids.
With 'The
Death of the West', Patrick J. Buchanan delivers an excellent read, that may
make your blood boil, but is so well-researched and written with such finesse
and historical prowess, that you will be hard-pressed not to find something to
agree with. While I do disagree with many of his assertions, I also found a lot
of respectable opinions, the least of which made me understand his brand of
conservatism better. And lest those of us, whose parents fled communist regimes
to find a better life in the West, forget, why they did so in the first place,
this book makes a strong case for why we ought to preserve the West from those
who seek to destroy it.
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