America and the West went insane over the past 30 years. Whether it was a matter of too much luxury or something deeper—we had no enemy abroad and turned on ourselves.
A Neo-Cold War environment is where we are headed (though, of course, with some important differences). Many hysterically loathe such an outcome: fearing the potential dangers—WWIII or even nuclear annihilation—and the imperial burden such an arrangement entails.
I, for one, have fond memories of my Cold War childhood. Unquestionably, life was more civilized and decent; the intellectual world and media were more sober and serious.
Is civilizations really possible without a strong degree of “mortality salience,” without a feeling of barbarians at the gate, of the imminent potential of invasion, death, and destruction? I don’t think so.
After 9/11, a new “Big Bad” came on the scene in the form of Islamic terrorism. Unfortunately, the Arabs weren’t up to the task of global enmity. And the dynamic was always “Jihad vs. McWorld” or “The End of History” vs. “The Prehistoric,” “decadence” vs. “primitiveness.”
Russians—to their immense credit—seem up to the challenge! I dearly hope they will be strong enough to rise to the status of global enemy.
In such a confrontation, the West, whether it wants to or not, will be forced to confront the question of its identity. In other words, this will be a test, revealing the West as a hallow shell or as a fighting force capable of integration and dominion. Let the good times roll!
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