Book Review: "The West's Last Chance" by Tony Blankley (2005)

This book made a minor splash when it was released in the fall of 2005 but I resisted it because I thought that it would be a thinly-veiled, paleoconservative Buchananist rant. WIth a subtitle of "Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations", I was expecting a "white, American and English-speaking good, everyone else bad" kind of undercurrent. Pleasantly, I was wrong.

After a rather alarming first chapter reminding us of what the next 9/11, 7/7 or 3/3 might look like, author Tony Blankley, editor of the Washington Times editorial page, looks at the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh in November 2004. The outraged and determined reaction of liberal, tolerant Holland to Van Gogh's heinous death at the hands of an Islamist fanatic leads Blankley to look across Europe and see how other countries are reacting to threat. What he finds is not encouraging, particularly in light of demographics, migration patterns, and the misguided priorities of many voters who cannot shake their addiction to overly generous social programs. As Blankley warns, the sustainability of these programs is going to depend on immigration, and given birthrates, it is countries whose commitment to Western ideals of tolerance, equality and freedom are dubious who are going to be providing the workers of the future to help fund the welfare state. Blankley does not suggest that immigration from North Africa or the Middle East needs to be cut off, but what he does argue is that we have to be aware of the possibility that a some of those who will arrive within the West in the next few decades may be coming with evil intentions. His overriding question is this: are we ready to declare war unequivocally on radical Islamist terrorism to ensure that the potential for harm is reduced as much as possible?

In looking at the United States, Blankley sees a stronger commitment to security, but notes that the post 9/11 sense of mission that united the entire country has been replaced by a sense of complacency and skepticism. He doesn't defend President Bush's foray into Iraq, nor does he engage in gratuitous bashing of the left (in fact, Presidential candidate Mark Warner (D-VA) narrates the audio version of this book). Instead, he looks back to World War II and laments the fact that the Churchillian and Rooseveltian purpose which guided the West against Hitler is nowhere to be found. That is what he asks for; not a Judeo-Christian West which will defeat Islam through a war of attrition, but a clear statement of the issue and a readiness to tackle it head on by declaring it what it is, which is a war against those who would hurt us due to their hatred of our culture, traditions and way of life.

Blankley says that the only way that we'll defeat terror in the long run is by standing tall and defending what has made European and North American civilization great rather than wringing our hands as we recite boilerplate multiculturalist platitudes and hope that the terrorists will like us better because, well, we're really, really trying. The recent Denmark cartoon controversy is exactly what he's talking about. I won't get into that here, but it illustrates his point. Should individuals be expected to disagree democratically and peacefully, or should we just say nothing when they resort to violence, intimidation and thuggery? Blankley says if we choose the latter, we're doomed.

Stylistically, Blankley is an excellent writer. Realistic without being paranoid or alarmist, he also has an excellent sense of history, putting it to use by drawing comparisons and pointing to examples without alienating readers who may not know their pre-WW II inside and out. This book would be particularly valuable for the uninitiated reader - those who know that there's trouble in the world but don't know how to place it into context. And, as I said above, he's no nativist.

A very satisfying and eye-opening read, even to a guy like me who has devoured everything he can get his hands on concerning this stuff. I recommend.

Overall rating: 8.5/10