World War IV

Here is an extensive and remarkable article by Norman Podhoretz in which we look at the story so far. Mr. Podhoretz traces the events which have transpired since 9-11, looking at them in detail and with an eye to the historical context. He argues that we should see this fight against the Islamofascists as World War IV, with WW III being the cold war. In this context we see this as yet another struggle to protect the freedom, liberty, progress and economic way of life which has taken the West thousands of years to achieve. That there are powers which have attempted to defeat the West and what it stands for is, unfortunately, not a new event. This latest attack on us is the work of dictators and tyrants who correctly recognize that America is the living refutation of everything that they wish to impose on the world and proof that freedom works and slavery does not.

In addition to the major events described in this essay one also cannot help but notice the continuing failure of leftist ideology and practice. Mr. Podhoretz describes the constant attempts by the left to undermine American and western freedoms and our attempts to defend our way of life from those who would take it from us at the point of a gun. The American left has, without exception, been on the wrong side of history in every circumstance where American freedom and values have come under attack. Just as it was in the cold war, so it is now. The left, and now the Democratic party along with them, has taken sides with the enemies of freedom against "The Great Satan." They do not merely stand against President Bush. They have a hate which is far more encompassing. The ideology of leftism has been shown to be a failure time and time again. And it is clear that the long term trends are in the direction of freedom and liberty. The rage of the left is a reflection of their deep emotional understanding of the ultimate failure of collectivism. And the collectivism of Islamofascism is all that they have left to defend against the advance of Western Democratic Capitalism.

This item is going in my permanent file and it should go in yours too.