September 17, 2016
The Heritage Insider: Are we Americans or just people who live in America?
Our summer issue of The Insider looks globally to assess our circumstances locally, with articles on what’s wrong with Europe, the flaw in transnationalism, the threat from ISIS, the benefits of free trade, and how we should fight for people instead of against things.
Europe’s revolt against reality. The European Union has its own parliament, army, central bank, foreign policy, and currency. It’s propagandizers are so keen on promoting a European identity that they produced a graphic noting European Union athletes won 325 Olympic medals at the Rio games, more than any other country—as if the European Union were a country.
At the same time, this body employs 1,750 linguists, 600 full-time interpreters, and 3,000 free lancers to translate every document it produces into 24 different languages. That’s four times as many languages as the United Nations uses.
Clearly, the European Union’s idea of integration is political and economic not cultural. And therein lies its flaw. European political elites espouse values that they believe are universal, but are in fact particular to European elites. To these elites, then, the refugees entering Europe after fleeing the Islamic State are—like the millions of their co-religionist who have already reached Europe—just another group of people ready to be governed by Europe’s universal values.
If American liberals are perpetually in danger of being mugged by reality, European progressives are in danger of being beheaded by it. The violence perpetrated by ISIS followers in Europe is provoking a resurgence of nationalism—the very thing the European project was intended to prevent.
So our cover story asks: “Will America Go the Way of Europe?” As Todd Huizinga explains, the progressive ideology driving European elites has a foothold in America, too. But as Britain’s vote to Brexit shows, it’s never too late to make the right choice. [Will America Go the Way of Europe?]
Are we Americans or just people who live in America? Like their European counterparts, American progressives embrace transnationalism; they disdain the idea that immigrants should be assimilated to our culture. Mike Gonzalez dissects how that impulse has produced an ethnic identity movement intent on undermining the values that make American liberty and self-government work. This movement’s model of governance is in fact Europe. [How the Left Uses Group Identity to Undermine Self-Government: The Case of Mexico’s American Diaspora]
What is the threat from ISIS? And are we doing what we need to do to counter it? Katherine Gorka writes that in order to meet the threat we need understand the theological motivations of our adversary. [ISIS in the United States: What’s the Threat? What Can We Do About It?]
Trade brings benefits, otherwise it wouldn’t happen. Do you know why you can find fresh fruits and vegetables year round? The answer is free trade. Do you know why Oreos are no longer made in Chicago? The answer is sugar tariffs and quotas—or, not enough free trade. Bryan Riley writes about the benefits of free trade and the costs we pay when trade is restricted. [How Americans Benefit from Trade]
Toolkit: Fight for people, not against things. Sure, there are times when you have to argue against things—like bad ideas about to become law. But if that’s the only thing you do, you are never going to make the case for freedom. As Arthur Brooks writes, conservatives should stop trying to sell better policies and start selling better lives. [Fight for People, not Against Things]
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