Naturalized Killers

 

Leafing through today's Times I came across this extremely interesting article by Tzvetan Todorov (made available as part of the Project Syndicate, which is a rich source of serious and challenging material). The title was, no doubt, chosen for effect and the article is nowhere near as violent in tone as it suggests. Nevertheless, it deals frankly with the West's problems in facing up to the Islamist threat.

I suggest that anyone interested in a rational analysis of this threat and the best options available in dealing with it should read this article. Some of its conclusions, such as the following, might not appeal to traditional libertarians:

Police actions must be merciless, even if this means more controls and surveillance. It is precisely to prevent the development of a collective security fear that we need to alter the equilibrium between security and freedom.

I would point out, however, that it is precisely by altering this equilibrium that our freedoms and our rights can be preserved in the long term.

Others might not like Todorov's assessment of the Bush administration's Middle East policy. I personally share many of his views on this subject too, particularly Iraq. I find the left's criticism of the war in Iraq to be mostly insane. However, the fact remains that the West cannot continue to spend its human, material and political capital in a quixotic attempt at convincing Iraqis to live together in peace. As for the spread of democracy in the Middle East, we all know what it has led to. Democracy is a very strong medicine and care should be taken not to administer it to the wrong patient.

As for our own island, we have little say over what happens in the Middle East or anywhere else. And we have no guarantees that those who do decide will get it right. But we can at least make sure that no foreign communities are established in Malta that could, in the near or distant future, threaten our liberties from within. Fortunately this requires little sophistication and even the mediocre politicians that we have and deserve could manage it if they feel sufficient pressure to do so.