Book review: "America Alone" by Mark Steyn

Guest reviewer: Rosa Dierks, PhD.

Mark Steyn’s America Alone is a provocative book alerting America about the decline of Europe and the perils of following Europe’s footsteps into the morass of cultural relativism. The author addresses the political, economic, cultural and demographic forces that have transformed Europe. A central argument is that Europe’s decline and the concurrent rise of Islamic power in the continent can be attributed to the West’s demographic decline, the unsustainability of the European social democratic state, and cultural decay. These trends are exacerbated by a collapse of confidence in the greatness of Western civilization. As Muslim populations continue to rise and European birth rates decline, the unsustainable debt levels of its welfare states leave Europe vulnerable to the vagaries of economic cycles.
Steyn’s prescription for avoiding a dire scenario is grounded in less governmental intrusion, thus allowing citizens to exercise free choice and individual responsibility. Yet he is not optimistic as to the probability of a European reversal. Due to Europe’s obsession with multiculturalism, the downfall of Europe is more likely than a return to less government. He presents empirical evidence to prove how the explosive growth of Muslim populations in Europe has given rise to the erosion of Western values from Denmark to Estonia. These trends are no longer confined to Europe. They span the globe and have serious repercussions for the survival of Western civilization.
Islamists are ensconced in European communities. They are intent on changing European societies as a way to erase Western values and replace them with sharia law. Steyn argues that a vast global network of madrassas, fundamentalist Islamic schools financed primarily by Saudi oil is indoctrinating Muslim youth to dismantle Western civilization. He challenges the West to ask: “What would victory look like?” Not an easy question to answer, since the radicalization of Islam is not confined to Afghanistan or Pakistan. Rather, it is a global ideological struggle that has swept Europe and threatens the survival of the entire West.
With the demise of Europe, America stands alone as the only power capable of mounting an offensive strike. This not only implies military engagement, but the political will to win the cultural battle against radical Islam. Steyn concludes that in the struggle for survival, the West has three options, namely submit to, destroy, or reform Islam. He dismisses the first and second options as unrealistic and offers a 10- point strategy to weaken radical Islamist ideology. This strategy relies on America’s ability to lead by taking out the Iranian regime, defunding Saudi madrassas, think tanks, and radical mosques across the globe. In short, America must be willing to take a strong stand against the enemies of Western civilization and engage globally to turn the radical Islamic tide that has already engulfed Europe.
Steyn shines a light on the dangers of ignoring the legacy of Western civilization. With the decline of Europe and the rise of radical Islam, America stands alone in the struggle to preserve freedom. Its very survival depends on its willingness to win an ideological war against an enemy intent on turning America into a mirror image of European decline. In the end, the reader is left to ponder how America could rise to this global challenge given its current lack of leadership in the White House and in the US Senate. A dysfunctional educational system, which perpetuates multiculturalism from coast to coast compounds the challenge and leaves America vulnerable to following Europe’s predicament.