Europe heads for new Middle Ages
By Hans Vogel
Is Europe headed for a new Middle Ages? On the basis of some disquieting signs, I should say it is indeed. Politically, it seems to be in the midst of a process of further disintegration.
Ten years ago, in The Rise and Decline of the State, the Israeli military historian Martin van Creveld was among the first to suggest the world was headed towards a new Middle Ages. The European Middle Ages are characterized by international political instability and endless wars. A modicum of spiritual and ecclesiastical control was exerted by the Pope in Rome, while the German Emperor could sometimes wield political pressure to restore order. Fundamentally however, disorder prevailed.
The impending collapse of the nation state.
Now look around you, what do you see? Some of Europe's major nation states are governed by men who are little more than clowns. Take Gordon Brown, for instance. Is it possible to find a more laughable figure than him? Heading a bankrupt, pauperized nation where all residual wealth is concentrated in and around London, Brown still has the gall to lecture the rest of the world on how to run an economy. Even Italian premier Berlusconi, regarded by many Anglo-Saxons as a frivolous imitation of his famous predecessor whose last name started with an M, looks more serious after somehow rising to the occasion during the recent earthquake disaster. As for French president Sarkozy, the odour of boyish amorous adventurism and lack of focus still surrounds him and makes it difficult to regard him as a serious statesman. With the possible exception of Mrs. Merkel the German Chancellor, most other European leaders are pathetic mediocrities who do not even manage to produce a benevolent smile on any observer's face.
And mind you, with political power still ranking among the choicest of fruit in the basket of what life has to offer in the way of rewards, European leaders have risen to the surface after a lengthy and laborious selection process. They represent the best that Europe's ruling elites have to offer. And that is quite worrisome indeed.
At a time when most European states are confronted with centrifugal forces within their own borders, there is no politician who has proved to possess any superior qualities that would enable him to solve a major political calamity. The opposite is the case, since so far, no one has showed any aptitude to handle the current economic disaster.
According to the most recent European report on terrorism, some 90% of terrorist acts are perpetrated by nationalist and separatist groups. Of these, there are many in Europe. So far the most active and most violent have been Northern Irish (IRA), Basques (ETA), Corsicans and South Tyroleans, but there is no guarantee that other groups may not turn to violence. These other groups include Scots, Bretons, Bavarians, Catalans and no doubt man, many more. The current economic crisis, that looks like it will not disappear anytime soon, may very well cause these and other groups to seek to attain their goals by violent means.
At any rate, the map of Europe is likely to undergo further changes in the coming years as many more nations may be breaking up. The future map of Europe may actually look very much like a map from the Middle Ages.
The decay of standard language.
The major languages of Europe have only become truly “national” and “standard” languages, spoken by a majority of the population, in the course of the past two centuries. These languages have largely been replacing the bewildering number of local dialects spoken all over the place. It may come as no surprise to learn that during the past few decades, these local dialects have been growing at the expense of the national “standard” language. Whereas only a generation ago command of the standard national language was an essential requirement for any sort of economic and social ascent, today one may very well land a good job even if one merely mumbles some regional gobbledygook. In fact, local dialects everywhere are being given a higher status by national and EU authorities. National languages are retreating, a process that is reinforced by the advance of virtual illiteracy. Though there are currently no good, reliable statistics on virtual literacy, the situation in Europe may not be as alarming as in the US, where up to one third of the adult population should be considered virtually unable to read. This has been brought about by decades of watching mind numbing television shows that appeal to the basest of instincts and satisfy the simplest of tastes.
The decay of public safety and security.
The return to the primitivism of the Middle Ages has already been accomplished by millions of Europeans. It has certainly made it easier for the millions of poor immigrants from the Moroccan Riff Mountains and the remote vastness of Turkish Kurdistan to find a congenial environment that hardly requires any adaptation. I should say these newcomers are uniquely equipped to survive in the coming new Middle Ages. Coming from primitive mountaintop villages where the law of the jungle rules, where literacy is unknown, where blood feuds are the order of the day, where women have no rights and wives are beaten daily, the newcomers soon feel themselves right at home in the heart of once civilized Europe.
