Thirty years ago when I was in college and becoming infatuated with Marxism, I was intrigued by Hegel and his theories about human history. And from a naive standpoint, it is hard to refute the observed general trends away from barbarism towards more advanced cultures and states. But, three decades later and having absorbed MORE of the details of history, past and current, I am not sure about Hegel anymore. Liberal democracy, however advanced and successful (and desirable from my standpoint) does not always win the day. It can be argued that the score is roughly even, between liberal democracy and thuggery/barbarism/totalitarianism. As a Catholic Christian I am supposed to be optimistic about the victory of the Alpha and the Omega, but sometimes during times like these what I observe of human stupidity, evil, and sloth makes me wonder…

We cannot carry this burden alone. Great as our nation is, there are just too many threats. What has definitely emerged is an Axis of Moscow-Tehran-Beijing that would appear to have some degree of coordination. And clearly, the Russians and the Chinese believe that Iran and the Islamic world are manageable, directing the Ummah’s violent aggression against the United States and the West.

The E.U. seems to be some version of the old Soviet Politiburo, and so their sympathies are not generally inclined in our direction. But, we will see how Europe reacts now that Russia has shown its fangs.