Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
Nothing bothers the European elite as much as American conservatives praising the European foundations of their shared, but threatened, Western civilization.
Europeans especially resent having their social-welfare state system critiqued by upstart, crass Americans.
Their pique only increases as they push back against the condescending American idea that the U.S. could possibly offer any constructive advice, much less help a more civilized Europe follow the “American model.”
Americans, in turn, are worried that Europe is not just stagnating but is on a trajectory of permanent decline—with dire consequences for the entire Western world.
As for symptoms, the U.S. cites a steadily declining European share of world GDP. It points to Europe’s unsustainable 1.39 fertility rate, which ensures a steadily smaller, older, and costlier native population.
More than ten percent of Europe’s resident population is now foreign-born—some 45 million people. However, the European host, unlike a classless America, does not have a long tradition of melting-pot assimilation, integration, and acculturation.
Unlike America’s mostly Christian-nation immigration patterns, European immigrants are predominantly from the Middle East and North Africa, Islamic, and increasingly anti-Western.
Far too many of Europe’s immigrants profess too little desire to assimilate into what they consider a culturally decadent place—one that, ironically, they have no desire to leave.
The Christian Church, the linchpin of Western civilization, was born in Europe. Yet nowhere do atheism, agnosticism, and open hostility to Christendom grow stronger.
Europe, the birthplace of a dynamic Western military tradition, has been, by contemporary standards and at least until recently, virtually disarmed and unable to protect its own borders or interests.
Europe’s overregulation and war on fossil fuels, combined with a generous social welfare state, have resulted in too little revenue and too many costly dependents.
Americans dare to lecture Europe because the same Western pathologies—open borders, unassimilated immigrants, tribalism, declining fertility, green fanaticism, unsustainable budget deficits, and massive national debt—are likewise beginning to threaten America.
But unlike Europe, millions of Americans at the eleventh hour are galvanizing to stop their own insidious downward spiral.
So Americans claim to know firsthand the causes for these shared, but even more distressing, European symptoms of decay.
And their answers are the threats of several dangerous ideologies.
One pathology is green fanaticism, which has led Europeans to not only ignore their fossil fuel resources but also to dismantle existing coal, nuclear, and natural gas plants.
That suicidal folly ensured that transportation fuels and electrical power became so exorbitant that once sought-after European exports are now uncompetitive, while Europe’s strapped middle classes slip into poverty.
Meanwhile, China funds green causes in the West, exports below-cost cheap wind and solar systems, and then builds three coal or nuclear plants a month to ensure that it has much cheaper energy than the green West.
Other existential threats are diversity/equity/inclusion mandates—a precivilizational emphasis on tribal affinities of race and religion rather than shared national values and unity. The results are legions of drone DEI commissars who sow disunity, spike racial tensions, wage war on meritocracy, and increase overhead.
America further warns Europe that only cutbacks in unsustainable entitlements can allow it to reboot its militaries enough to prevent Russian bullying and threats of attack, protect supply lines of imported fuels and natural resources, and deter terrorists.
And what happens if a petulant and snarky Europe utterly rejects the American diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis?
America will decide that it can no longer afford, as NATO’s leader, to protect European borders when it struggles at home to ensure its own.
Nor can the U.S. understand an increasingly two-faced Europe.
One of its faces is the self-righteous 27-member European Union that is becoming increasingly anti-American.
The EU attacks the U.S. nonstop on matters of culture, energy, trade, censorship, and foreign policy.
Yet nearly the same nations of a 32-member NATO alliance—Europe’s other face—praise America for its military leadership and call for closer U.S.-European strategic relations.
This one-eyed Jack policy of censoring and fining American companies, blasting American allies at the United Nations, and belittling conservative, Christian, and traditional American culture, while praising the U.S. military and courting its armed assistance, is simply not sustainable.
Is there a solution? Perhaps, given that both civilizations are offering diametrically opposed correctives to their shared morbidities.
Europe is only growing more socialist, censorious, globalist, pacifist, multicultural, atheistic, and green.
In contrast, the U.S. is undergoing a counter-revolution toward smaller government, fewer regulations, more fossil fuels, an expanding military, less DEI and woke, more secure borders, legal-only immigration, and renewed faith.
Only one of these competing solutions will solve the shared crisis of Western civilization.
And let us hope the one remedy that works will be fully adopted by both.
Republicans holding on to the house and senate in this year’s midterms will go along way in that hopeful outcome.
Thank you again, Victor, for another concise and perceptive piece! And I agree with many of my fellow readers’ comments above. Additionally, I fear that the current Trump years will be our only brief respite from the chaos. When the Progressives return to power, they will come in with a vengeance second to none…
“…the U.S. is undergoing a counter-revolution toward smaller government…”
Which is what separated us from the countries of Europe, including our own mother country, from the very beginning.
Thank you , Victor. A cogent, spot-on analysis of the suicidal, self-loathing liberal European’s who have always looked f ft own their noses at the rejects of Europe who, when given freedom and opportunity, created the most powerful economic and military machine in history. And they can’t stand it. If the US taxpayer hadn’t been footing the bill for Europe’s defense for the past 80 years, they wouldn’t have had the resources to run their excessive welfare state. As the US Navy keeps the sea lanes open for European trade, maybe they should be paying us tribute. European navies are a joke.
Excellent essay. The only deficit is the failure to point out the role that the US has played in facilitating the EU’s economic dysfunction by subsidizing NATO since its creation. This allowed the European nations to divert otherwise NATO funding to social programs instead. It’s going to require very tough love to remedy this. Is it possible that the looming Russia war threat is the age old totalitarian diversion of an external threat to mask internal corruption, fraud and incompetence?
“America will decide that it can no longer afford, as NATO’s leader, to protect European borders when it struggles at home to ensure its own.”
Vietnam era naval officer here – Allies lacking the will to even minimally see to their own defense aren’t worth defending regardless of whether we can afford it.
I’ve read things by Europeans indicating they think President Trump is the problem with respect to our commitment to NATO. I try to point out that he’s a reflection of the attitude of people like me who spent their lives as hawks and have become Woke to the reality that our foreign policy and military establishment has no idea that it should have learned something from our failure to decisively win a war without the need to leave “tripwire” forces behind since I was born in 1948.
It appears Trump’s emphasis and lack of foresight of consequences in his chosen battle of tariffs may have also led to his potential demise. While they may have been unfair, with 20-20 hindsight 😉 , it may have been wiser to wait until his last two years to attempt a correction in light of their effect on the economy. There seems to have been a notable shift this last week in the perception. Purportedly, even he has now taken a perceivable step to avoid impeachment in 2027. It is difficult to have much confidence in the ability of big city and blue state voters to think of consequences when they demonstrate violently against the BP and ICE agents trying to arrest a few relatively few illegal aliens.
It’s most interesting. It’s also more than a bit disconcerting in my little view.
“….the European host, unlike a classless America, does not have a long tradition of melting-pot assimilation, integration, and acculturation.”
Judging by reports of ICE agents being attacked or disrupted in various large cities in varias blue states, it appears the critical mass for tribalism has been reached. When ~20 to 30% of the population indicate they would prefer to vote for the Party that gave them a cheapened citizenry, removal of sovereign borders, increased crimes, dumbed-down education, etc., our “Shane’ will not be much more than a temporary slowdown of the disintegration. When the AG allows the law breakers to escape justice, it is only a matter of time before they return to lawfare and fake trials. Hopefully, out decent but obnoxious gunfighter is able to avoid their imprisonment in 2027.
What happened to the investigation of the Clinton Foundation?
Why did the Trump Admin try to stop the legal effort of the Clinton Foundation whistler blowers?
What happened to the investigation of the Soros’ Orgs?
How did the charges on Comey get so discombobulated?
How did the former leaders of the FBI get off without a slap on their wrists?
What happened to the Military court investigation of Mark Kelly?
Where is Bondi?
What happened that 21 Republicans voted against a redistricting that would have enhanced the possibility of Trump not being impeached and tried by the Dems in 2027?
Color me stupid Victor, I would just like POTUS to tone down his demeanor and rhetoric regarding European leadership. Sometimes I believe the ‘entertainer’ in him just leads to issues and gives the lemmings more fuel for their hatred fires! I know he enjoys ‘calling it like it is’ and not a day passes that I don’t thank the good lord that Aunt Kamala and Uncle Tim aren’t sitting in the oval office comparing insider trading notes. I believe strong leadership is an ‘art’ and not necessarily something that can be taught effectively. Inspire, motivate, persuade, encourage and recognition are key skills/abilities for good leaders. Unfortunately, I do not follow the politics overseas, but based on what I have read, leadership is in short supply in that neck of the woods. As far as I can tell, they need us and to some degree, we need them. Merry Christmas to you, your family, Sami and Jack. Stay healthy and keep up the good fight. Frankly, I’m a tad nervous for next November.
I wonder how many of your readers understood your subject line. Having grown up with that mindset (my father was a friend and colleague of Alan Paton), it gladdened my heart to see your wealth of knowledge and comparison. I admire your ability to see how the world actually is and put it into words. I now live in America and see all its problems and downfalls, but wouldn’t be anywhere else. I just hope and pray that the optimism with which Trump came into office can withstand the evil of the left.
And along your Norther border you have a country in which at this time has just over 30% of its citizens not born in Canada and exhibits all the pathologies that are affecting Europe. And, with Muslims a growing proportion of the population.
Mr. Hanson, how can anything President Biden did officially after the examination by Special counsel Robert Hur in 2023 concluding that Biden was a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” not be the acts of a severely demented, intellectually dysfunctional man? Until a qualified medical examiner who specialized in mental disorders of dementia proved Biden was competent to have the mental ability to function in the role of President of the United States Biden should have been declared unfit. To have a prosecutor say a defendant is not competent to stand trial isn’t just some random comment to be ignored until proven otherwise.
It is very interesting to see the statement Biden made after not being able to give the date of his son Bo’s death : “There’s even a reference that I don’t remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that? Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself it wasn’t any of their damn business.” This is a classic defensive statement made by severely memory impaired individuals who try to cover their confusion and obviously profound memory loss when confronted. You notice Biden still didn’t give the date.
Wouldn’t this undisputed statement by Special Council Robert Hur that Biden had a severe memory loss be the clear justification for voiding all Autopen signed executive orders?
Liberal elites in Europe lecture the plebs from their towers to perform a humiliation ritual of self-loathing for DEI and other bullshit about diversity. Importing the “diversity” of peoples that have destroyed their own country is not compatible with long term survival. The immigrants to the west are here only to loot what they can get, and destroy what westerners have built, and liberal elites have deluded themselves to cheering it on.
Hi! Dr Hanson
Once again thank you for yet again another incisive essay, I despair for Europe and the British Commonwealth countries like Australia and New Zealand.
I have lived in America twice and my husband and I sent our kids to school there. We believe in the American Project but find as we travel the globe in the aforementioned countries we come face to face with a snobby anti American sentiment even amongst conservatives.
My friends and relatives in Australia, NZ, Holland and UK all look down on America. I am guessing that the left leaning education system has succeeded in making America the demon.
Your generosity and congeniality as a nation is regarded as stupidity, your optimism about what can be achieved individually and collectively is viewed as naivety and the success of your industries is perceived as greed.
Until these misapprehensions are overcome and we all wake up then it is my humble opinion that we here in Europe and the greater western world do not deserve America.
God Bless you sir.
God Bless your family and your country.
Merry Christmas.
I wish I could be as sanguine as Victor, but I fear Trump’s 18 month presidency will be effectively ending soon. According to the polls, the Democrats have about a 75% chance of taking back the House in the upcoming midterm elections. And if the recent election results in New Jersey, Virginia, and the Miami mayoral race are any bellwether, the Republicans are going to get trounced.
Can anyone explain how in just over a year Trump has gone from making the greatest political comeback in American history, winning all seven swing states and the popular vote, to the current dismal state of affairs?
Maybe instead of a counter revolution the majority of Americans in 2024 just wanted an affordable economy?
While I have little hope our counter revolution will succeed (based on demagogues in the media and recent election results), the only way to save the west may be for Putin to continue a westward campaign. Russia appears to be less communist/ socialist and more religious than Western Europe. That wouldn’t be good for anyone but may be the only way to preserve western culture a bit longer.
As always VDH sums it up to perfection. With European relatives I can report they are blissfully unaware of the uncomfortable facts laid out here. Rapid migration of cultures counter to their own make their homeland unrecognizable to those of us who remember it when. Our military is the un-debatable point in the argument. For that reason, the US trend, if it can withstand counter narratives here, is the smart bet.
As always spot on brilliant!!! Thank GOD for VDH!