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Please understand that I don't mean to imply that Muslims are "barbarians" in the pejorative usage of the word. I'm using Barbarians in a very specific historical sense, i.e. the Vandals, Visigoths, Goths and other German warrior tribes that brought down the Roman Empire.
I think the neocon/Freeper-types might have a point to an extent about the "War on Terror" really being a cultural war/clash of civilizations. The part that I disagree with them on is that ours is necessarily the "good" side. To be honest, I find both American and Islamic culture aborrhent for many differing reasons. I think American culture is hypocritical, racist, greedy and devoid of morality. I think Islamic culture is intolerant, brutal, sexist and stinks of religious fundamentalism (yes I agree there are overlaps in both cultures, but I'm trying to highlight what I think the worst aspects of each culture are, by matter of degree).
Now, I guess my main question is this: If you do believe that this is a clash of cultures, and if the Islamic terrorists are playing Visigoth to America's Rome, then will the US meet the same fate as Rome? I mean within the next 50 years. The analogy is not even close to perfect, because there is little chance of a full-scale invasion, but do these terrorists (aided perhaps by some Muslim nation-states) have the power to tear down the American Empire within the next 50 years or so?
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