Those were the words spoken by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. He had an understanding of the three great directions the world could go in. He espoused the moral unsustainability of imperialism, the growing danger of fascism, and the callous cruelty of communism.
Now in the 21st century, precisely what are we worried about? What are the most pressing issues? What are the significant trends and controlling factors bearing down on us? Is it the danger of climate change? Is that the most pressing issue?
For France, the climate change issue and the government’s efforts to tax their way out of it have resulted in widespread riots as the French nation has not seen since the Revolution. Climate change is undoubtedly high on most progressive lists but very low on the conservative side.
Maybe the danger is artificial intelligence (AI) taking over the world, as in the “Terminator” movies with Skynet controlling our future. Or could it be the danger or fear of genetic engineering? Perhaps the threat lurks most in the risks to which we have grown accustomed and no longer pay attention to, like nuclear and biological weapons.
No, the singular challenge we face is the liberal agenda to promote mass migration and its inevitable destruction of the developed and prosperous nation. Why? Because it is a mass migration or immigration from other countries which controls our response to any challenge we have. Today in the U.S. we are fighting over the border wall because of immigration. We are fighting crime-centric gangs like MS-13 because of immigration. Our government can’t pass a comprehensive immigration bill. We are fighting amongst ourselves over this goal of diversity through unregulated immigration.
We are overloading our criminal justice and court system. We are flooding our educational system, healthcare, employment, and social services because of immigration.
The Numbers
A recent Yale study puts the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. at 22 million. This mass immigration changes the very demography of the nation, and the U.S. is not the only nation dealing with the mass influx of immigrants. Great Britain as well as other prosperous countries are seeing their political base and their social services stretched to the breaking-point.
What the ultimate effect open immigration and the influx of other cultures into society and different political system than where the migration comes from will be difficult if not impossible to forecast. This is due to the myriad of variables specific to the migrants, the scale of the migration, where the influx occurs, and the stability of the receiving nation. We are seeing the slow and sometimes not-so-slow rise in unrest in Europe caused mainly by the mass migration from the Middle East and Africa.
The effect, which we are already experiencing, is tribalism. Mass migration will hinder and make the Western powers rife with constant ethnic tension, and halt their ability to take action on a world stage. This will be mainly due to internal conflict. We already see this around the world. Look at France, Germany, Belgium, and Sweden to name just a few.
The mass migration and weakening of the Democratic world powers could cede the century to unified authoritarian powers such as Russia and China. We are seeing Russia taking advantage of the turmoil even now. There the people are highly controlled, highly surveilled, and there is such an authoritarian leadership that is directly opposed to the democracies modeled after the West.
The open borders philosophy of the liberal left is dangerous and uninformed. History has shown in the failed ideologies of the past century what mass migration and open borders results in. The liberal open border, open immigration proponents don’t account for the facts that human nature and society are tribal and, left to their own devices, will devolve to that tribal state of isolation, non-assimilation, and rejection of the host country’s laws, ideas, and morals. The revelation that open borders advocates miss is that human societies work to their self-interest.
The fundamental truth in human society is the formation of groups that act with shared intentions. That coordination of intentions is what enabled our ancestors to form sophisticated social coalitions that outcompeted lower primates. This ability to create groups with a shared purpose or intention is also the same ability that can and often does cause breakaway sub-groups around different purposes and the potential for endless factionalism.
It is undoubtedly possible to overcome those differences through open and thoughtful dialogue and good government. Unfortunately, all too often when intentions differ, and tribes inevitably rise based on differences in religion, language, and custom, the factions organize.
This is not to say that ethnic, racial or cultural difference is the sole cause of factionalism. The peoples of the world don’t need much of a shove to split into camps, hoist flags, and start wiping each other out. Our history is full of examples of relatively homogenous societies that unraveled and spiraled into violence, ethnic cleansing, and war.
Diversity for Diversity’s Sake
Many of the elite liberal-leaning politicians have a belief in diversity because they have lived it, sort of. Not in their neighborhoods or in their social circles, but many times they were introduced to the concept in academia. What they fail to realize is that a top-flight university offers a very narrow type of diversity.
For example, most university classes there may be many nationalities. This is false diversity because the border wall to this community is the admissions office. What is happening is that the social cohesion of the class was greatly assisted by the fact that the admissions office had heavily screened the incoming class for intelligence, socialization, and personality characteristics. The relevant distinction wasn’t between the races or the ethnic background but between students and non-students. All were members of a university created by a community with diversity and liberalism built in.
This should not surprise us. Our universities are where we educate those leaders of the future, and at this point, we see the fruits of that effort. Liberals have attached themselves to diversity and are attempting to achieve their utopia through open and unlimited immigration. Actually, this makes perfect sense. By allowing all cultures and peoples into a country, the result is naturally a more diverse culture.
The problem is what was talked about earlier in this article, and that is the natural tribalism that results when different cultures are forced upon each other. People from across the world differ greatly in behavior and custom. Some of these behaviors and customs fit well into their new society, but others, such as honor killings, the subjugation of women, and female genital mutilation are not. When open immigration occurs, we have to be aware that these behaviors and customs come along with the people entering society and can cause considerable strain in the receiving nation.
Is it Just a Western Problem?
The faulty assumption that diverse societies become more tolerant and inclusive over time does not have a basis in fact or history. The Indian sub-continent is one of the most diverse places on the planet and has seen waves of mass migration over thousands of years. Even after all this civilizational experience with diversity, India still has xenophobia, is divided by classes, and with all of this experience in diversity, India is rated as the most racially intolerant country in the world. The unanswered question is why our public policies seem intent on replicating these historical patterns. Europe and North America are showing the signs of the strain that immigration and diversity have put on society with political tensions, infighting, and demonstrations.
These historical examples are ignored because in the West as well as in other more developed nations, there is a frenzied millenarianism about immigration — liberalism and diversity. Those on the left believe that unregulated mass immigration is not a public policy challenge but the way to moral and economic utopia. When that goal does not pan out, the citizens of these failed policies are left to pick up the pieces.
Because civilizations are amazingly complex economic, social, and political systems that slowly develop over hundreds of years, these coordination systems are stressed by rapid change; they sometimes shudder and break.
Every single one of the top ten most diverse countries in the world has suffered major, lethal political violence since 2001. Diversity is not the solution to all of the world’s problems. It is a deadly, serious socio-political challenge. To believe that unregulated mass migration will bring about redemption for guilty Westerners forced by the liberal agenda is a sad and costly misunderstanding.
Whatever economic benefits the progressive goal of open immigration and diversity bring, it will also bring tribalism, disunity, and violence. Just look at the actions and tactics we see in our country today. The tribalism that is racial, political, and ideological is already taking hold. From Antifa to the demonization of the conservative way of thinking, the signs are clear.
Yes. The Gipper was precisely on point. Fascism has come to America, and it has come in the name of liberalism.