Another great e-mail from one of my readers and I can break it down into three megaposts, so for now I will use only one salient bit for a post today:

Generally, it makes me uneasy when I see the current world situation described as a power struggle between religions. I think it is a struggle between rational humanity and irrational archaic beliefs.

So there’s the conflict between the rational West and archaic Islam which would set us on the course of that often used term “clash of civilizations”. If that’s where we are headed then you better start packing your bags because we will be in for a conflict that will dwarf the Second World War in terms of scope and intensity. The thing to recognize is that the archaic world of Islam doesn’t exist as it consists of many different streams and sub-cultures. Democratic Indonesia, secular Turkey, compliant Libya, Baathist Syria and struggling Iraq are components of a world that now is exclusively symbolized by a very dangerous and radical fringe. But to equate that fringe with the entire culture would be both absurd and risky as you would overlook the potential seeds for avoiding the anticipated clash. Likewise the West is hardly rational either. On the left side we have the now embedded tradition of political correctness and cultural relativism which has transformed itself into a destructive cult of self-loathing that if it were dominant would destroy the rational and liberal principles that once gave birth to them. On the other end of the spectrum is the resurgent religious base that has captured an audience that is rapidly becoming alienated because of the aforementioned relativism and the external threat of radical terror. Parts of the social and religious conservative groupings in the West are in danger of straying a little too close to their archaic fringes.

So here’s the challenge for a political leader in the West: relegate the self-defeating elements to the sidelines, ensure that religious zealots will not hijack your agenda while at the same time engage the enlightened elements in the Muslim world in such a way that they will help steer away the world from a deep conflict. Yes, I am painting with a broad brush here and European and North American leaders will all have to deal with different mechanics. The essence is: dismiss radicalism at home, destroy it abroad.