The turbulent shifting of national borders throughout the history of Northeastern
Europe, and the unresolved identity crisis that now hinders the stability necessary
to evolve into modern, politically autonomous nations, has come to fruition
in the Ukraine. Pulled from the east, pulled from the west, the modern-day countries
of Lithuania, Belarus and the Ukraine have more to overcome than simply the
recent past of life under the USSR.
Today the complications are great. These countries must choose to side with
either the more “liberal” European Union, or the far more “conservative”
Russia. There are obvious pros and cons to each side, but it is understandable
that such a decision is not easy to make. To embrace the positive aspects of
the west, such as free trade and friendly relations with wealthy countries sounds
great. But there is a high cost – the cost of accepting enforced multiculturalism.
To side with Russia is to turn one’s back on free trade and liberal dealings
with the west; but the advantage is that cultural solidarity is embraced.
The puzzle pieces that are now at the crossroads of East and West Europe need
the time to develop their own sense of identity. They have not yet fully healed
from the totalitarian oppression of the Soviet state. They have not yet been
able to anneal their individual cultural identities. Such a process is necessary
for a state to be able to stand strong on its own. Alliances are only positive
when all the various states have room to be unique, without fearing the repercussions
of the politically correct ideals currently embraced in the west. One must be
able to honestly answer the question “who am I?” before one can
accept all the differences of the “others” in the world. Forced
integration only leads to confusion and eventually rebellion and revolution.
The danger of embracing the ideals of the EU is the inevitable destruction of
a national identity and pride. For the past 90 years, these countries were prevented
from celebrating their unique cultures and religious beliefs; they were forced
to give up everything to communism. Now they want to be free, free to be themselves,
whatever that may be. The propaganda imposed on us in the USA and Western Europe
would have us believe that these Eastern European countries would be most free
as part of the European Union. But this is not true. The EU forces all of its
members to meld into one identity and to embrace multiculturalism. How can a
young country grow and embrace its own identity when an amalgamated identity
is forced upon it?
To side with the Russians is essentially to embrace protectionism, to protect
and preserve an Eastern identity. But this itself causes a dilemma; these countries
have, for the past century, been defined through the lens of the USSR or Russia.
Striving to resurrect their unique identity, these countries are now faced with
choosing sides, either to embrace the EU and all of its restrictions on individual
national pride and identity, or to re-align with Russia and its sense of national
pride. Either way, these countries lose; they lose their autonomy and self-identity
and the chance to nurture their own lost cultures, and to forge a new independent
national identity.
Problems abound in many of the countries in the European Union, but political
correctness covers up the tensions, thereby creating a boiling pot that is about
to explode. The murder of Theo Van Gogh in the Netherlands is a recent example.
Van Gogh was brutally murdered for making a film about the repression of Muslim
women. The Dutch people reacted by going to church, essentially trying to re-embrace
their own religious culture and past. This resulted in the arson of many churches
there. The Dutch people are freaking out, they are mad; they don’t want
to give up their national / religious identity as they have been doing ever
since WWII (as has all of the Western world). But of course, to fight back is
politically incorrect and “evil.”
But truthfully, what is wrong with embracing one’s traditional background
and religion? NOTHING! The fact is, Europe is a Christian continent, and trying
to force it into secular acceptance just will not work peacefully in the long
run. France has now outlawed religious garments in public schools in reaction
to Islamic extremism. Many people – citizens, Europeans, are very disturbed
by what is happening in their countries. But their leaders don’t care;
they base all of their decisions on the political correctness that the world
at large expects them to. But this will only lead to chaos and eventually many
civil wars.
Germans are constantly losing their jobs to Turks, yet Gerhard Schroeder wants
Turkey to join the EU. Turkey isn’t even in Europe! Only a small part
of it is – the part they stole from us during the Crusades. They took
from us the Hagia Sophia, the heart of Byzantium. Constantinople was a great
part of Europe and European culture; but Istanbul is not.
In the Netherlands, there are more people now under the age of 14 that are not
Dutch, than there are Dutch children. Yet the world, via the propaganda of pro-globalization,
prevents the Dutch from closing their borders. Politically correct globalization
is annihilating the Dutch. And other European countries are not all that far
away from extinction either.
Now why would a country like the Ukraine want to enter into such a union? A
union of self-destruction; that is what the European Union will become if it
does not start to see the light and start doing what it should: preserve the
culture and history of this great and varied continent, by saving its people.