The Last Days of Europe Epitaph for an Old Continent

by Laqueur, Walter

• ISBN13: 9780312541835
• ISBN10: 031254183X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-03-03
• Publisher: Griffin

Summary

What happens when a falling native birthrate collides with uncontrolled immigration? The Last Days of Europe explore how in recent years Europe has absorbed a massive influx of people from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, many of whom fail to be integrated into European societies, and how the resulting demographic and cultural upheaval is changing the face and character of the continent as we know it. Hailed as "the preeminent historian of postwar Europe" (Niall Ferguson), Laqueur challenges policy makers to dismiss political correctness, emphasize education and assimilation, and focus on their national interests. His lucid, unflinching analysis is a must-read for anyone interested in global immigration, the war on terrorism, and the so-called clash of civilizations between the East and the West. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Walter Laqueur has written more than twenty books, translated into as many languages. He was a cofounder and editor of the Journal of Contemporary History in London. Concurrently he was chairman of the International Research Council of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He has taught at Georgetown, Chicago, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Brandeis, and Tel Aviv universities. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
A Very Brief Trip Through a Future Europe	p. 1
The Last Days of Old Europe	p. 8
Europe Shrinking	p. 21
Migrations	p. 33
France: Algeria to Paris	p. 49
Germany: Eastern Anatolia to Berlin	p. 60
United Kingdom: Bangladesh to the East End	p. 69
Islamophobia and Discrimination	p. 79
Euro Islam and Tariq Ramadan	p. 88
Islamist Violence in Europe	p. 95
The Long Road to European Unity	p. 107
The Trouble with the Welfare State	p. 123
Germany	p. 135
France	p. 139
United Kingdom	p. 142
Italy and Spain	p. 144
Russia: A False Dawn?	p. 149
The Failure of Integration, and Europe's Future	p. 167
What Went Wrong?	p. 167
Europe: What Remains?	p. 174
The Future of Muslim Europe: United Kingdom	p. 178
The Future of Muslim Europe: France	p. 188
The Future of Muslim Europe: Germany	p. 191
Spain	p. 196
Dreaming of a United Europe	p. 199
Salvaging the Welfare State	p. 202
Toward Binational States?	p. 204
Turkey to the Rescue?	p. 223
Afterword to the Paperback Edition	p. 227
Bibliography	p. 231
Index	p. 239
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

“[A]lmost overnight what had been considered a minor problem on a local level is becoming a major political issue, for there is growing resistance on the part of the native population, who resent becoming strangers in their own homelands.” —from the Introduction “Even if Europe’s decline is now irreversible, there is no reason that it should become a collapse. There is, however, a precondition: facing realities at long last. . . . The age of delusions is over. . . . It will be a very slow process and the outcome will be a Europe quite different from the one we have known.” —from chapter 6, “The Failure of Integration, and Europe’s Future”

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Excerpted from Last Days of Europe: Epitaph for an Old Continent by Walter Laqueur
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