The Last Days of Europe
Epitaph for an Old Continent
Laqueur, Walter
Hardcover
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BOOK SUMMARY
  In Brussels in 2004, more than 55 percent of the children born were of immigrant parents
  Half of all female scientists in Germany are childless
  According to a poll in 2005, more than 40 percent of British Muslims said Jews were a legitimat
BOOK SYNOPSIS
• In Brussels in 2004, more than 55 percent of the children born were of immigrant parents
• Half of all female scientists in Germany are childless
• According to a poll in 2005, more than 40 percent of British Muslims said Jews were a legitimate target for terrorist attacks
What happens when a falling birthrate collides with uncontrolled immigration? The Last Days of Europe explores how a massive influx from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East has loaded Europe with a burgeoning population of immigrants, many of whom have no wish to be integrated into European societies but make full use of the host nations’ generous free social services.
One of the master historians of twentieth-century Europe, Walter Laqueur is renowned for his “gold standard” studies of fascism, terrorism, and anti-Semitism. Here he describes how unplanned immigration policies and indifference coinciding with internal political and social crises have led to a continent-wide identity crisis. “Self-ghettoization” by immigrant groups has caused serious social and political divisions and intense resentment and xenophobia among native Europeans. Worse, widespread educational failure resulting in massive youth unemployment and religious or ideological disdain for the host country have bred extremist violence, as seen in the London and Madrid bombings and the Paris riots. Laqueur urges European policy makers to maintain strict controls with regard to the abuse of democratic freedoms by preachers of hate and to promote education, productive work, and integration among the new immigrants.
Written with deep concern and cool analysis by a European-born historian with a gift for explaining complex subjects, this lucid, unflinching analysis will be a must-read for anyone interested in international politics and the so-called clash of civilizations.
AUTHOR BIO
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.
BOOK 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 Europes 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 Europes Future
BOOK REVIEWS
The Last Days of Europe spotlights an uncomfortable reality. Hopefully it will generate greater awareness, more open dialogue, and the courage to take steps to deal with Europes problems.   Â
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Henry A. Kissinger, former secretary of state and national security adviser
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An eloquent and eye-opening epitaph for a civilization as much as for a continentall the more impressive for its depth of historical understanding as well as its illuminating transatlantic perspective. The preeminent historian of postwar Europe has become the prophet of its decline and fall.
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Niall Ferguson, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History, Harvard University, and author of The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West
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An appraisal of Europes present and future that reveals Walter Laqueur at his analytical and reflective best. Compelling . . . A marvel of dispassionate analysis.          Â
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James R. Schlesinger, former Director of Central Intelligence and Secretary of Energy and of Defense
Submit a book reviewFOR RELATED BOOKS
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MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0312368704
ISBN(13-digit): 9780312368708
Dewey Decimal: 940.56
Library of Congress: 2007008922
Book Publisher: St Martins Pr
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 243
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