The end of multiculturalism

Also on source page linked below:

AUDIO FEATURE: Monitor Opinion Editor Josh Burek talks about multiculturalism with Lawrence E. Harrison, author of 'The Central Liberal Truth.

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The US must be a melting pot – not a salad bowl.

By Lawrence E. Harrison

from the February 26, 2008 edition

'Vineyard Haven, Mass. - Future generations may look back on Iraq and immigration as the two great disasters of the Bush presidency. Ironically, for a conservative administration, both of these policy initiatives were rooted in a multicultural view of the world.

Since the 1960s, multiculturalism has become a dominant feature of the political and intellectual landscape of the West. But multiculturalism rests on a frail foundation: cultural relativism, the notion that no culture is better or worse than any other – it is merely different.

When it comes to democratic continuity, social justice, and prosperity, some cultures do far better than others.

Research at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, summarized in my recent book, "The Central Liberal Truth: How Politics Can Change a Culture and Save It From Itself," makes this clear.

Extensive data suggest that the champions of progress are the Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden – where, for example, universal literacy was a substantial reality in the 19th century.

By contrast, no Arab country today is democratic, and female illiteracy in some Arab countries exceeds 50 percent.

Culture isn't about genes or race; it's about values, beliefs, and attitudes. Culture matters because it influences a society's receptivity to democracy, justice, entrepreneurship, and free-market institutions.

What, then, are the implications for a foreign policy based on the doctrine that "These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society"?

The Bush administration has staked huge human, financial, diplomatic, and prestige resources on this doctrine's applicability in Iraq. It is now apparent that the doctrine is fallacious....

READ IT ALL:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0226/p09s01-coop.html

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[2/26/08] http://limitstogrowth.org/

No one does this topic better than Prof Lawrence Harrison, the author of several excellent books concerning the relationship of culture to progress.

The link includes a nine-minute audio interview with Harrison that is worth your attention. Prof Harrison puts his ideas into practice at Tufts' Cultural Change Institute.

Below is Prof Harrison's chart comparing progress-friendly to progress-averse cultures, taken from his Social Contract article, Immigrants and Culture.

http://www.thesocialcontract.com/pdf/twelve-two/xii-2-126.pdf