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ment which might exacerbate the
guerrilla war rather than put an end
to it,
preferring peace at any price,
even
if
rhis does mean a Marx ist –
dominated Rhodesia.
The possibi lity
of their being dragged in to help
defend a Rhodesian sett lemen
t
[which they themselves proposed in
the first place] which did not have
the backing of the front-line states is
one which they are simply not pre–
pared to risk."
Beca use of the total confusion
and lack of vision, courage and will
in the West, the scene
is
set, say
columnis ts Rowland Evans and
Robert Novak, for "the overt ap–
pearance of a Soviet scavenger
ready to promote civil war in Rho–
desia, just as the Russians did in
Angola."
" In Angola," continue Evans and
Novak, " the U.S. Congress refused
to allow the Ford administration to
raise a finger on behalf of the West.
Repetition of that congressional pol–
icy in Rhodesia would go far toward
elevating the Soviets to política!
power in southern Africa. That Afri–
can raw materials and control of
s~a
lanes around the Cape of Good
Hope just happen to be essential for
the West's security has made no im–
pression yet on Capitol Hill ."
Where, if anywhere, will the So–
viet challenge finally be met? South
Africa? Western Europe? The east
coast of the United States?
Analogy to Rome
The problem, in the final analysis, is
not with an ascendant Soviet ero–
pire, but with a decaying Western
civilization. As Robert Moss wrote
on another occasion, drawing an
analogy to the crurobling Roman
empire : "The decline of the West is
to be measured in psychological and
social rather than military or eco–
nomic terms. Put at its simplest, the
decline is the result of a loss of faith
in Weste rn values ... and a con–
sequent reluctance to defend them
wh ere they are threatened.... The
outer provinces are Iost, but since
life is still pleasant enough in Rome,
we ca n forget about which provinces
will be next.
"The Russians (and still Iess the
Chinese) are not in themselves the
danger. The barbarians- and l use
the word ' barbarían' in Lenin 's
The
PLAIN TRUTH May 1977
sense, to mean an enemy of the cul–
ture, psychology and morality of the
West- are a lways there waiting. But
the barbarians only press on to the
gates when the empire is dying from
within."
In a symposium reported in the
July 1975 issue of
Commentary
en–
titled "America Now: A Failure of
Nerve," Edmund Sillman, director of
the Hudson Institute of Europe,
concluded bis essay as follows:
"America has lost more than morale
in the last two or tbree decades.
lt
has lost genuine qualities.... It is as
stark as this: America today is like
"That African raw
materials and control
of sea lanes around the
Cape of Good Hope
just happen to be
essential for the West's
security has made no
impression yet on
Capitol Hlll."
-Syndicated news columnists
Rowland Evans and Robert Novak
Britain in the 1950s.
It
is the inner
strength of the country tha t is going,
its productivity, social cohesion, se–
riousness. Just as for Britain, there
are practical choices to be made in
America- on the inner front. Ulti–
mately the choices reduce them–
selves to one: up or down.
But make
no misrake. Just as for Britain, there
is a way down. "
Power Without Purpose Means LIHie
America's collapsed, confused pol–
icy in Africa, highlighted by the
thrown-away victory in Angola,
may eventually prove to be as disas–
trous as the aftereffects of its 12-
year no-win agony in southeast
Asia.
The potential international rami–
fications are frightening, and de–
structive to the whole cause of world
peace. For these questions must be
asked: Where do America's major
allies such as those in Western Eu–
rope and Asia stand now? WiiJ a
timid America ensure the rapid ex-
pansion of nuclear weapons as na–
tion after nation in the free world
looks to its own resources to meet
tbe Soviet challenge?
Without the courage to defend its
freedoms and the wisdom to per–
ceive dangers to her very existence–
no matter how far away- America's
awesome a rray of military power
will eventually mean next to noth–
ing to either herself or to ber closest
allies.
For years
The Plain Truth
maga–
zine has told its readers that Amer–
íca and Britain have won their last
wars; that the God who preserved
our peoples in two world wars is no
longer fighting on our side.
Korea was a staleJ!!ate....and sti ll
could erupt again, with very uncer–
tain U.S. response. Vietnam was a
colossal disaster on aU fronts. Either
America should not have entered
the conflict, or, upon entering, it
should have gone in to win. Instead,
it gave a very deterrnined but third–
rate foe, North Vietnam, sanctuary
in its home area, enabling it not
only to survive but ultimately to
prevail over the world's greatest
military power.
And now, as política) analyst M.
Stanton Evans puts it: "The United
States is helping midwife, in Africa,
another disaster for the West."
Just as happened to ancient Israel
of Old Testament times, America's
"pride" in its power has been bro–
ken (see Lev. 26: 19). "Shattered"
might be a better description!
In its heyday of world power, re–
spect for the United States was such
that one could say: "Five of you
shall chase an hundred, and an hun–
dred of you shall put ten tbousand
to fligbt: and your enemies shall fall
before you by the sword" (Lev.
26 :8).
But- in pos t-Vietnam Angola–
the situation more than reversed it–
self:
"Ye sha/1 jlee when none pur–
sueth you"
(ve rse 17). For in Angola,
America gave up the fight without
even being directly involved!
Where will it all end? Our booklet
The United States and British Com–
monwea/th in Prophecy
explains bow
the trials and tribulations affiicting
the English-speaking world were
foretold long ago and wbat the sur–
prising outcome wil l be. Write for
it
today.
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