"To preserve its foundational values and global leadership, America must reclaim the spirit of its Founding Fathers and engage in a patriotic mobilization that unites its people and renews its cultural confidence".

 

Saving America

By Lars Møller www.americanthinker.com

From Wikimedia Commons: The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17, 1775 (John Trumbull, 1786)

The dawn of the 21st century has been marked by profound geopolitical, cultural, and ideological upheavals. Among these, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, stand as a defining moment for the United States and, by implication, the entire Western world. These attacks revealed vulnerabilities extending beyond physical security and intelligence coverage; they exposed deeper fissures in cultural identity, social cohesion, and political will.

Reflecting on the insights of Douglas Murray’s The Strange Death of Europe and Mark Steyn’s America Alone, we should explore whether America has truly absorbed the lessons of 9/11 or if it risks following Europe’s path towards ideological fragmentation and demographic decline. Possibly, America would do well to undertake a patriotic mobilization inspired by the principles and vision of its Founding Fathers to preserve its foundational values against the corrosive forces of Marxism and Islamism.

The attacks of September 11 shocked the nation and the world, forcing an urgent reassessment of the threats facing the United States. Beyond the immediate loss of life and destruction, 9/11 crystallized a new type of warfare — waged with an emphasis on ideology rather than weapons. The attacks exposed the extent to which America and the West were vulnerable to extremist ideologies that sought to undermine liberal democratic values.

In the immediate aftermath, the United States responded with determination. The Patriot Act, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a renewed focus on counterterrorism signaled a country ready to defend its ideals. Yet, as the years passed, political polarization and cultural divisions increasingly distracted from a unified national purpose. The hard lessons of 9/11 risk fading into history, replaced by internecine conflicts that threaten to weaken the very fabric of American society.

Authors like Murray and Steyn argue that the West’s challenges go beyond terrorism. In The Strange Death of Europe, Murray traces how Europe’s embrace of multiculturalism, open borders, and political correctness has led to an erosion of cultural identity and social cohesion. Mark Steyn, in America Alone, warns that if the United States does not learn from Europe’s experience, it too may face demographic and ideological pressures that challenge its sovereignty and spirit. These works suggest that 9/11 exposed external enemies and internal vulnerabilities in equal measure — vulnerabilities that require more than military might to overcome.

Europe’s current predicament serves as a cautionary tale. Murray’s depiction of Europe’s “defeatism” is characterized by a willingness to sacrifice cultural identity and national pride in the name of tolerance and inclusivity. This has resulted in a rise in social fragmentation, the growth of Muslim enclaves, and a reluctance to confront radical ideologies with necessary clarity. The consequences are not confined to Europe. Canada, geographically adjacent and culturally linked to the United States, exhibits some similar tendencies — multiculturalism prioritized over cultural cohesion, political correctness limiting honest debate, and a growing influence of ideologies that challenge traditional Western values.

Moreover, the situation at America’s southern border compounds these challenges. Mexico’s drug wars, political instability, and social unrest make it an unreliable partner, complicating efforts to secure borders and manage immigration effectively. Apart from logistical concerns, these border dynamics represent a frontline in the struggle over America’s identity, its capacity to assimilate new arrivals, and its ability to maintain cultural unity.

Together, the pressures from the northern and southern borders create a geopolitical context in which the preservation of American identity requires urgent attention. The failures or weaknesses seen in Europe’s approach should serve as warnings, not blueprints. 

America’s role as the confident leader of the free world is not accepted everywhere, albeit for different reasons (i.e., ranging from isolationist to “anti-imperialist”). However, the challenges that America faces internally cannot be separated from its vital role on the world stage. The United States has long been the indispensable leader of the free world — a role critical not only for its own security but for the preservation of global order and liberal democratic values. Today, this leadership is under threat by an emerging axis of authoritarian regimes: Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran. 

China’s assertive rise, driven by the Chinese Communist Party, threatens to undermine the international rules-based system through aggressive economic policies, military expansion, and disinformation campaigns. Russia’s efforts to destabilize democracies and expand influence through cyber warfare and geopolitical aggression remain a persistent menace. Iran’s theocratic regime continues to fuel terrorism and pursue nuclear ambitions that jeopardize regional and global stability. 

In this context, America’s internal strength directly influences global stability. The nation’s ability to defend its founding principles — liberty, democracy, and the rule of law — is paramount to countering the ambitions of authoritarian powers. Without confident leadership from the United States, the global balance could tip in favor of tyranny and repression. 

Thus, saving America is not merely a domestic imperative but a global one. The renewal of national unity, cultural confidence, and ideological clarity enables the United States to stand firm as a beacon of freedom, rally its allies, and confront the existential threats posed by authoritarian regimes. The spirit of the Founding Fathers — who envisioned America as a “city upon a hill” — must be rekindled to illuminate the path forward for both the nation and the free world.

An anti-Western alliance has been forged. Domestically, America confronts the twin ideological threats of Marxism and Islamism, both of which undermine national cohesion in different yet complementary ways.

Marxism, long considered a relic of the Cold War, has resurfaced within academia, cultural institutions, and political movements. It manifests under banners of “social justice”, “critical race theory”, and “identity politics” — ideologies that emphasize division, grievance, and victimhood over unity, individual merit, and equality under the law. This resurgence foments tribalism and weakens the shared values essential for a functioning democracy.

Islamism remains an external threat with domestic consequences. While the vast majority of Muslims in America reject extremism, Islamist ideologies that seek to impose a theocratic vision incompatible with liberal democracy persist. The post-9/11 era underscored the necessity of ideological clarity and resolve in confronting such threats. However, political correctness and an unwillingness to address these challenges openly have sometimes impeded effective responses.

Together, these forces threaten to erode the American spirit by fostering division, confusion, and cultural decay. Overcoming them requires a renewed commitment to the values and principles upon which the nation was founded.

In the face of these intertwined threats, America must look inward and revive the spirit of its Founding Fathers — the architects of a republic built on liberty, justice, and civic responsibility. The founders understood that freedom requires constant vigilance and active participation by citizens to flourish.

Patriotic mobilization is an alternative to passive citizenship; it calls for a robust cultural and political movement that unites Americans behind shared values. Conservative voices such as Charlie Kirk, who was recently assassinated by a radicalized loner, have called for empowering youth, reinvigorating civic education, and promoting truthful discourse rooted in constitutional principles. Such mobilization counters divisive narratives and reasserts confidence in the American experiment.

Practical steps include strengthening lawful immigration policies that encourage assimilation and cultural cohesion, revitalizing education that emphasizes American history and founding ideals, and fostering honest dialogue about ideological threats. This mobilization must build resilience against fragmentation and project a united front to both domestic and foreign adversaries.

September 11, 2001, exceeded a terrorist attack in impact inasmuch as it brutally revealed inherent vulnerabilities in American society and Western civilization. Europe’s ongoing struggles highlight the consequences of cultural fragmentation and ideological defeatism — lessons that America must heed. With challenges mounting at its borders, within its cultural institutions, and on the global stage, America needs to brace itself.

To preserve its foundational values and global leadership, America must reclaim the spirit of its Founding Fathers and engage in a patriotic mobilization that unites its people and renews its cultural confidence. This renewal is essential not only for America’s survival but for the survival of the free world itself, standing firm against the authoritarian ambitions of Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran. The future of liberty depends on America saving itself, thereby ensuring that its enduring experiment in democracy and freedom continues to shine as a beacon for generations to come.