I had a comment on my prior post which I wanted to share, and address:
My Response Below:In the economically developed nations of the West women have recently gained the right to control their own bodies (e.g., birth control).
Although the conservative Christian movement in the U.S. may eliminate this right it is likely that women in the West - including those of the Islamic faith will choose to limit the number of children they bear based upon what they feel their families can afford.
This is a matter of personal choice for each family, yet it is easy to see how the recent empowerment of women has led to lower birthrates. Some may see this as a problem for the West, but in a world of limited natural resources fewer mouths to feed means more for everyone else.The ever growing numbers of impoverished peoples in the developing nations are a risk to the West, but not through immigration. European nations, and the United States will curtail immigration if it becomes a serious threat.
The real threat which overpopulation in the developing nations presents is the potential for political, and economic instability in nations which provide vital natural resources (e.g., petroleum).
The United States has hundreds of millions of impoverished Christians living closeby (i.e. Mexico, Central, and South America). The vast majority of immigrants entering the United States are Catholic. Latin American Catholics tend to have many more children than Prostestant North Americans, and therefore it is highly doubtful that the Western Hemisphere will ever be overwhelmed by large numbers of Islamic peoples simply due to poverty based fertility rates (e.g., the average number of children per mexican family is five).
I don't fear Islam, as I don't know enough about it to fear it simply based upon the teachings of the Koran, but I do not support theocracy as a method of government. Theocracy is a corrupting, and inefficient method of government.
Historically theocracies are closely associated with political, religious, and economic oppression of a ruled class at the hands of an annointed ruling elite. Theocratic states offer little in the way of personal, and institutional incentives for self progress, and economic excellence. There's a reason why in the highly competitive West there exist no theocratic states (except Vatican City), and that is because they are doomed to fail in a modern technological society.
Western democracy has recently sustained a period of relative peace, and prosperity (albeit with the threat of total nuclear destruction), and secularism is at the heart of democracy. A secular state institutes social tolerance of a diversity of religious beliefs which eliminates the threat of sectarian violence.Theocracies lead to social implosion through civil wars, and wars upon neighboring states. In the modern age a self contained theocratic state is an impossibility - Saudia Arabia, and Iran have only partially succeeded due to their oil reserves. Once the oil is gone both Saudia Arabia, and Iran will prosper only if they establish a more diverse trade of goods, and services with the West. This will demand a more developed economic interdependency with the West - not isolation.
One factor which you might want to consider in your projection of Islam as an overwhelming tide which will one day sweep all other faiths away is the fact that Islam's huge oil reserves, which are the very basis of the Middle East's influence, are rapidly being depleted.
Within less than one hundred years the world's oil reserves will be entirely depleted, and the age of fossil fuels will be over. This isn't wishful thinking, nor doomday prediction, it's a simple fact.
Long before those oil reserves are depleted however the price of oil will rise so high as to force the major oil consuming nations to shift from fossil fuels to other alternative sources of energy. They will have no other choice.
The United States will within a matter of decades begin its shift to a hydrogen based economy. This change is inevitable, and in historic terms will take place very rapidly.
The United States can not obtain hydrogen from the Middle East, and thus will rely upon solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and nuclear energy to produce its energy right in North America.
As the curtain falls on the age of fossil fuels the oil exporting islamic nations main form of income (today) will no longer exist. Leverage which those nations have over the West will rapidly decline.
The West will be forced to adapt economically, and progress technologically, as it transitions to a new cleaner, and self sufficient hydrogen economy. Despite the challenges which such a transition presents the West has no choice but to do what must be done, and to do it rapidly.
Despite the political corruption which big oil has injected into U.S. politics it is inevitable that as oil prices skyrocket politicians will be forced to listen to businesses which represent other sectors of the U.S. economy. The transistion beyond dependence upon fossil fuels will be a difficult one for the U.S., but eventually the death grip which big oil, and Middle Eastern influences have upon the U.S. will be broken.
Supporting an ever growing number of impoverished people will become the chief consideration for those living in Middle Eastern nations as their oil reserves are depleted. Through endorsement, or by simply ignoring overpopulation those nations which depend upon oil revenues to support their fragile economies will inevitably face a period of crisis, and mass starvation on the scale which was evident in China during its cultural revolution.
The world needs to plan for a future without oil, and we need to make the transition as quickly, and gently as possible. Moving to hydrogen sooner, rather than later will allow the remaining oil reserves to be depleted more slowly, and thus allow the Middle Eastern nations more time to diversify their economies, and develop socially.
These nation's governments need to bring about changes in attitudes about the role of women in their societies so that women are free to limit the number of children they bring into the world. Overpopulation can not be solved by flooding the developed nations with masses of impoverished peoples. The developed nations will eventually act to restrict the tide of immigrants when it reaches a crisis point - which it soon will.
All nations must all work together to shift away from a carbon based world economy to a hydrogen based economy. We must not simply wait until events force us to do so, or millions of people will face starvation. While it may seem counterintuitive the oil producing nations must recommend strongly that the oil consuming nations seek ways to conserve oil, and to develop alternative sources of energy. This course, if taken will help both the West, and oil producing states.
