The Perils of Diversity

A review of The Perils of Diversity contains this paragraph, which aptly sums up the political shift underway in Europe.

Besides the multiculturalist and the assimilationist, there’s a third position that isn’t often invited to the immigration debate: the skeptical realist. On the rare occasions when they are mentioned in polite society, immigration skeptics are dismissed as “extremists”.

Rationally, assimilationists should notice that their demonization of realists doesn’t make their own position more of political winner. When the debate is artificially restricted to multiculturalists v. assimilationists, the latter are demonized as the right-wingers. But, somehow, they don’t get the message.

In contrast, when German immigration skeptic Thilo Sarrazin elbowed his way into the public arena in Europe last year by publishing his million-selling book Germany Abolishes Itself, he was quickly fired and was castigated by everybody who is anybody. But, by establishing a new right wing in the immigration debate, Sarrazin moved assimilationism into the new centrism.

Following Sarrazin’s well-researched bombshell, first Angela Merkel of Germany, then David Cameron of Britain, and now Nicolas Sarkozy of France, have all denounced multiculturalism as a failure. They’ve come down in the new middle on the side of assimilation.