Europe’s Old Demons Return

Caption: PEGIDA supporters gather in Dresden, Germany, on October 12. (ROBERT MICHAEL/AFP/Getty Images)

 

 

The refugee crisis is precipitating a transformative identity crisis in Europe. 

You have probably seen footage of helpless refugees pouring into Europe. It can bring you to tears to see photos of drowned toddlers, pregnant women traversing dangerous terrain, and thousands of underdressed, malnourished children.

But there is another important angle to this crisis that hasn’t received nearly enough consideration. This is the impact the refugee crisis is having and will increasingly have on Europe. Not just the immense financial cost, or the potential infiltration by Islamist terrorists, or the inevitable erosion of European culture. These consequences are significant. But something more fundamental, and more alarming, is unfolding.

Europe is experiencing a transformative identity crisis.