As EU leaders met in Brussels earlier this month, former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, thrashing the Europeans for their grandiose ideas and their chronic inattention and inaction. He noted, “One hundred years ago, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, setting in motion a swirl of events that brought decades of devastation to the entire continent.

The Canadian weekly Maclean’s recently ran a sobering article on the USA by Scott Gilmore (Maclean’s, September 10, 2014).

As EU nations met in Wales to discuss the ISIS crisis in Iraq, former Israeli president Shimon Peres met with Pope Francis at the Vatican. Mr. Peres’ aim was to encourage the Pope to create “a ‘United Nations of Religions’ to counter the rise of religious extremism” (The Times, September 5, 2014). “Mr.

Today, on Thursday, September 18, 4.29 million registered voters living in Scotland will be able to vote on the question “Should Scotland be an independent country?” The prospect of an independent Scotland has sent shockwaves through the rest of the United Kingdom, and around the world. If the Scots vote “Yes,” Great Britain will, at a stroke, cease to exist in the form we have known for more than 300 years. What does this vote portend for the UK and the world?