United States have a very secure geostrategic position. Unlike Russia, China, India and Brazil – all of which border a significant number of potentially hostile countries (especially the first three) – United States border only Canada and Mexico, former an ally, latter a partner. Two oceans separate US from nearest potentially hostile power, while also providing profitable trade routes.

However, this has also been a curse as well. United States have mostly been a world for itself, largely unaffected by the events abroad. Both world wars had left mainland US untouched, and casualties suffered by US had been proportionately minor. While this on its face is a good thing, it also means that United States have developed a peculiar disconnect with reality. US policymakers and political commentators are largely incapable of understanding European concerns with such topics such as immigration, islamization and Islam. This is paralleled in Western Europe’s inability to understand Polish and Hungarian stance of Islam – largely because Poland and Hungary had shielded Western Europe from onslaught of Islam through 14th to 17th centuries.

Yet this inability to understand such issues can easily prove to be a curse. While military conquest and peaceful immigration are, on the face, extremely different, end results are not necessarily so. Indonesia, currently largest Muslim country, was not conquered militarily. Initial spread of Islam was gradual and peaceful, largely through trade links. But as Muslim powers got established in the area – e.g. Malacca Sultanate – in 15th century, spread of Islam got more aggressive. Utilizing coercion, by 16th century Indonesia was largely Muslim. This will likely happen in Europe as well, yet American startegists – such as Zbigniew Brzezinski – do not understand Islam. Likely cause of this is precisely American historic isolation and self-sufficiency, themselves a consequence of advantageous geostrategic position, geography and abundance of both space and natural resources.

• politics