The civilization born of Judeo-Christian values, ancient Greek philosophy,

and the discoveries of the Enlightenment is staring at the abyss,

brought there by its own hand.

To put it starkly, Europe is committing suicide.

How did this happen? It's a complicated story, but there are two major causes.

The first is the mass movement of peoples into Europe.

This has been going on steadily since the end of World War II,

but sped up massively in the migration crisis of 2015,

when more than a million migrants poured into Europe

from the Middle East, North Africa, and East Asia.

The second and equally significant is that Europe lost faith in itself,

its beliefs, its traditions, and even its very legitimacy.

Let's take a closer look at both causes.

For decades, Europe encouraged people, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa,

to come as temporary workers. Nobody expected them to stay, yet they did,

and nobody asked them to leave, even those who came illegally.

As one British immigration minister put it in 1999,

removal takes too long and it's emotional.

And, of course, why would they leave?

The economic opportunities were far greater in Europe than from where they came,

and if the work dried up, there were generous welfare benefits to be had.

For a time, immigrants were allowed, even encouraged,

...