Civilization and Barbarism
- Julio Levit Koldorf
- Mar 11
- 1 min read
— Times of Israel
This article uses Domingo Faustino Sarmiento’s 1845 essay Civilization and Barbarism as a framework to analyze the contemporary conflict between Western civilization and radical Islam (jihadism).
The author, Dr. Julio Levit Koldorf, posits that Islamic civilization is in its "adolescence," arguing that while it had a creative childhood, it never produced foundational democratic documents like the U.S. Constitution. He frames modern jihadism as a "regression" and an ideological war against Judeo-Christian civilization, funded by Iran and Qatar and using the Palestinian cause as a pretext.
Koldorf argues this "totalitarian ideology" has infiltrated Western Europe by aligning with leftist progressive movements, which he claims paradoxically defend a system opposed to their own values. He cites virulent "Islamic antisemitism" and a survey showing Palestinian support for terrorism as evidence of this ideological gap.
He concludes that the West must abandon "naïve appeasement," listen to Gulf partners (like those in the Abraham Accords) who warn against radicalism, and actively empower reformers within Islam. The author calls for the West to reaffirm its own values of democracy and human rights to survive this existential "ideological battle."