They say the band carried on playing as the Titanic went down. Well, we’re not holed yet; we’ve just been brushed by a small iceberg. But the look-outs and the crew are all staring at the bridge, where the Spanish first lieutenant is having a stand-up row with his British mate, the Italian cook is badmouthing the American engineer, and the French midshipman is admiring himself in the mirror, while much larger icebergs loom ahead.
Timothy Garton Ash: Welcome to the Titanic

The west is falling apart after Europe’s 9/11, just as it did after America’s