What is the 21st century going to be about? If you had asked me 20 years ago, on, say, Sept. 10, 2001, I would have had a clear answer: advancing liberalism. But over the last several years something interesting happened: Authoritarians found God. They unified the masses behind them by whipping up perpetual culture wars. The 21st century is turning into an era of globe-spanning holy wars at a time when the appeal of actual religion seems to be on the wane.

Source: International New York Times September 10, 2021 00:00 UTC