I don’t think this is prevalent in many American’s consciousness, but the one thing that has catapulted the United States into the premiere world power during World War II and beyond was the advent of the female working class. The fact that women began working en masse at the factories, producing weapons, ammunition and other essentials at a much larger rate in the past contributed greatly towards the booming of the American war machine as well as the economy. This effect lasted after the war, more and more women continued to enter the workplace. Suddenly we had the capacity to nearly double our workforce by empowering women to work and produce. Today, we reap the benefits of that paradigm shift and continue to do so. The workforce was diversified in talent and capability as well, with women bringing their unique traits to American Industry and education. Feeling empowered, more women began to go to college and more make an impact on our society ever before in all industries, as well as politically. Doesn’t it seem pretty obvious that this shift really caused us to become the greatest superpower that ever existed?

Now, let’s take a look at where the Islamic states are without this same advantage. By not empowering women and essentially oppressing them, the Middle East has fallen backwards greatly, this may be where women are oppressed the harshest. The Arab spring, brought on by the advent of the internet and its technological abilities, made people aware just how far they are behind Western Culture, and they aren’t happy. This new found consciousness resulted in the desire to overthrow their government, but the people are still disillusioned at their real enemy, their own religion of Islam. By blaming the government and not their own way of life, they are still at a standstill, replacing Islamic leader with Islamic leader, fascist for fascist, tyrant for tyrant, corrupt politician for another corrupt politician. They are not attacking the root of their problem, the reason they lag so far behind Western Culture, their backwards religion of Islam. Granted they are comparing themselves with the rest of the world and it’s ability to progress and prosper, all while not looking at how it occurred to begin with. Islamic oppression is not viewed as the root of their economic troubles, and that it is exactly why their economic troubles will endure. With United States recently surpassing all nations by becoming the top oil producer in the world and are now considering exporting oil again, we will see the riches of Mid East oil wealth begin to dwindle. What will they have to fall back on? Certainly not a female empowered workforce that the great Western Civilizations have relied upon. Perhaps Allah will come down and rescue them from their plight. But Considering their faith has been going strong ever since the decline of the Islamic Golden era, which was propelled by technology and science as opposed to faith, I think we all see where this is going.