February 15, 2011: The belief in multiculturalism in Europe is on the way out. For years political leaders have embrached the idea that multiple cultures can coexist within a country without promoting any specific ethnic, religious, or cultural community values as dominant or desirable for all. The proponents of multiculturalism were reacting to the changed situation in Europe since World War II. As Europe's economy – especially in Germany – recovered from the devastation, a shortage of laborers was met by "importing" guest workers. They came from diverse backgrounds and brought their culture and religion – mainly Islam – with them.

Perhaps with a naive view to America's supposed "melting pot," somehow all those guest workers were supposed to be integrated into their respective host nations. The reality, though, is that many have wanted to preserve their cultural identity and did not want to be either integrated or assimilated into their host country's society. That fact was the basis for multiculturalism.

Last October German chancellor Angela Merkel declared that "multiculturalism has failed, absolutely failed" during a speech given to her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) youth group. Supporting immigrants wasn't enough, she said, adding that expectations should be directed at those who want to live in Germany. At the time, she was accused of caving in to a populist proposal made by Bavarian governor Horst Seehofer, the chairman of Merkel's conservative sister party the Christian Socialist Union (CSU). Just a day before Merkel's speech, Seehofer said that integration doesn't mean "living along side one another, but with each other on the basis of the common foundation of the value system of our basic law [constitution] and our dominant German culture, which is shaped by judeo-christian roots, christianity, humanism and enlightenment."

Chancellor Merkel isn't the only leader talking about the failure of multiculturalism. Britain's prime minister David Cameron, Australia's former prime minister John Howard, Spain's former premier Jose Maria Aznar and France's president Nicolas Sarkozy have expressed concerns about integrating immigrants through multiculturalist policies (Agence France-Presse, February 10, 2011).

David Cameron is the latest leader to climb on the "multiculturalism has failed" bandwagon. Douglas Murray, director of the Center for Social Cohesion in London, wrote this of Cameron's speech in an article published in The Wall Street Journal: "‘Multiculturalism has failed,' said British Prime Minister David Cameron last weekend in Munich. If anybody thought they had read these words before, it is because they have. Many times. Last October German Chancellor Angela Merkel (sitting onstage with Mr. Cameron when he gave his speech on Saturday) said the same. Finally Europe's mainstream party leaders seem to be realizing what others have long noticed: Multiculturalism has been the most pernicious and divisive policy pursued by Western governments since World War II" ("Cameron's Multicultural Wake-Up Call," February 9, 2011).

The realization that multiculturalism has failed may lead to friction between minorities and members of each country's dominant culture as immigrants are expected to do more to be intergrated into their host societies.