For years I've been pointing out the serious mess the EU is creating through its "rescue" efforts. It's a dilemma. But there is no question that the current policy is counter-productive and results in even more deaths.
Smugglers know that all they must do is get as many people as possible into the flimsiest boats and get them a few miles off the coast. European coast guards will do the rest, bringing the migrants safely to European shores.
So long as migrants are allowed to follow these routes, so long as "rescued" migrants are brought into Europe rather than returned to their launching points in North Africa, the EU is effectively complicit with the smugglers.
Paying the North African governments to take the migrants back is not a long term solution either. It creates an extortion racket whereby the North African governments implicitly threaten Europe with a free flow of migrants off their coasts unless Europe pays up on a regular basis.
The only long term solution requires that all migrants be returned to Africa. To gain the cooperation of local governments they need to see both a carrot and a stick. UN Assistance will be given to help those governments with repatriating migrants AND with beefing up internal security to break smuggling rings. But that assistance needs to be reduced to zero, on a pre-set schedule. To the extent that local governments fail to maintain order they should lose their right to govern and a UN caretaker government be put in place.
Smugglers know that all they must do is get as many people as possible into the flimsiest boats and get them a few miles off the coast. European coast guards will do the rest, bringing the migrants safely to European shores.
So long as migrants are allowed to follow these routes, so long as "rescued" migrants are brought into Europe rather than returned to their launching points in North Africa, the EU is effectively complicit with the smugglers.
Paying the North African governments to take the migrants back is not a long term solution either. It creates an extortion racket whereby the North African governments implicitly threaten Europe with a free flow of migrants off their coasts unless Europe pays up on a regular basis.
The only long term solution requires that all migrants be returned to Africa. To gain the cooperation of local governments they need to see both a carrot and a stick. UN Assistance will be given to help those governments with repatriating migrants AND with beefing up internal security to break smuggling rings. But that assistance needs to be reduced to zero, on a pre-set schedule. To the extent that local governments fail to maintain order they should lose their right to govern and a UN caretaker government be put in place.
Perhaps now with Britain out of the EU, Africa can fill their vacancy. At least a guest that appreciates the room.
The right wing or Nationalist parties of Europe- Le Pen, Wilders, and Hofer, all lost elections recently, even though their support increased. They were vilified in the MSM, but what was their crime? Just daring to be honest and speaking up against the conventional wisdom of Muslim mass migration to their respective countries. They realize that Europe is totally being overrun and want to reverse course.
If this continues unabated, it inevitably will destabilize Europe so much that it will be too late for the problem to be solved by the democratic process, but by an authoritarian who will emerge. I do not see this ending well for Europe.
If this continues unabated, it inevitably will destabilize Europe so much that it will be too late for the problem to be solved by the democratic process, but by an authoritarian who will emerge. I do not see this ending well for Europe.
7
I agree with your concerns. It won't end well for Europe. It cannot end well. Even today, countries such as Egypt have a population with more than 50% younger than 30, the inhabitable areas of Egypt are very densely overpopulated, the general state of the economy is bad with very bad outlook and scarce opportunities for the youngest half of the population. And for scale, Egypt has a population of more then 93 million. If only worst off 10% of the under 30 year old decide to migrate to Europe, that would still be 4.65 million Egyptians seeking entry into Europe.
And that's only one African country with issues. What about the rest? The UN projects a population growth in Africa by more than 100% of current levels until 2050. In about 30 years, Africa will have a population twice as large as today.
Good luck Europe.
And that's only one African country with issues. What about the rest? The UN projects a population growth in Africa by more than 100% of current levels until 2050. In about 30 years, Africa will have a population twice as large as today.
Good luck Europe.
3
Why not contract with Libyan companies or NGO's to rescue the migrants? Paying for Libyan fisherman to save lives would probably be a lot cheaper than European sailors. Then they'd just bring em back to Libya once safely on board.
1
Firstly, I'd say, the old principle of "Your broke it, you own it" should apply here. The various "Coalitions of the Willing" under the leadership of the United States which set out to bring democracy to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, etc. and "liberating" them from various dictatorships should now pay for the consequences of their actions.
Secondly, it is not true that there is no money around to finance refugee solutions. Maybe President Trump can persuade his new best friends in Saudi Arabia and other oil rich countries in the Golf region to divert at lease a small fraction of their hundreds and hundreds of billions of Dollars spent on buying new arms to ease the plight of their fellow Muslims looking for a better/safer future.
Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey are already taking in millions of refugees. They have long reached their limits and they can't do any more. Saudi Arabia is doing virtually nothing to help.
Secondly, it is not true that there is no money around to finance refugee solutions. Maybe President Trump can persuade his new best friends in Saudi Arabia and other oil rich countries in the Golf region to divert at lease a small fraction of their hundreds and hundreds of billions of Dollars spent on buying new arms to ease the plight of their fellow Muslims looking for a better/safer future.
Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey are already taking in millions of refugees. They have long reached their limits and they can't do any more. Saudi Arabia is doing virtually nothing to help.
3
Yes, it sounds cruel and inhumane, but the only solution is to send all boats including migrants right back into territorial waters of the respective country and drop them there. Or let them drown. In less than a week this problem is solved. And those people who pick them up like doctors without borders should get charged. Now this is not going to happen soon because politicians and decision makers in particular the EU and UN are too weak and incompetent to implement such drastic measures. But if they don't act soon, the situation will completely derail. Current generations in Europe (and elsewhere) are not responsible for what their ancestors did dozens and hundreds of years ago. However today we must provide aid and use fair trade models to enable those people to make a good living in their own countries. Current government, EU, UN and NGO aid is often inefficient and corruption prevents that the monies are effectively spent.
5
It is as if the European leadership, led by Merkel, have all drunken the coolaid, the migration continues unabated and will obviously not stop until the present leadership in Europe is replaced. But this will not happen any time soon - Merkel is sailing to an expected landslide re-election later this year (go figure that one out) , and Macron easily won the recent French election, so it seems that the European electorate have also drunken the coolaid. It is as if Europe is having an identity crisis, it wants to transform itself into the Islamic ME / Africa.
The only current hope for Europe, is the eastern countries of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, their leadership are the only ones resisting and speaking up against the mass migration, but it is unfortunately not enough, they are swimming upstream against the much more powerful Merkel and her new sidekick, Macron.
The only current hope for Europe, is the eastern countries of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, their leadership are the only ones resisting and speaking up against the mass migration, but it is unfortunately not enough, they are swimming upstream against the much more powerful Merkel and her new sidekick, Macron.
2
Some of these comments are just mindless, others cold and heartless. The problems originating from the Iraqi war, the Syrian destabilization and the Libyan overthrow are apparently far away from Americans.
The famine already raging in the Subsahara region of Africa needs the biggest attention, 'cause millions are already uprooted and are streaming to the Mediterranean shores. This a catastrophe the whole world is asked to tackle.
The famine already raging in the Subsahara region of Africa needs the biggest attention, 'cause millions are already uprooted and are streaming to the Mediterranean shores. This a catastrophe the whole world is asked to tackle.
1
These migrants mentioned in this article are overwhelmingly coming from sub-saharan Africa, not Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan.
3
time to close all western world borders in these continuous Islamic muslim wars otherwise you're just importing more terrorism and turning western world democracies into another middle east. Western world governments are just importing disasters waiting to happen whereas they should be concentrating on lifting the quality of life for their own poor citizens. And you wonder why the western world has the social problems it has when you just ignore your own citizens at the expense of all these economic refugees.
11
Those economic immigrants must be returned where they come from.
There is no jobs for them in Europe. France has almost a 11 per cent rate of unemployment and is broke. Only Germany can absorb some but it seems than Germans don't want them anymore.
There is no jobs for them in Europe. France has almost a 11 per cent rate of unemployment and is broke. Only Germany can absorb some but it seems than Germans don't want them anymore.
14
Malthus had it right. If there are too many of any kind of organism (be it bacteria, rats, polar bears, or humans) for an area's resources to support, something will happen to kill some of them off until the numbers and resources come back in balance. That might be war, famine, disease, or in this case, suicide (by attempting to cross the sea in an overcrowded rubber raft). In this case, the organism is humans and the area is the planet Earth. Some of the people crossing the Mediterranean are fleeing war, but more are fleeing environmental degradation (i.e. desertification) and famine. Bad governments exacerbate the problem by allocating what resources there are very unevenly.
Reality is that there is a mass die-off of humanity coming. We can try to avoid it, but the actions necessary to do so would be quite drastic. Curtailing reproduction, involuntarily if need be, is essential. The Earth can't support 14 billion of us. More equitable distribution of resources is also critical. If we are unwilling to do so (and everything I see of Western culture says we are), then we may as well turn our eyes away, shut the borders, and let the desperate drown or starve. And if that sounds good, realize that the very wealthy in our own countries think the same fate would be fine for us, especially if we dare to become old or ill and stop producing more wealth for them to hoard.
Reality is that there is a mass die-off of humanity coming. We can try to avoid it, but the actions necessary to do so would be quite drastic. Curtailing reproduction, involuntarily if need be, is essential. The Earth can't support 14 billion of us. More equitable distribution of resources is also critical. If we are unwilling to do so (and everything I see of Western culture says we are), then we may as well turn our eyes away, shut the borders, and let the desperate drown or starve. And if that sounds good, realize that the very wealthy in our own countries think the same fate would be fine for us, especially if we dare to become old or ill and stop producing more wealth for them to hoard.
16
After watching all this sitting back and doing nothing, l'd sure hate to around come Judgement Day. Gives me real pause as to who the real victims in all this are.
Africa has one billion people, many of them already underfed, on a trajectory to reach 4-6 billion by the end of the century. That won't happen - the die-off described by Nikki will hit long before and it will be gruesome. As she said, there is no indication that we have the foresight or discipline to cut back reproduction before catastrophe strikes; anyone who talks about population control is called a baby-killer by the right, a racist by the left. Human numbers grow and the consequent land degradation reduces the amount of food that can be grown. Biology has no political agenda - when the food runs out, the population crashes.
2
There's an easy solution. It just requires the will to execute it.
Rescue them yes. After you pick them up in the water, drop them off where they started their crossing. Don't give them a free ride to Europe after you pull them out of the water.
Which migrant would pay smugglers hundreds if not thousands of dollars if they know they'll end up where they started?
If rescued migrants can't be dropped off where they started, keep them out of continental Europe still. Put them on any of the EU controlled Mediterranean islands into refugee camps until their requests for asylum have been either confirmed or denied. In other words, adopt and customize the Australian approach. Make sure however, those camps don't grossly violate human rights standards.
Either way, this solution may seem cruel. It safes lives however and is less cruel than the status quo.
And just some food for thought. The UN expects Africa's population to more than double within the next 30 years. Of course, more and more will seek to get to Europe. Europe needs a sustainable solution or it will drown in so-called refugees.
Rescue them yes. After you pick them up in the water, drop them off where they started their crossing. Don't give them a free ride to Europe after you pull them out of the water.
Which migrant would pay smugglers hundreds if not thousands of dollars if they know they'll end up where they started?
If rescued migrants can't be dropped off where they started, keep them out of continental Europe still. Put them on any of the EU controlled Mediterranean islands into refugee camps until their requests for asylum have been either confirmed or denied. In other words, adopt and customize the Australian approach. Make sure however, those camps don't grossly violate human rights standards.
Either way, this solution may seem cruel. It safes lives however and is less cruel than the status quo.
And just some food for thought. The UN expects Africa's population to more than double within the next 30 years. Of course, more and more will seek to get to Europe. Europe needs a sustainable solution or it will drown in so-called refugees.
23
I think your idea is brilliant, right back where you started from. As you say, who would pay smugglers for that trip?
As to your closing "food for thought," I am wondering about that UN report, will Africa's pop really increase that much in the light of the famines that seem to come now every year it seems with a frightening regularity? Don't the numbers dying through famine outweight the birth stats?
Another thought...can someone explain the medical question I want to pose here, I have been curious to know for a while why you expect a population growth from women who look barely to have enough body fat to get pregnant and sustain it for nine months in the first place. How is this possible medically? Or does a woman need much body fat? I was a competive cyclist with a body fat of under 12%, I was pretty much told it might be a bit tough to get pregnant.
As to your closing "food for thought," I am wondering about that UN report, will Africa's pop really increase that much in the light of the famines that seem to come now every year it seems with a frightening regularity? Don't the numbers dying through famine outweight the birth stats?
Another thought...can someone explain the medical question I want to pose here, I have been curious to know for a while why you expect a population growth from women who look barely to have enough body fat to get pregnant and sustain it for nine months in the first place. How is this possible medically? Or does a woman need much body fat? I was a competive cyclist with a body fat of under 12%, I was pretty much told it might be a bit tough to get pregnant.
Your perceptions about Africa are way off.
Read the official UN report on population growth here: https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/publications/files/key_findings_wpp_2015.pdf
A somewhat easier to read (and more entertaining) account of the issue can be found with the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/201...
Bottom line: if Europe struggles to cope with illegal immigration now, the problem is going to be more than twice as strong in about 30 years.
Read the official UN report on population growth here: https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/publications/files/key_findings_wpp_2015.pdf
A somewhat easier to read (and more entertaining) account of the issue can be found with the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/201...
Bottom line: if Europe struggles to cope with illegal immigration now, the problem is going to be more than twice as strong in about 30 years.
1
If NGOs simply returned rescued migrants to their point of departure this issue would not exist, so clearly their objective is NOT saving migrant lives.
But why does Italy allow these organizations to dump migrants on their shore? The law should require passage to the closest shore, which would be Libya, Egypt or Tunisia.
But why does Italy allow these organizations to dump migrants on their shore? The law should require passage to the closest shore, which would be Libya, Egypt or Tunisia.
3
There's this old book called "The Camp of the Saints" that describes this situation perfectly.
Unfortunately, it doesn't end well for the Europeans.
Unfortunately, it doesn't end well for the Europeans.
9
Until the middle of the twentieth century, most of the countries of Africa and the Middle East were colonies of Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Portugal. After independence, the West supported strongmen leaders in these countries in a mutually beneficial arrangement for extracting petroleum and other resources. The needs of the people in these countries were largely ignored. When the Russians entered the picture during the Cold War, both they and the West began to build up the armies of their puppet strongmen. Then, each side in the Cold War began to supply arms to the opponents of the other side.
So, yes, there is Western responsibility for the economic deprivation and perpetual warfare in the region that forces millions of refugees to risk death at sea rather than face violence and suffering in their home countries.
While we argue about how to rescue and relocate people, our governments continue to arm all sides in the conflict and continue to create the economic conditions that perpetuate the cycle. The United States and other countries cannot do this unless the leaders in those countries are willing. But until then, we need to pull out our troops and stop sending in weapons. Give the people there more reasons and hope for staying.
So, yes, there is Western responsibility for the economic deprivation and perpetual warfare in the region that forces millions of refugees to risk death at sea rather than face violence and suffering in their home countries.
While we argue about how to rescue and relocate people, our governments continue to arm all sides in the conflict and continue to create the economic conditions that perpetuate the cycle. The United States and other countries cannot do this unless the leaders in those countries are willing. But until then, we need to pull out our troops and stop sending in weapons. Give the people there more reasons and hope for staying.
9
@MEM: It doesn't matter what happened 50 or 100 years ago. This is a crisis we need to deal with today. Affiixing blame doesn't help anything, because we can't do anything to undo whatever was done back in those days, and it may actually be counterproductive to do so, as it may simply create anger and resentment, because of the guilt trip you are trying to put people on - which they will undoubtedly reject. That is not going to help anything. We need to address the situation as it exists today. People living today are not responsible for things that happened in the past. Don't you understand that? You should, because you seem to be an intelligent person. Forget the past. Deal with hhe situation at hand, and you will do better. Leave the past to the historians among us, And don't worry: they'll get it right! I guarantee you that! Hey! Maybe you are one of them!
1
They might as well of have taken them off the beach.
These immigrants are economic immigrants nothing else.
They should apply for asylum in the first safe country they reach. But know they enter Italy and keep going north. Italy gives them train tickets to Calais.
These immigrants are economic immigrants nothing else.
They should apply for asylum in the first safe country they reach. But know they enter Italy and keep going north. Italy gives them train tickets to Calais.
19
I am truly sorry that these immigrants, their families, and ancestors have created failed nations and broken states.
The solution is both simple and controversial. All immigrant boats are returned to where they debarked. Until that happens this problem will continue to fester.
The solution is both simple and controversial. All immigrant boats are returned to where they debarked. Until that happens this problem will continue to fester.
42
Kirkwall, you forgot to name the legacies of colonialism and neocolonialism in your allocation of blame.
2
I just finished watching the two part miniseries called "Lampedusa." This article and its writers should do the same.
1
Europe is running out of space welcoming in all of these refugees. Unfortunately, it seems as though there is a never ending supply of them. I recommend the residents of Chappaqua, Beverly Hills and Palo Alto take in some of these refugees. These are wealthy neighborhoods full of selfless people that have good systems to accommodate the refugees.
38
The supply truly is "never ending." The population in Africa is exploding faster than the migrant flow northward. That means there will be more migrants in 2018, even more in 2019, and more and more and more. Merkel and the EU have destroyed Europe.
17
The migrants weren't "rescued". For the most part, they were picked up by boats coming from as far as Norway, and the human cargo was redistributed within Europe. The fact that in 2014 the "rescuing" was taking place father from the coast indicates the NGOs funding these operations were more careful not to appear to function as a migrant taxi service. They're a lot more obvious nowadays.
24
I had to smile at the last sentence - "movement between the two" is only going in one direction, and if it is allowed to go on unchecked, Africa will be empty, and Europe will turn into Africa - and, most of these migrants are Muslim.
A huge thanks to President Obama and the EU for completely destabilizing Libya by removing Qaddafi without a Day Two Plan. You'd think they'd have learned something from the Bush Iraq Disaster. Putin and the Saudis must be grinning from ear to ear.
As long as the migrants think they can get in, they will keep trying. This isn't "movement" - it's slow invasion.
Residents in southern Italy and Greece are already angry about the unceasing arrivals, while Brussels promises help that never comes. How long does the EU think it will be before violence breaks out? Denmark just refused to authorize its customary 2,000 or so new citizenships this year - do you suppose the reason is that they are all coming from Ireland or Iceland or Australia?
Europe cannot absorb half of Africa without ceasing to be European. Almost all of these migrants are low-skilled workers, and they only want to go to 2-3 counties in the EU (hint: Latvia isn't one of them; migrants in Calais, where the camp is rebuilding rapidly, still won't even file for asylum in France: it's UK or bust).
When automation starts whittling away low-skilled jobs across the West, what does the EU suppose will happen at home as the applicant pool, fed by migrants, dwarfs the jobs available?
A huge thanks to President Obama and the EU for completely destabilizing Libya by removing Qaddafi without a Day Two Plan. You'd think they'd have learned something from the Bush Iraq Disaster. Putin and the Saudis must be grinning from ear to ear.
As long as the migrants think they can get in, they will keep trying. This isn't "movement" - it's slow invasion.
Residents in southern Italy and Greece are already angry about the unceasing arrivals, while Brussels promises help that never comes. How long does the EU think it will be before violence breaks out? Denmark just refused to authorize its customary 2,000 or so new citizenships this year - do you suppose the reason is that they are all coming from Ireland or Iceland or Australia?
Europe cannot absorb half of Africa without ceasing to be European. Almost all of these migrants are low-skilled workers, and they only want to go to 2-3 counties in the EU (hint: Latvia isn't one of them; migrants in Calais, where the camp is rebuilding rapidly, still won't even file for asylum in France: it's UK or bust).
When automation starts whittling away low-skilled jobs across the West, what does the EU suppose will happen at home as the applicant pool, fed by migrants, dwarfs the jobs available?
40
"what does the EU suppose will happen at home as the applicant pool, fed by migrants, dwarfs the jobs available?"
They don't care. The elites will be safe behind their high walls and armed guards. It's only us and our children that will be slaughtered by the hordes.
They don't care. The elites will be safe behind their high walls and armed guards. It's only us and our children that will be slaughtered by the hordes.
4
Some possible methods to try to stem the crisis:
1. Smugglers (if caught) have to be dealt with harshly, I would advocate life in prison.
2. If migrants are rescued they cannot be brought back to Europe, its obvious that will encourage more dangerous trips.
3. Increase they number spots for asylum seekers in Europe by 100000/yr (although this maybe very difficult in the current climate) BUT if a migrant is caught making this dangerous trip they are permanently ineligible for resettlement in Europe.
4. Consider taking 50000 economic migrants from sub-Saharan Africa every year, but again anybody caught coming illegally is not eligible for resettlement in Europe.
5. Silks training/education/business development aid that will be useful to Sub Saharan Africans needs to be increased.
1. Smugglers (if caught) have to be dealt with harshly, I would advocate life in prison.
2. If migrants are rescued they cannot be brought back to Europe, its obvious that will encourage more dangerous trips.
3. Increase they number spots for asylum seekers in Europe by 100000/yr (although this maybe very difficult in the current climate) BUT if a migrant is caught making this dangerous trip they are permanently ineligible for resettlement in Europe.
4. Consider taking 50000 economic migrants from sub-Saharan Africa every year, but again anybody caught coming illegally is not eligible for resettlement in Europe.
5. Silks training/education/business development aid that will be useful to Sub Saharan Africans needs to be increased.
3
The only solution is return all illegal immigrants to Libya immediately. This migration will continue as long as people know they will be welcomed and cared for in Europe, encouraging millions to follow. The long term solution is to help improve living conditions in Africa, but that will take generations and a dramatic drop in birth rates. In the shorter term, the flow can only be stemmed if the welcome mat is removed.
32
Europe's deadly altruism. All of this could be ended if you towed back the boats back to Libya. If you send back people that make it to Italy immediately. There are reports of migrants being abandoned in the Sahara.
Humans respond to incentives and sanctions, time for the European bureaucrats to use some basic common sense.
Humans respond to incentives and sanctions, time for the European bureaucrats to use some basic common sense.
20
You should not write this kind of an article in a way that gives the impression that "any efforts" to help migrants is futile and even more dangerous. Rather you should write to refocus people's attention on how, not whether.
2
This is your opportunity to tell us how.
The countries from which these migrants are coming from need wealthy developed countries to help them improve opportunities and quality of life in their own countries. In addition, these countries need to start implementing their own family planning programs. It would be helpful if the Roman Catholic Church would revise some of their current thinking. If I were a country I would also prefer to take only whole families. Taking in young males in is a recipe for problems.
19
Two observations. Wealthy developed countries have already provided billions in aid to Africa (a google search will reveal the staggering amounts). And it is not likely the Roman Catholic church stance on birth control would have any influence on the mainly Muslim inhabitants of the African countries that are the source of the migration.
1
All my life I've been reading about "famines in Africa" and hearing stories about all the government and private aid being sent there from the rest.
The result?
A half century later I see all the same stories about famine in Africa, with photos of starving children and drought stricken ground. I also hear much more now about how all those billions in aid have disappeared down holes of corruption.
Look at Transparency.Org's global corruption index and you will find Africa's poorest nations very high on the list. If Africa's leaders would rather steal the aid than help their own people then it's time we let the continent fall into ruin. When the people are miserable enough they will revolt and tear their leadership down. Maybe then ... maybe ... they will start to govern themselves in a responsible manner.
https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2...
The result?
A half century later I see all the same stories about famine in Africa, with photos of starving children and drought stricken ground. I also hear much more now about how all those billions in aid have disappeared down holes of corruption.
Look at Transparency.Org's global corruption index and you will find Africa's poorest nations very high on the list. If Africa's leaders would rather steal the aid than help their own people then it's time we let the continent fall into ruin. When the people are miserable enough they will revolt and tear their leadership down. Maybe then ... maybe ... they will start to govern themselves in a responsible manner.
https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2...
1
For those who want to paint all refugees and migrants from Africa and the Mid East as adult men just seeking jobs and economic betterment in Europe: The UNHCR's data says nearly half of the world's displaced people are under the age of 18. I have seen this with my own eyes in Lesvos, Greece. There are young people traveling alone with their siblings; infants and very young children. There are women who are pregnant and who give birth on route. Turkey, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Jordan are among the countries that are hosting the largest number of displaced people, by far more than any country in Europe is.
This is not a European crisis. It is a crisis for the 60+ million people who have lost their home, and it is a world crisis. The solution is not tell people they can't come. When your home is gone, remaining there is not a choice. The US and Europe have a large hand in the destabilization of Libya, Afghanistan and other areas where millions now are forced to flee. Pretending that we do not see or do not need to address the problem is not a choice for us. The crisis will not cease until the violence does.
This is not a European crisis. It is a crisis for the 60+ million people who have lost their home, and it is a world crisis. The solution is not tell people they can't come. When your home is gone, remaining there is not a choice. The US and Europe have a large hand in the destabilization of Libya, Afghanistan and other areas where millions now are forced to flee. Pretending that we do not see or do not need to address the problem is not a choice for us. The crisis will not cease until the violence does.
4
60 million people haVe not lost their homes. 60 million people want to leave their homes. There is a difference.
33
Yes, a great many of the refugees are under the age of 18, one reason being that once they are granted asylum in Europe, for example in Germany, they would then have the right to bring in the rest of their family. In 2016, around 1.2 million refugees entered Germany, legally or illegally, many of them minors or aged between 18 and 25, mostly male. Experts estimate that for every refugee that originally came in, another 2 to 3 family members could follow. For a country with a population of 80 million that would be an increase of around 4 million in a matter of a couple of years - a burden that not even Germany could manage to bear because the vast majority of those entrants would remain unemployed and unemployable for the better part of 10 years before acquiring the necessary education and skills and entitled to welfare. The cost would run into the triple-digit billions of euros - money that just isn't there.
21
Apparently just under 40% of the migrants brought to Italy qualify for asylum status. Perhaps the solution lies in revising and updating the 1951 Refugee Convention, as it is this document that is the impetus for those who feel they have a reason to leave the African shores.
11
We are to soft on this, and will go on like this for some time.
Unless we europeans reach a breaking point, nothing will change. And this breaking point is still far off.
Unless we europeans reach a breaking point, nothing will change. And this breaking point is still far off.
17
Whether you are in Paul Krugman or Milton Friedman's camp, there is very little question that the rescue efforts encourage more people to take this refugee route into Europe, whether they are truly refugees or not.
The solution isn't all that difficult: set up refugee camps IN NORTH AFRICA. Rescue and settle them back in the camp. The real refugees are saved. And the non-refugees will have no incentive to take the route. And there will be no money to be made by coyotes.
The solution isn't all that difficult: set up refugee camps IN NORTH AFRICA. Rescue and settle them back in the camp. The real refugees are saved. And the non-refugees will have no incentive to take the route. And there will be no money to be made by coyotes.
35
Some number of people will die attempting to cross to Europe: Fact.
3
Many Europeans countries in the EU prohibit any form of immigration in their very Constitution. The countries in central and eastern Europe never had colonialism. They have fought for centuries for freedom and self-determination and they finally achieved some progress and build good societies and want to enjoy this, and not return into a new multi-ethnic empire lead by Germany, which is forcing everyone to do as they say or else.
It is not their problem that the 1 billion in Africa, 1.2 billion in India and 1.4 billion in China have been unable to build good societies and want to flee.
The real tragedy is not that these people from disfunctional countries are recklessly crossing the Mediteranean and some die. The real tragedy is that half of Europe has been ruined by those who succeeded and the other half of Europe is forced by Germany to to follow suit.
Enough with all these pity for the law-breakers. A thousand years ago they were the barbaric tribes trying to knock down Europe. Who at the NYT is thinking at the good, hard working native Europeans who see their culture and country disappear?
It is not their problem that the 1 billion in Africa, 1.2 billion in India and 1.4 billion in China have been unable to build good societies and want to flee.
The real tragedy is not that these people from disfunctional countries are recklessly crossing the Mediteranean and some die. The real tragedy is that half of Europe has been ruined by those who succeeded and the other half of Europe is forced by Germany to to follow suit.
Enough with all these pity for the law-breakers. A thousand years ago they were the barbaric tribes trying to knock down Europe. Who at the NYT is thinking at the good, hard working native Europeans who see their culture and country disappear?
40
Interestingly, Hitler wanted to rule Europe and failed, but Merkel has succeeded.
When boats full of migrants come out of Libyan ports-why don't the italian,British navy etc. disable the boat engine, and tow them back into the Libyan port?????
Rather than wait for them to reach Greece, Italy,etc. and then cost millions in rescue costs and immigrant deaths?
Rather than wait for them to reach Greece, Italy,etc. and then cost millions in rescue costs and immigrant deaths?
43
The Italian navy and NGO ships do not disable the boat engine and tow the migrants back to Libyan ports because the smugglers leave the flimsy vessels and take the boat engines with them in a separate boat back to Libya. The smugglers and the migrants know full well and expect to be rescued. The EU governments are duty-bound to follow international maritime law, with the rescue in international waters and will not return the migrants because of their obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. To reiterate the smugglers know this and especially the migrants, who incidentally are equipped with cell phones.
9
In migrant, maritime, and human rights law, which the European courts take very seriously, theres a clause called the "non-refoulment" clause which prohibits any country where a migrant seeks refuge from harm or persecution to be re-fouled (returned) to the country from which they came.
Right now, Europe has been trying to find ways around this law, namely by pulling FRONTEX ships away from the maritime rescue zone (Libyan coast), but this has of course led to countless deaths, certainly more so than had they remained.
But this is really not about saving lives at all, but pushback from European citizens concerning "cultural infringement" and nativist/nationalist sentiments. Almost all of these deaths have been completely avoidable and it is the EU's international obligation to both rescue and provide refuge, especially given the events in Libya are not without interference and inflammation from European governments and militaries.
Right now, Europe has been trying to find ways around this law, namely by pulling FRONTEX ships away from the maritime rescue zone (Libyan coast), but this has of course led to countless deaths, certainly more so than had they remained.
But this is really not about saving lives at all, but pushback from European citizens concerning "cultural infringement" and nativist/nationalist sentiments. Almost all of these deaths have been completely avoidable and it is the EU's international obligation to both rescue and provide refuge, especially given the events in Libya are not without interference and inflammation from European governments and militaries.
The EU's international obligation to both rescue and provide refuge, especially given the events in Libya . . . ?
Non-refoulment of migrants from Sub-Saharan and Western Africa? Because Libya is too dangerous for them to be returned to? The problem I have with that argument is that they entered Libya voluntary in the first place. As one "expert" from a university in southern Italy questioned the rationale that the migrants claim that they went to Libya to find work but could not stay or return because it was too dangerous - anyone going into Libya would have been aware that the country has been lawless for several years. The next step? Italy, of course. Then the IOM stating that the research it has done on Mediterranean migrants reveals that they had no intention of going to Europe but they were forced because of the awful treatment they received in Libya. UNHCR and IOM do have an agenda, but realistically anyone can see that the boat crossings will come to an end one way or another.
Non-refoulment of migrants from Sub-Saharan and Western Africa? Because Libya is too dangerous for them to be returned to? The problem I have with that argument is that they entered Libya voluntary in the first place. As one "expert" from a university in southern Italy questioned the rationale that the migrants claim that they went to Libya to find work but could not stay or return because it was too dangerous - anyone going into Libya would have been aware that the country has been lawless for several years. The next step? Italy, of course. Then the IOM stating that the research it has done on Mediterranean migrants reveals that they had no intention of going to Europe but they were forced because of the awful treatment they received in Libya. UNHCR and IOM do have an agenda, but realistically anyone can see that the boat crossings will come to an end one way or another.
This is an extremely sensitive issue; I understand that.
The causes of the refugee crisis may well be complex. But primal among them are that a resource rich continent is destroyed by religion and corruption, tribal warfare, and other forces to the extent people are willing to fling themselves along with their children in dangerous waters, and accept death over living where they are. If Europe shuts the door, as many readers suggest, they will plain drown. But not stop leaving.
For one simple reason. People want to live and breathe free, and will pay any price to so do. I know. I did.
So what do we do? We can say: "we have problems of our own" and look the other way. Can we?
If not, then it is time to think about re-colonizing. Because we have to accept that people, even when they have a choice, vote for corrupt, oppressive people with dangerous frequency (do I really have to explain this?).
We have a lousy record of trying to help others to help themselves (see Vietnam, Chile, Iran, Middle East). We have an excellent record of basically taking over the whole darned thing (see post-war Germany).
What I am arguing is roughly analogous to the logic that drives the state to separate abused children from their families. No one argues that it is better to have the child suffer to keep a family intact.
Touchy subject, I know. But if it saves lives, it is certainly worth thinking about.
Kalidan
The causes of the refugee crisis may well be complex. But primal among them are that a resource rich continent is destroyed by religion and corruption, tribal warfare, and other forces to the extent people are willing to fling themselves along with their children in dangerous waters, and accept death over living where they are. If Europe shuts the door, as many readers suggest, they will plain drown. But not stop leaving.
For one simple reason. People want to live and breathe free, and will pay any price to so do. I know. I did.
So what do we do? We can say: "we have problems of our own" and look the other way. Can we?
If not, then it is time to think about re-colonizing. Because we have to accept that people, even when they have a choice, vote for corrupt, oppressive people with dangerous frequency (do I really have to explain this?).
We have a lousy record of trying to help others to help themselves (see Vietnam, Chile, Iran, Middle East). We have an excellent record of basically taking over the whole darned thing (see post-war Germany).
What I am arguing is roughly analogous to the logic that drives the state to separate abused children from their families. No one argues that it is better to have the child suffer to keep a family intact.
Touchy subject, I know. But if it saves lives, it is certainly worth thinking about.
Kalidan
1
Interesting thought on "excellent record of basically taking over the whole darned thing". I wonder what Puerto Ricans and Philippines and Cubans are thinking about it.
Recolonization is well underway. The Chinese have filled the vacuum left by Europe and are taking over much of Africa at an astonishing rate. Whether they will ultimately improve life for the average person remains to be seen, but Africa's corrupt governing elites are becoming even wealthier from Chinese graft.
6
Wow Kalidan, this is quite the comment. Never did I think I would see someone writing to re-colonize. But, let's take it further: if re-colonization is done to stabilize and develop infrastructure that could work for the masses to create livelihoods through efficient means to conduct business, respond to demand, et al, that would be an interesting proposition.
But the temptations of this resource-rich continent being exploited for enriching oligarchs and the 1% outside of Africa? I cannot see recolonization happening without terrible abuse from another direction.
But the temptations of this resource-rich continent being exploited for enriching oligarchs and the 1% outside of Africa? I cannot see recolonization happening without terrible abuse from another direction.
2
Having spent last year in Europe, I found it was overrun by 'refugees', mostly young men. I was often approached, asked for money, interrupted in conversation and aggressively hustled. I was robbed in Florence, had a camera slapped out of my hands in Rome (because part of my panarama included a homeless camp) and felt threatened often, including in Brussels, where I was told I was in a no go zone (unless I were wearing a burqa). I will never return to Europe. The only way to stop the mass migration from failed countries is to quickly repatriate people and stop all the boats. The NGO's should be held accountable for every 'refugee' that they assist to Europe instead of returning to Africa. The west continuously makes excuses for failed states and continues to take in people from countries who have no interest in integrating and zero interest in adapting to their adopted countries norms. They need to be repatriated and fix their own countries instead of hitching their wagons to the taxpayers of the west.
49
I have heard this from at least three other people who came back from trips to Europe in the last year or two. They variously described the now visible transformation of beloved capitals that they have been visiting for years as sad, tragic, or horrifying. They, too, have no desire to return. "The city I loved is no longer the city I loved," one said sadly.
A friend who grew up in Birmingham who has dual citizenship, who raised his children here, now says that after his last visit "home", he has no interest in returning and is glad his children are invested in America, not England.
European and UK governments for forty years ignored the handwriting on the wall and turned a blind, not to say cowardly eye on the demographic implications of 4-5 decades of mass non-European immigration into Europe. They politically crucified those who dared to speak up about those implications and to this day deny that demographics are reshaping Europe.
Demographics are culture; demographics are history; demographics call the tune.
Europe is only being forced to acknowledge this too late to save itself.
A friend who grew up in Birmingham who has dual citizenship, who raised his children here, now says that after his last visit "home", he has no interest in returning and is glad his children are invested in America, not England.
European and UK governments for forty years ignored the handwriting on the wall and turned a blind, not to say cowardly eye on the demographic implications of 4-5 decades of mass non-European immigration into Europe. They politically crucified those who dared to speak up about those implications and to this day deny that demographics are reshaping Europe.
Demographics are culture; demographics are history; demographics call the tune.
Europe is only being forced to acknowledge this too late to save itself.
24
I can't help but notice in every photo the boats are loaded up with young men. Where are their female relatives? Left behind to fend for themselves and their children?
These men will land on the shores of Europe with no money, no education, no work skills, not speaking the language(s). Ultimately some will become dissatisfied with their lives and join either gangs or IS. The future for European nations looks challenging if this mass migration continues as it is.
I now understand partially why some in the UK decided to exit the EU.
Many of these men's final destination was ultimately the UK.
These men will land on the shores of Europe with no money, no education, no work skills, not speaking the language(s). Ultimately some will become dissatisfied with their lives and join either gangs or IS. The future for European nations looks challenging if this mass migration continues as it is.
I now understand partially why some in the UK decided to exit the EU.
Many of these men's final destination was ultimately the UK.
44
Remember the Iraqi who raped the 10 year old German boy at the swimming pool? His explanation was that he was having a "sexual emergency" because he had LEFT HIS WIFE IN IRAQ. Huh? The situation was so terrible in Iraq that you left your wife there? Nice.
http://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/austrian-court-vacates-sen...
http://www.splicetoday.com/politics-and-media/austrian-court-vacates-sen...
2
Gee, perhaps the West should have kept it's hands off Libya. Even in the worst of times under Muammar al-Qaddafi this many innocents had not perished. I would have ended my comment with the memorable quote by former President Ronald Reagan in his 1980 debate with Jimmy Carter, namely "Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?". But we would have to change that to five and a half years in this case since it was October, 2011 when we had Qaddafi murdered, and the situation in Libya has steadily worsened ever since. The problem is we never learn from our mistakes. Case in point, we are still trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad in Syria who had been holding that nation together until we stuck our nose in there as well.
12
Too right on this. Obama made the same mistake that Bush made in Iraq, that the US made in Iran in the 1950s when the CIA helped topple a democratically elected leader to help out their pal, the Shah. that they made in Chile, and that they are making again in Syria.
You can add Assad to Putin and the leaders of Guld States grinning as Muslim immigrants flood into Europe. All they have to do is wait a few more decades . . .
You can add Assad to Putin and the leaders of Guld States grinning as Muslim immigrants flood into Europe. All they have to do is wait a few more decades . . .
11
@ Elizabeth Renant: I don't want to go too far off topic but since you mentioned former President Obama and the Muslim immigrant flood into Europe, it is worth remembering that Turkish President Erdogan (another authoritarian strongman most liberals love to hate) had proposed to Obama in May, 2013, two years before the Russians entered Syria starting in September 2015, the creation of a "no-fly" zone in northern Syria along Turkey's border with that country:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/15/turkeys-erdogan-to-press...
Erdogan had told Obama that the Turks could then re-settle some of the millions of Syrian refugees who had fled into Turkey to escape the civil war in Syria back into their own country, help them rebuild their cities and lives and in the process also create a defacto democratic Syrian enclave to counter al-Assad's regime. Obama vacillated, hemmed and hawed and did nothing. As a result, two years later the Russian armed forces entered into Syria, the war intensified and hundreds of thousands of Muslim Syrians flooded into Europe.
Had Obama put aside his dislike of Erdogan resulting from the Turkish Islamic caudillo's brutal suppression of the Gezi Park protests in Turkey the same year and listened to him, there would have been no flood of Syrian refugees into Europe, the Russians would not have dared to challenge an established NATO no-fly zone and they might not even have agreed to send their armed forces into Syria.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/15/turkeys-erdogan-to-press...
Erdogan had told Obama that the Turks could then re-settle some of the millions of Syrian refugees who had fled into Turkey to escape the civil war in Syria back into their own country, help them rebuild their cities and lives and in the process also create a defacto democratic Syrian enclave to counter al-Assad's regime. Obama vacillated, hemmed and hawed and did nothing. As a result, two years later the Russian armed forces entered into Syria, the war intensified and hundreds of thousands of Muslim Syrians flooded into Europe.
Had Obama put aside his dislike of Erdogan resulting from the Turkish Islamic caudillo's brutal suppression of the Gezi Park protests in Turkey the same year and listened to him, there would have been no flood of Syrian refugees into Europe, the Russians would not have dared to challenge an established NATO no-fly zone and they might not even have agreed to send their armed forces into Syria.
3
As long as European countries don't send a clear and definite message that their borders are totally closed, tell NGOs and smugglers that these people are not welcomed, this artificially made crisis will continue unabated until Europe collapses. A Europe in disarray will be far more harmful to the world then keeping these unwanted migrants at Bay. Europe is not their brother's keeper and they shouldn't expect to just barge in. They are fundamentally naïve, uneducated and ignorant. All the bleeding hearts should take these people into their own homes, stop dumping them on the taxpayers of Europe who can barely sustain themselves. Being shamed into taking these people in is simply not working anymore. These are young able, mostly males who refuse to take responsibility to fight for their own countries. They are going to be huge trouble for the hosting states and a huge economic burden on their citizens .Keep them out, if you don't want to destabilize your own people and turn them against each other. It will be a far more tragic turn of events then refusing taking all these waves of migrants because they don't like where they are anymore.
57
Aha! So the NGO's push to provide humanitarian assistance instead primarily serves to increase the profits of the people with the fewest scruples.....what a shock. NGO's with their pride and pure mission don't really spend a lot of time in deep analysis of the consequences of their acts, do they?
52
For a practical and more humane solution, the EU should build a tunnel or multiple tunnels that span the Med. This would allow the migrants the safest possible options. For a longer term fix, perhaps the EU can expand to include many of the nations who are sending in large numbers of migrants. If Turkey can seek membership, why shouldn't Iraq, Afghanistan, or Uganda? Are their finances really less stable than that of Greece? Are their workers less able than Poland's?
Longer term, we in the global north who tend to be white need to finally accept that humanity changes, and is in the midst of doing so. The future is brown. We can either embrace this and welcome our brothers and sisters from the global south, and learn to live more like them and adopt their ways, or we can fight this shift tooth and nail and accept the changes with a lot of pain. But wishing the fact that we're done, that we're a cultural and genetic dead end, with walls, detention centers, and force just isn't going to be possible. We made some good contributions, especially where the high arts, technology, standards of living, and individual rights are concerned. But nothing lasts forever.
My only fear is for the feminist, gay, and transgendered members of our Western world. They will probably need to make some of the biggest adjustments as the global north and south merge, and as the north eventually becomes washed over in a tide of more natural humanity.
Longer term, we in the global north who tend to be white need to finally accept that humanity changes, and is in the midst of doing so. The future is brown. We can either embrace this and welcome our brothers and sisters from the global south, and learn to live more like them and adopt their ways, or we can fight this shift tooth and nail and accept the changes with a lot of pain. But wishing the fact that we're done, that we're a cultural and genetic dead end, with walls, detention centers, and force just isn't going to be possible. We made some good contributions, especially where the high arts, technology, standards of living, and individual rights are concerned. But nothing lasts forever.
My only fear is for the feminist, gay, and transgendered members of our Western world. They will probably need to make some of the biggest adjustments as the global north and south merge, and as the north eventually becomes washed over in a tide of more natural humanity.
5
"My only fear is for the feminist, gay, and transgendered members of our Western world. They will probably need to make some of the biggest adjustments as the global north and south merge, and as the north eventually becomes washed over in a tide of more natural humanity."
What a disgusting and hypcritical comment. No, you don't fear for the feminist, gay and transgendered when you clearly imply that they are not "natural" -- the misogynists, the homophobes and other haters I suppose are more "natural. "
What a disgusting and hypcritical comment. No, you don't fear for the feminist, gay and transgendered when you clearly imply that they are not "natural" -- the misogynists, the homophobes and other haters I suppose are more "natural. "
15
Tunnels? Iraq in the EU? What are you smoking in your college town?
Ridiculous ideas here.
Ridiculous ideas here.
7
It is exactly this kind of twisted logic that has driven a significant proportion of voters in Europe and the US into the arms of populists who advocate closing off borders entirely. It is simply economically not possible to grant asylum to millions and millions of migrants annually without weakening both the countries they're coming from and the ones they're going to. As a rule, it is always the strongest who manage to flee, leaving the weakest to fend for themselves. In the countries of their destination, for many years they drain national welfare resources at the expense of those already in need of assistance. In addition, it is a well known fact that in western economies there are fewer and fewer jobs to go around due increasing automation. How are the new arrivals who, as a rule, are uneducated and unskilled, going to get jobs in a high-tech, highly competitive job market? On an emotional level, I can sympathize with the do-gooders and bleeding hearts, but from a practical perspective such plans are illusory and will ultimately do more damage than good. Potential migrants should be encouraged to stay where they are and with the help of increased investment programs from abroad they should be motivated to help build up their own budding national economies.
18
It bears remark that the U.S. instigated destabilization of Libya was an effective, contributing cause of this crisis, given that organized, criminal people-smugglers were non-existent under Gaddafi's rule.
It also bears note that just because the migrants might be found in international waters does not mean that NGO rescue-ships have to ferry them to Italy. The stranded migrants could just as easily be rescued and returned to their point of origin in Libya.
Aside from Marine Le Pen, Austria's Foreign Minister, Sebastian Kurz or the Polish, Czech and Hungarian governments which refuse to accept refugees, the E.U. establishment has been "affirmatively negligent" with respect to the crisis.
The indifference or feigned helplessness of governments in western Europe is galvanizing "identitarian" movements from Sweden to Italy, which comprise a gathering protest against austerity policies coupled with open borders.
It also bears note that just because the migrants might be found in international waters does not mean that NGO rescue-ships have to ferry them to Italy. The stranded migrants could just as easily be rescued and returned to their point of origin in Libya.
Aside from Marine Le Pen, Austria's Foreign Minister, Sebastian Kurz or the Polish, Czech and Hungarian governments which refuse to accept refugees, the E.U. establishment has been "affirmatively negligent" with respect to the crisis.
The indifference or feigned helplessness of governments in western Europe is galvanizing "identitarian" movements from Sweden to Italy, which comprise a gathering protest against austerity policies coupled with open borders.
34
Stop blaming the US for libya, they got exactly what they wanted, and we got rid of another mad dictator. And now the libyans are free to reflect on themself - and discover they are quite nasty to each other.
And voting for a populist is not the answer, you americans should know, you are learning this lesson just first handed.
And all these right-wing governments, they just dodge any inconveniences and to a lot of blaming. This is not a solution to the refugee crisis.
And voting for a populist is not the answer, you americans should know, you are learning this lesson just first handed.
And all these right-wing governments, they just dodge any inconveniences and to a lot of blaming. This is not a solution to the refugee crisis.
2
"indifference or feigned helplessness of governments in western Europe" - Chip
The neighboring countries in Middle East, which share a culture and religion with the refugees, fit the description of "indifference or feigned helplessness much better than Europe (or the US). And the Middle East's "responsibility" (Islam) should be added to the equation
The neighboring countries in Middle East, which share a culture and religion with the refugees, fit the description of "indifference or feigned helplessness much better than Europe (or the US). And the Middle East's "responsibility" (Islam) should be added to the equation
Ignoring people breaking the law leads to more deaths.
The current system is cruel. It is as if we erected a tightrope between Africa / Syria and Europe. Those who can walk it are welcomed and receive a rich reward (comparatively). Those who fall off the tightrope die. We can make the rope higher or lower. We have a net (the rescue ships) that saves some, but the 'net' causes more people to risk the tightrope.
We should either:
- send everyone back
- let everyone who walks to the Libyan coast come to Europe and receive benefits
- set a firm policy on who and how many can come and ENFORCE that policy. Take people rescued at sea back to the Libyan coast and tell them to follow the process.
The conflict between the realization that everyone in Africa cannot come to Europe and the liberals / EU elites that want to be perceived as welcoming is killing these people.
The current system is cruel. It is as if we erected a tightrope between Africa / Syria and Europe. Those who can walk it are welcomed and receive a rich reward (comparatively). Those who fall off the tightrope die. We can make the rope higher or lower. We have a net (the rescue ships) that saves some, but the 'net' causes more people to risk the tightrope.
We should either:
- send everyone back
- let everyone who walks to the Libyan coast come to Europe and receive benefits
- set a firm policy on who and how many can come and ENFORCE that policy. Take people rescued at sea back to the Libyan coast and tell them to follow the process.
The conflict between the realization that everyone in Africa cannot come to Europe and the liberals / EU elites that want to be perceived as welcoming is killing these people.
39
The NGOs need to take those they rescue back to Libya. That's really the only humane short term solution.
65
Libya won't allow the rescuers to dock and neither will any other African countries. The EU is now paying Africa to take them back, cutting off funds unless they accept incoming flights filled with refugees.
Sooner or later, Europe is going to have to stop this at the source. Smugglers in Libya are doing this, and the Libyan government is doing next to nothing to stop this criminal activity. Stopping it at the source is the only way this situation can be resolved, and IMO, it's way past time already for Europe to act. Libya has no right to just export their people to Europe.
51
The problem is that Libya doesn't have a government, at least not a functioning one. I almost wish Gaddafi back; we all now know, that it was a bad idea to kill him.
11
Libyans killed Gaddafi. Those who live by the sword will eventually die by the sword. Still, the West should have helped him into exile, IMO, as it might have helped Libyan leaders who emerged keep some semblance of order.
We have to realize that strong men ruling some countries suppress chaos. Saddam governed like this, and Iraqis by and large were better off then than now. We do NOT know what the answer is regarding governance in these regions.
As for smugglers and people trying to get to Europe, try blockade and give transportation back home to countries of origin. Get researchers into the countries of origin to train local NGOs on community-based research methods, get some data, and figure out what will enable effective crisis intervention and stabilization. All the money being spent on rescue should be spent instead on investment. These countries need infrastructure; people living there should be assisted to identify their own local solutions to cultural, social, and economic entrapments they are experiencing. Some countries in Africa ARE stable. Why?
I have no idea what to do about their security problems. Maybe they do.
We have to realize that strong men ruling some countries suppress chaos. Saddam governed like this, and Iraqis by and large were better off then than now. We do NOT know what the answer is regarding governance in these regions.
As for smugglers and people trying to get to Europe, try blockade and give transportation back home to countries of origin. Get researchers into the countries of origin to train local NGOs on community-based research methods, get some data, and figure out what will enable effective crisis intervention and stabilization. All the money being spent on rescue should be spent instead on investment. These countries need infrastructure; people living there should be assisted to identify their own local solutions to cultural, social, and economic entrapments they are experiencing. Some countries in Africa ARE stable. Why?
I have no idea what to do about their security problems. Maybe they do.
2
I agree, Marie. So, governments that are organized will need to act. What exactly that means could take some different paths. But something needs to be done to stop this. For one thing, why isn't this being discussed at the UN every day, and plans being made? These migrants shouldn't even be allowed to get on these boats. It's unsafe, and smugglers are making money exploiting this situation. So, nations with responsible governments need to do something to stop this - now!
1
The EU has been totally incompetent and has allowed this situation to get out of hand. These "refugees" are job and welfare seekers who know that if they get into the EU, someone will let them run free. The EU lived with this Schengen accord lie for years (illegal migrants have to be registered in the first EU country in which they landed). Italy got no help from the EU, did not and does not have the facilities to take care of this herd--and should not have to, either--and allowed these migrants to head north to greener welfare pastures. And the EU did nothing to repair a broken system. The ONLY solution is Australia's--make sure that ALL these people know they will NOT be taken in if they come by boat--but Europe doesn't have politicians with this kind of guts. Another solution might be to stop these parasitic NGOs, who now run a ferry service for migrants on these boats to Italy, from dumping these people off on the Italians, who are getting sick of being swindled. Get rid of these NGO rescue ships. Then, these criminal smugglers will get the message. The EU should have started destroying the smuggler's boats on Turkish soil in 2015 to get the message across. They didn't. I would think that ACTIVE pursuit of these criminals using commando units, drones, etc. would be a start. Europe has enough manpower, but first, find EU/European leaders with the guts to actively defend their country's borders, and stop pandering to vague "open borders/human rights" whingers.
85
Last I heard, dear boy, they weren't trying to sail to Australia - itself not a country that's particularly admired internationally (especially given its brutal, inhumane detention centres and system for people fleeing absolutely appalling crises on Australia's doorstep) - but then, it's so, so easy to pour scorn on people fleeing for their lives, isn't it?
I mean, they're only refugees, so clearly they're worth less than you are.
I'm sure you'd be perfectly happy to let thousands of drowning men, women, children, babies, pensioners, the sick, the injured, the enslaved, the smuggled turn into Tens of thousands of drowning victims instead, but for whatever reason the NGOs - and the naval ships sent by EU governments, including my own - seem to be not nearly as indifferent to suffering as you are.
I mean, they're only refugees, so clearly they're worth less than you are.
I'm sure you'd be perfectly happy to let thousands of drowning men, women, children, babies, pensioners, the sick, the injured, the enslaved, the smuggled turn into Tens of thousands of drowning victims instead, but for whatever reason the NGOs - and the naval ships sent by EU governments, including my own - seem to be not nearly as indifferent to suffering as you are.
1
Fear not, dear Farquel. Thanks to Brexit, Britannia is now shielded from the "incompetence" of the EU and can proudly rule the waves from the Pacific to the Atlantic, giving chase to the miserable boats full of these homeless of the four seas. With the help of the glorious Commonwealth (but don't count on the Canadians, they are quite soft and competent on immigration) the very authoritative Prime minister sitting now at 10 Downing street can enforce an immediate blockade of the Channel and other international sea lanes that can affect the global strategic interests of Great Britain: None of those dirty and poor immigrants will set foot on Anglian soil. See ? Now you are safe, dear Farquel. And alone.
+1
agree with and admire this comment. Anyone with the guts to stand against the hurricane of neo-liberal derision that invariably ensues from jarring sensitivities to say the right thing deserves to know they are not alone. GB - we your commonwealth friends are pained to witness yet another radical Islamic terror attack, or foiled plot for that matter, seemingly every two weeks in your country which we love; and apparently every time met not with the right measures of policy or courage or resolve required of effective politicians and leaders, but instead with indifference and acceptance, and an ever more articulate vocabulary of words to express sympathy toward loss, and/or condemnation of mass murder.. The English language, eloquent and beautiful as it is, surely must be running out of words to use on this by now. Meanwhile persists the flux of migrants, which accept it or not Liberals and champions of human-rights, is the cause of the problem. We simply cannot expect countries to resettle and house entire failed states. You are right about Australia. There are necessary evils in this world - and we need to have the guts to accept them. At least BREXIT was a start; the EU may have failed but England shall not. No, out of Europe you are not alone.
agree with and admire this comment. Anyone with the guts to stand against the hurricane of neo-liberal derision that invariably ensues from jarring sensitivities to say the right thing deserves to know they are not alone. GB - we your commonwealth friends are pained to witness yet another radical Islamic terror attack, or foiled plot for that matter, seemingly every two weeks in your country which we love; and apparently every time met not with the right measures of policy or courage or resolve required of effective politicians and leaders, but instead with indifference and acceptance, and an ever more articulate vocabulary of words to express sympathy toward loss, and/or condemnation of mass murder.. The English language, eloquent and beautiful as it is, surely must be running out of words to use on this by now. Meanwhile persists the flux of migrants, which accept it or not Liberals and champions of human-rights, is the cause of the problem. We simply cannot expect countries to resettle and house entire failed states. You are right about Australia. There are necessary evils in this world - and we need to have the guts to accept them. At least BREXIT was a start; the EU may have failed but England shall not. No, out of Europe you are not alone.
What Angela Merkel has caused in Europe is beyond repair. Welcoming all these Middle Easterns, Africans, and Afghanis shows leadership strictly based on German guilt feelings and opening the doors to transform all of Europe into a lost cause. Germany, for more than 100 years now, constantly intends to run the show resulting in nothing but negatives.
62
This utterly nonsense. Neither has Merkel welcomed them, and never did, nor do the refugees turn europe into a lost cause.
The reasons for the surge of refugees in the late 2015 have been diverse, but mainly the very bad conditions for nearly 2.5 million syrians in turkey (no access to work, schools and healthcare). Merkel rightly dismissed the dublin-3 accord, after realizing, that greece can not handle the refugees alone. This had been an european imperative, sharing the burden, relieving the pressure. And it is a sad thing that only germany and sweden had the guts to step in.
And look at the countries, who took in most of the refugees (sweden and germany), both are doing fine, actually we take blame for being so strong (export excess, not enough spending for military, austerity, budget surplus).
In fact it's the populists that fight migration, who are doing the biggest harm to their own nation.
But this is not a pro-pledge for illegal migration. I just want to control it. We have proven more resilient than we believed ourself, but i don't want another stress test. That's why we have to know how to close the doors for good.
The reasons for the surge of refugees in the late 2015 have been diverse, but mainly the very bad conditions for nearly 2.5 million syrians in turkey (no access to work, schools and healthcare). Merkel rightly dismissed the dublin-3 accord, after realizing, that greece can not handle the refugees alone. This had been an european imperative, sharing the burden, relieving the pressure. And it is a sad thing that only germany and sweden had the guts to step in.
And look at the countries, who took in most of the refugees (sweden and germany), both are doing fine, actually we take blame for being so strong (export excess, not enough spending for military, austerity, budget surplus).
In fact it's the populists that fight migration, who are doing the biggest harm to their own nation.
But this is not a pro-pledge for illegal migration. I just want to control it. We have proven more resilient than we believed ourself, but i don't want another stress test. That's why we have to know how to close the doors for good.
Thank you Obama & Hillary Clinton for destroying the Libyan state. Thank you NATO countries for listening & following a misguided U.S. foreign policy.
30
Rescuers should deposit the refugees on the African side of the Mediterranean. They should be fined 10,000 euros for every refugee collected closer to Africa than Europe who is brought to Europe. Europe should create a new Court of Migration to enforce this, and give it, not the Court of Human Rights, jurisdiction of all migration-related matters. Any country in Africa or the Middle East that refuses to take back its own migrating citizens after they have been found to not be refugees should be denied all trade and aid by the EU, and cut off from all dealings with EU-based and EU-funded counterparties.
50
Guess what the migrants and refugees do first when they climb such a dinghy. They throw their passports into the Mediterranean so that there is no way to know for European authorities, where they started their journey. It usually takes months to find out and some more months, until their home nations accept that these migrants are their citizens. These nations can do that because the methods have quite a large error so that the migrant can have lived on both sides of a border. And especially in Western Africa, there small countries like Gambia, which has (one of) the highest ratio of migrant per population. --- What will be the consequence of cutting all governmental funding? It might cause the opposite effect - even more citizens starting to migrate to Europe, especially cutting off all trade because it gives people a salary to live from.
10
Thank you very much for this overview. There is no real solution for this crisis that would be compatible with what we used to call 'humanity'. Not rescueing anyone - a often suggested 'solution' - is simply not compatible with what our western societies stand for - but we have come far to just ignore the deaths of thousands of desperate humans and continue to enjoy our summer vacations at mediterranean beaches without even thinking for a second about the tragedies that are happening just a few miles south. I see it as a symbol for our time: we do not care as long as it does not hit our backyards. A sad development.
3
What are you talking about? We already have 10 to 20 million illegals.
22
Are you aware that there are no realistic chances to immigrate from the countries these people are originating from? Beyond that: I think there is a humanitarian and a political problem with all these migrations that are happening right now. You can not cite your political opinion or beliefs to judge over the lives of humans who are seeking your help. It is NO option to let them just drown. We are always quick with dismissing these migrants as just longing for "free rides" in our countries. Do you know that? Are there any statistics proving it? The difference between the societies in northern Africa and Europe are staggering and i am sure that i would be on one of these boats if i would have been born there - because there is no legal alternative. One way to control it would be to create reasonable immigration quotas and see where that would lead.
1
It stands to reason that the quality of vessels which will be used by smugglers and migrants shall be inversely proportional to the expected length of the voyage. That is almost mathematical. Only the egg heads policy makers of the EU can fail to see that.
The NGOs involvement is particularly detrimental because in their eagerness to rescue as many people as possible, they push closer and closer to the shores of Libya. Among NGOs, it is like a mindless competition.
NGOs and the EU are in an irresponsible race to encourage more and more hazardous travel.
In my last trip to Italy in 2014, I could see the African presence in Italy, notably in large urban centers the north and center of the peninsula. In the historic quarters of Florence they were particularly aggressive; they hustled and harassed tourists.
The NGOs involvement is particularly detrimental because in their eagerness to rescue as many people as possible, they push closer and closer to the shores of Libya. Among NGOs, it is like a mindless competition.
NGOs and the EU are in an irresponsible race to encourage more and more hazardous travel.
In my last trip to Italy in 2014, I could see the African presence in Italy, notably in large urban centers the north and center of the peninsula. In the historic quarters of Florence they were particularly aggressive; they hustled and harassed tourists.
49
Exactly. The rescues effectively subsidize the trip across the Mediterranean. And you usually get more of what you subsidize.
8
I've only been to Italy once, briefly overnight in the mid-seventies. I was hoping to go again to see Italy and appreciate the historical and cultural aspects of the country, but it is probably too late.
4
Oh for heaven's sake, it is not too late. It is a gorgeous country.
If the European countries would stop the boats as the Australians have done there wouldn't be a migrant crisis.
85
This would be the prudent thing to do. It would certainly interrupt the practice of the "Schleppers".
But for some reason Europe has taken it on itself to accept everyone in this world who wants to live there.
But for some reason Europe has taken it on itself to accept everyone in this world who wants to live there.
25
It is a really dumb decision,based on a lingering guilt from world war II. They have more than redeemed themselves already. They should cultivate their own garden before there is nothing to cultivate.
28
We even take in Americans, too, though they're not quite at the top of our desirables list, Ann. I'm afraid that we don't think of highly of Americans as you/they do, as a cold, blunt reality, and to be fair, equally, our American friends seem to think less and less of us by the day, but that's also fine by us too.
Thanks to the NY Times for this well-researched overview over this dreadful situation.
13
To those who say "but Libya won't take them". Libya allowed them to enter their country, so Libya already took them. And if the migrants are picked up in Libyan waters, then technically, they never left.