After
World War I, when millions of European civilians were made refugees,
forced out of their homelands by enemy occupation or deportation, an
international regime was developed to coordinate effective responses and
ease the suffering of those who had been uprooted.
A century later,
another refugee crisis is underway, and this time, it is Europe that has
the power to provide safe haven to desperate people. Yet it has not
risen to the occasion, with many of its responses failing to match the
urgency of the situation.
In just the first few months of 2015, more than 38,000 people have
attempted to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean from North
Africa. Some 1,800 people have died as a result – more than twice the
number of such deaths in all of 2013.
Disappointingly,
many Europeans have responded to this humanitarian crisis, which
closely resembles the one that Europe endured a century ago, by opposing
their countries’ acceptance of any more refugees. How quickly we forget
our past.
Worse, some Europeans want us
to forget. Today’s sentiment has been fueled by populist parties
positioning themselves as guardians of national identity. Europe, they
argue, faces a mass influx that threatens to place even greater strain
on its economies, labor markets, and cultures. One does not have to look
back a century to see how dangerous the consequences of such rhetoric
can be.
But
the populists’ narrative is not just inflammatory; it is false.
Although it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the drivers of
displacement, data from the United Nations refugee agency show
that at least half of those trying to reach Europe from North Africa
are fleeing from war and persecution. The International Organization for
Migration, together with Italy’s navy, has determined that this year’s
migrants hail mainly from Eritrea, Gambia, Nigeria, Somalia, and Syria ‒
countries where conditions entitle their citizens to request asylum.
Read more: Europe’s Refugee Amnesia
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