Hey, fellow citizens, about those Syrian refugees -- our European friends have worse hassles!

[devifemme]

I've been talking to one of my favorite LJ people, Anna, the Czech linguist, about recent political difficulties in her country. She worries particularly that the flood of refugees into Europe has stoked national passions in unfortunate ways, provoking both the far right (including neo-Nazis) and leftist apologists (actually nostalgic for Communism

Comments

[bichoose]

I find it strange that Syrians are flocking to Europe...i seem to remember not so long ago they were sending tanks and rockets against Israel.....burning..American...British flags in town squares and chanting what ever before the camera....why have they not walked into Saudi Arabia... Yemen..Egypt Libya...Algeria...Morocco...sadly the Paris bombings have put welcoming countries on hold perhaps that was the intention of the bombers...i have not heard one good word for the word refugee since....People here are now asking for the vote to pull us out of Europe now...its been growing for years but i think Paris has put the icing on the cake....

[devifemme]

We cannot isolate ourselves from threats, neither in the Middle East nor in Europe. Such cowardice complicated things before both World Wars; it couldn't protect us then -- nor can it do so now.

Do I need to point to al-Qaeda's awful attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11? What makes ANYBODY think Daesh won't soon come seeking American blood? Isolationism is simple wishful thinking.

Republican candidates are pandering to silly fears among their base. The inexperienced ones -- Donald, Carly and Ben -- have no excuse, but those like Jeb! and Marco who have some idea of governance TRULY disgrace themselves as they cower before the noise and fuss of the likes of Trump!

[matrixmann]

There's only one thing to say: One will see which one of both positions is going to shoot himself the bigger wound into the own legs. It will only take a few years.

[devifemme]

"Both positions" -- meaning the left and the right? Or the Neo-Nazis and the nostalgic Commies?

[matrixmann]

No - those positions: Either welcoming refugees unconditionally without asking who they are and if they are who they are - or the position of caution and first asking who they are before letting them in and if this cannot be cleared then keeping the fence closed.

[devifemme]

I would suggest that the U.S. admission procedures for refugees -- Syrians especially -- are already very tight. The Kafka-esque process for screening the several thousand admitted in recent months takes up to two years each.

Literally NO ONE argues for "welcoming refugees unconditionally"...

[ggary]

The problem is that the whole 'keep them out' reaction is a knee-jerk one, and by definition bypasses the brain. All of the murderers in the recent Paris atrocity were European nationals, not Syrian refugees, but saying that does not make for comfortable, easy remedies. It's much more comforting to think that you can lock the gates and keep the enemy out, than realise that the enemy is already here, and can't be recognised by their nationality. Obama is always put on the back foot by his opponents, because to explain this to the voters takes a lot of effort on behalf of both the explainer and the people being explained to. There are no easy answers, but most people don't really want to hear that particular song.

[devifemme]

But it's depressing that the world seems to have regressed -- badly -- in the past decade! The abject fear of The Other dominates politics in so many countries.