Syriana Analysis
I think we can all agree that the current chaotic events in France are violent riots, regardless of how the country slipped into chaos and all the justifications for and against the rioters’ acts.
Nevertheless, there is something which always catches my attention after every security event in Europe and that is how polarized the discussion gets as one part puts all the blame on the migrants and refugees and the other side insists unlimited migration has nothing to do with the instability, warning instead of the rise of the far-right groups.
As a Syrian living in Germany, I’m sick and tired of being used as a punch ball for political scores from both sides. The left says refugees are welcome and the right says they want to expel them all.
How about addressing the root causes of the influx of refugees in Europe, which was infiltrated by Islamists and radicals who would never integrate into Western societies?
Let us check the timeline of the significant waves of refugees to Europe in the past decade.
In 2011, the foolish leaders of Europe led a coalition of NATO states against Libya, bombed the country to ashes, supported the Islamists to fight against Gaddafi and eventually, they murdered the leader of the North African country who warned Europe ten days before the NATO invasion in March 2011, that Libya plays an important role in the security of the Mediterranean and that if he removed by the NATO-backed Islamsits, millions will march from Africa to France and Italy.
But the media told us Gaddafi is bluffing and he is insane for stating the obvious. Now, tell me, who was correct and who was foolish?
The same thing happened in the Middle East. After destroying Iraq and killing Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi, the criminal cabal in Washington, London and in some European countries came after Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and they triggered a proxy war which created an unprecedented refugee crisis; five million refugees and seven million internally displaced people.
There are millions more waiting for the right opportunity to escape to Europe too.
What drives me crazy is that Western politicians either do not learn from their mistakes or they simply don’t care.
These experiences have shown that interventionist and hawkish policies do not benefit anyone and instead of joining the efforts of China and Russia in stabilizing the region, the US and the EU are increasingly imposing more illegal sanctions on the Syrian people and pushing them below the poverty line and desperation.
So, who is creating the migration and refugee crisis here?
To the Western left, I say: instead of helping the refugee after they arrive in your country, help them stay in their home countries by simply not destroying their livelihoods and investing in stability and job opportunities.
And to the Western right, I say: instead of blaming the refugees for all your problems, understand that nobody wants to leave everything behind and risk his life to arrive in Europe unless the conditions that your politicians created in their countries are unbearable.
Personally, I haven’t heard of any Syrian refugees in Europe before the US-led regime change against Damascus in 2011, have you?
Kevork Almassian is an award-winning political commentator from Syria. He is the founder of Syriana Analysis and is known for his contribution to the literature on the Syrian war.
