General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Europe Lets People Drown - The Automatic Earth [View all]moondust
(20,017 posts)Last edited Tue Apr 21, 2015, 01:25 PM - Edit history (1)
Convenient geographic accessibility and cheap transportation have allowed large numbers of migrants from the Near and Middle East and Africa to inundate the European continent, bringing with them all sorts of problems including terrorism. I think European countries have tried to accomodate them as best they can but the strains on infrastructure and social services must be overwhelming especially at a time when their economies are fairly anemic. It's not surprising that far-right nationalists are ascendant in Euro politics.
Do the Europeans or anybody else really owe anything to large numbers of migrants from anywhere who perhaps foolishly choose to risk their lives on the high seas? Why are they Europe's problem and not China's or Australia's? Just because their destination was Europe?
By all means the humane thing to do is for somebody to pull them out of the water but what to do after that?
The U.S. is fortunate to have a large ocean barrier on either side and a highly developed country to the north limiting access.