The Spiral of Migration
The history of migration is the history of humanity. It has been proven that around 1190 BC the Phoenicians came to Canaan and gave this land the name Palestine. It has been proven that in 587 BC 95% of Jews were taken from Palestine into slavery by the Babylonians, and in 538 BC they were freed by the Persian king Cyrus and returned. And it has been proven that the peoples of modern Europe wander back and forth just as they did thousands of years ago. According to legend, Rome was founded by the Trojan refugee Aeneas.
The Celts came to Italy, the Balkans, northern Spain and Portugal. The Goths, Gepids and Vandals settled in southern Rus' and the Carpathians. Historians call this wave of migration the "Great Migration of Peoples," although the term itself is quite controversial. The fact is that it comes from the Latin migratio gentium, and the Latin term gens does not mean "people" at all, but "warriors"—that is, in essence, the armed forces of a people. The concept of "migration of peoples" was first used in the 20th century by Nazi historians from Germany, for their own purposes: above all, to prove the superiority of the Germanic tribes. Therefore, today this concept is used mainly to describe, above all, the migration of the Germans in the 4th century: the Huns invaded Rus', the Ostrogoths conquered Ugria (Hungary) and divided Italy with the Visigoths, who added France and Spain to their list of possessions; the Franks conquered France somewhat later. In 568, the Lombards invaded northern Italy—thus Lombardy appeared.
The Vikings crossed the seas for trade. When they saw how rich the cities of Western Europe were and how easy they were to reach via the numerous rivers, they returned—this time to plunder. Then they tired of sailing back and forth and stayed in Europe—so that plundering would be more convenient. On the other side of the Mediterranean, after the death of the prophet Muhammad, the Arabs were torn from their homes. They conquered Palestine and North Africa. The Berber people, also called Moors, migrated almost in full force to Spain in 711. They were expelled from Europe only in 1492, after the fall of Granada. Along with them, 160 thousand Jews were expelled. In the same year, the Portuguese converso Christopher Columbus set out to find a short route to India and discovered America.
The migration of peoples received a new impetus—60 million Europeans immigrated to the New World voluntarily. Local inhabitants died by the millions—from new diseases, from cannons and muskets. Since the Spaniards, Portuguese and English, who had now become Americans (not yet in the sense of state affiliation, but only in the sense of place of residence), needed labor to replace the extinct Indians, they deported millions of slaves from Africa—this was the first mass forced deportation in modern history, and the first since the enslavement of the Jews by the Babylonians. A terrible whirlpool of people and destinies that is reflected on the descendants of descendants.
The Century of Refugees
Historians have given the 20th century, among other names, the name "century of refugees." Political refugees have always existed: the French nobles who fled the revolution gave the world the little word "émigré." However, with the establishment of nation-states in the 19th century, divisions and hatred took on a new quality. "Wrong" faith, "wrong" ideology, "wrong" nationality—whoever is "not one of us" must flee wherever his eyes lead—if he makes it, of course. The century of ethnic cleansing had begun.
The Ottomans exterminated more than a million Armenians. After the First World War, the Greeks were forced to leave Anatolia, fleeing from the Young Turks of Kemal Mustafa Pasha, nicknamed Atatürk—"Father of the Turks" (by the way, he was not Turkish at all, but a veritable Kurd). The Turks, for their part, fled Greece as fast as they could. More than a million people fled Russia from the Bolsheviks. A hundred and fifty years ago, Europeans fled the Old Continent: from Ireland, Italy, Germany—above all, to America.
In 1921, the League of Nations appointed the first commissioner for refugees in history: it was the great explorer, Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen. His task was to return 500,000 prisoners of war home. Millions of refugees from Russia, Bulgaria, and Armenia were to be distributed among the countries of Europe. With the beginning of the thirties, the world economic crisis broke out, and one state after another began to close their borders.
In Évian on Lake Geneva in 1938, representatives of 32 countries gathered to decide what to do with the Jews fleeing Hitler. The decision they reached was: do nothing at all. "These Jews worsen the overall economic situation," declared representatives of European states, and the most caustic aphorism on this subject belongs to the Swiss: "The lifeboat is full." The first refugee camps were invented by the French: Jews who had escaped from the clutches of the Nazis ended up here, only to be branded as "German accomplices" when the war began and to die of hunger and disease behind barbed wire in an internment camp. The most famous of them was the great writer Lion Feuchtwanger. After 1945, 40 million refugees roamed Europe, abandoned to the mercy of fate; 14 million Germans were expelled from the countries of Eastern Europe.
Migrant or Refugee?
Mauritania, the port city of Nouadhibou, the so-called "bidonville"—a slum district built entirely of corrugated iron, torn tarpaulins, and plastic beer barrels. Those who are wealthier live in tents, those who are poorer live in a ditch under a drainpipe. In the port, 400 wooden barques rock on the waves—ancient, dilapidated structures that are called "cayucos" here—from 60 to 80 people can be squeezed into each of these troughs. There is no one to stop them—local police complain about a shortage of fast boats, helicopters, even simple communication devices. And, of course, there is a shortage of desire to stop anyone at all—but no one complains about that.
Refugees are to cross 1,200 kilometers by sea – through storm and gale, because that way there is a greater chance that they will not be detected by patrol boats of La Guardia Costal – the Spanish coast guard. 1,200 kilometers to the Canary Islands – the new Promised Land, where white people bask on beaches and turn red, or even brown, where cheerful vacationers sit in seaside cafes and look at the sea – from where countless cayucos keep sailing and sailing. Every day. There are calm days when 700 black refugees reach the shores of Tenerife, and there are stormy ones – when hundreds of them go to the bottom. Since the beginning of 2006, more than 3 thousand unfortunates have drowned, and 11 thousand lucky ones have reached Spanish shores. What awaits them on this side?
They are those whom Europe fears, from whom it has been defending itself since the early 90s – this wave of the "great seepage of peoples" that rushes toward the Old Continent – in trucks and buses, on foot and on inflatable boats – they strive to get here because they believe: they have the right to do so. Just as refugees from crisis regions of Asia have the right, who by fair means or foul strive to reach Australia. Just as Mexicans have the right, penetrating into the USA – hiding from border guards, dying at the hands of smugglers. Just as Eastern Europeans and residents of former USSR countries have the right, trying to get into the European Union. Just like refugees from 24 "hot spots" around the world who simply want to get out of there – no matter where to. To where they don’t shoot. Some seek a better life, others – the opportunity to simply survive. Some dream of wealth, others – of plenty of clean water and a piece of bread. Some dream of sending their children to a normal school where they won’t be taught to put on “suicide belts” and blow themselves up for the glory of another rais, others – just a place where there are no earthquakes and tsunamis. All of them have the right to escape to something better – they are people, it is human nature.
In 2005, there were 191 million migrants worldwide. That is 3% of the population of our little globe, and this is frightening statistics, because in 1970 there were only 82 million, and at the beginning of the 21st century – 175 million. Almost half of migrants – 48.6% – are women. 64.1 million migrants live in Europe – that is 8.8% of the population of European countries. The USA accepts the most migrants – 20% (38.4 million), in second place is Europe, with Germany leading here (according to UN estimates, 5.2% or 10.1 million people). According to the 1951 UN Convention, a refugee is considered a person who, “owing to a well-founded fear of persecution on racial, national, religious or social grounds, or because of political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality.” And if people flee from terror, from religious fanatics – not belonging to state structures, but simply burning villages for no reason and killing “infidels” or “enemies of the people” left and right – are they considered? Maybe yes, maybe no – depending on how the political leadership of a particular “prosperous” country treats so-called “non-state persecution.” And also on the economic interests and political alliances of various groups. And if someone flees from poverty, epidemics, droughts? They are not counted.
Thus, emigrants nowadays are officially divided into first and second class: a “refugee” is one who cannot return to his country; a “migrant” is one who can. Theoretically. Among the 191 million emigrants in the world, 9.2 million fall under the first definition. They are supposed to be taken care of – international law requires this. Migrants leave voluntarily, so they receive the honorable right to take care of themselves with their own hands. For a long time Europe used an unwritten rule: “Whoever reached us stays with us.” Now those times are gone.
In 1985, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands signed the Schengen Agreement, which today almost all European countries have joined. Internal borders disappeared, but external ones began to strengthen, like new, modern Great Walls. Today, the migration legislation of these countries is constantly being revised toward tightening – in European diplomatic lexicon this is called “harmonization.” Its result was a sharp decline in asylum applications: if we take, say, Germany, then in 1994 there were 127,937 such applications, and in 2005 – 28,914 – 77% less. 30 years ago, half of applicants received a positive answer, today every hundredth hears “yes.” Among Africans – every thousandth.
However, this does not mean at all that migration is declining: those for whom the legal path is closed choose the illegal one. This is also human – everyone dreams of a better life. And the gap between rich and poor is also growing: 50 years ago, the average resident of a rich country earned 50 times more than the average resident of the poorest state. Today he earns 130 times more. Naturally, this attracts. Naturally, this causes envy and hostility. This is a consequence of globalization: the Third World today knows how the “golden billion” lives. And, of course, it does not intend to consider this inequality a natural, God-given state. Why is Europe rich and inaccessible, while Africa is poor and must, until its, and quite imminent, death, be their homeland and place of residence?
“What use is your khotama?”
Europe fears these people. Europe is convinced that they only bring harm. Is that so? Unrecognized, unintegrated – of course. In that case, migrants are of no use: they cost taxpayers a pile of money and bring in no revenue because they do not pay taxes themselves. But why should it be that way? Why should these people live on the edge? Why are they hated and despised? To be tolerant, one must be prosperous and educated. In a country where the population seeks explanations for their difficulties and does not find them – at least rational ones – the notion takes hold that outsiders are to blame for everything, that they get what is not rightfully theirs. What rightfully belongs to us – whites. Who arm themselves against them – blacks. And then Gypsies turn into drug dealers, 'persons of Caucasian nationality' into murderers, Jews into swindlers, Poles into thieves, Blacks into idlers, Chinese into strikebreakers, Russians into conquerors... The list can go on forever, and each country has its own.
And, of course, the authorities' treatment of migrants has much in common with the official slang used in this regard. If they are called 'illegals,' they are automatically regarded as criminals, even if they had no legal way at all to enter a given country. If 'economic refugees' are spoken of, then the motives that drive many migrants to cross the sea at the risk of their lives and make their way through quite unfriendly countries are ridiculed – as if all of them left their homeland lightheartedly, chasing after 'a fat piece.' Someone, perhaps, did exactly that. There are many people who invent 'persecution' at home only to then wave it under the nose of an official at the relevant ministry in Europe or the US. However, no fewer, if not more, migrants want to work and are able to work. And they do work – as the experience of Cyprus and Ireland shows, where migrants are treated very well: they do not covet social benefits because such benefits are not provided to anyone. They work and support themselves on their own. And they also pay taxes.
UNESCO statistics, which are collected annually around the world and which will never become acceptable evidence for any of the militant champions of 'racial purity,' 'protection of native culture,' and other inventions masking Nazism, say: 50% of migrants in the world work and support themselves. They bring billions to the treasury of the state in which they live in the form of taxes. In Europe from 1990 to 2000, migrants were the ones who ensured population growth – without them, the number of Europeans would have been declining by 4.4 million people every five years, not to mention their aging.
In addition, migrants take on another burden – helping relatives who remain in their homeland, and thus helping 'countries of origin.' In 2004, in this way they sent $150 billion through banks – three times more than the total amount of state aid from all 'prosperous' countries combined. And another $300 billion reached the world's poor countries by other means – also from migrants.
So, frankly speaking, if the champions of the 'outsiders are to blame' thesis ever succeeded, they would be surprised to discover that both they themselves and their countries had lost a great deal. And who knows – perhaps then they themselves would have to go 'abroad' in search of a better lot.
Boris ALTNER.
IA Rosbalt