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Edited by Mrph1 on Jan 9th 2024 at 3:24:05 PM
He does have a point though. The West as a whole has really not done enough to help refugees. Especially the USA und UK (yes I know pointing fingers is cheap) refused to take in a meaningful number of refugees, and other countries were thus encouraged to do the same. Merkel's decision to open the border might have been the morally right thing to do, but she and Germany are paying the price. It is now possible (although not likely) that she'll not be able to stand for a fourth term, and Germany is on the refugee issue isolated in Europe like it was never before 1945.
http://www.thelocal.de/20160901/refugee-influx-leaves-mama-merkel-isolated-in-eu
The question is: Is Germany the only sane actor in Europe or the one that got it wrong. Given our track reckord when we went solo in Europe I hope it is the former, but assuming this could also be a bit arrogant.
edited 2nd Sep '16 3:36:09 PM by Zarastro
A procrastination in of itself
Finger pointing isn't cheap when you're simply identifying guilty parties.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Well, the US is on track to take in 10,000 by the end of the fiscal year, which may sound pathetic, but is something when you tkae the current government dysfunction into account. And it's certainly more than several countries in Europe at the moment.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Austria took in almost 100k last year and has pledged to accept 32k this year. If tiny (and neutral) Austria accepts several times more refugees, I'd say the American numbers are pathetic. The USA has done a great job of integrating Muslims and is the economic most powerful country in the world (and bears heavy responsibility for the state the ME is in) so I would say demanding that they do more is justified. That they refuse to do so for domestic reasons is the same excuse the other countries have.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jun/10/austria-refugees-migration-crisis-eu
Homicidal Editor
To be honest, if the first thing that these economic migrants do is lying to enter Europe, I think it's reasonable why most if not all Europeans don't have a favorable opinion on them. Besides, how can one know whether those economic migrants do it because they want to skip the standard process or because they know that they won't be accepted if they use the standard process. Heck, they can even be radicals or criminals. Of course, that isn't an absolute fact, but the possibility that it might be true is enough to fuel the rhetoric of the right-wingers. And once again, that is bad and wrong.
Only an experienced editor who has a name possesses the ability to truly understand my work - What 90% of writers I'm in charge of said.
Yes but Austria's government isn't currently in limbo with a legislature that wants to take zero and a president who wants to take several tens of thousands more.
And Austria and Germany still don't make up for Poland, the Baltics, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia....
Fair enough. Although Poland has at least the excuse that they are accomodating refugees from the Ukraine.
Speaking of Poland, there is more trouble heading from the East.
The law in the night
If you consider the geographical limitations, most of the refugees will end up in Europe, as it has a relatively small sea and land connections connecting the afflicted areas. It is the same reason why you don't see many Central America and Latin Americans fleeing to Europe instead of moving to the US. You'd have to fly them there opposed to just cross some borders.
Also, you might as well include Russia on the mix, they effectively blocked the US, UK and France from doing anything directly in Syria, forcing them to use proxies against Assad and they only started to be able to heavily intervene was due to ISIL growing out of hand and leaking out of Syria into Iraq.
Libya still a mess since the civil war still going on but compared to the tug-of-war Syria is, it is fairly more stable, meanwhile Syria will need a large scale reconstruction effort similar to what was done to Serbia during the 90's, but good luck having the US, UK, France and Russia to agree with anything to pull that out.
Inter arma enim silent leges
At least as far as France and the UK are concerned - but also to a lesser extent the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Belgium - the "resources" the country has now directly comes from the ones they pillaged somewhere else during the colonial era. There is a reason France and the UK are still reasonably influential in International politics despite both representing only 1% of the world population and having puny territories.
edited 3rd Sep '16 5:56:07 AM by Julep
V
...and just so you know — German anti-immigrant party beats Merkel in her home district
In a stinging defeat for Merkel in her home district that could weaken her chances of a fourth term in next year's federal elections, the upstart AfD took 21.9 percent of the vote behind the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) in their first election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by campaigning hard against the chancellor's policies on refugees, according to a projection by ARD TV at 1.15 p.m. ET.
"This isn't pretty for us," said Michael Grosse-Broemer, one of Merkel's top deputies in parliament in Berlin in a ZDF TV interview. "Those who voted for the AfD were sending a message of protest."
Merkel's approval rating has plunged to a five-year low of 45 percent, down from 67 percent a year ago, due to spreading disenchantment with her open-door policies on refugees.
According to a Der Spiegel magazine report, Merkel wanted to announce her intention of running for a fourth term this year but put that on hold due to resistance from her Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union. The arch-conservative CSU has demanded that Merkel put limits on the numbers of refugees.
"This was a dark day for Merkel," Thomas Jaeger, a political scientist at Cologne University, told Reuters. "Everyone knows that she lost this election. Her district in parliament is there, she campaigned there, and refugees are her issue."
The election took place exactly a year after Merkel's decision to open Germany's borders to hundreds of thousands of refugees and the discontent in the state was palpable.
"This is a slap in the face for Merkel — not only in Berlin but also in her home state," said Frauke Petry, co-leader of the AfD. "The voters made a clear statement against Merkel's disastrous immigration policies. This put her in her place."
The Left Party won 12.7 percent, down from 18.4 percent five years ago, while the Greens won 4.9 percent, down from 8.7 percent, and fell out of the assembly. The far-right NPD was also knocked out of the state legislature, falling below the 5 percent threshold for the first time since 2006.
Despite losing support, the SPD (26 seats) and the CDU (16) won enough seats to be able to continue their coalition in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with the AfD as the second-largest bloc in the 71-seat state assembly with 18 seats. The SPD, which could also form a coalition with the Left Party, said it was leaving its options open.
Voters already punished Merkel in three state elections in March, voting in droves for the AfD and rejecting Merkel's Christian Democrats.
Founded in 2013, the AfD now has won seats in nine of the 16 state assemblies across the country. However, it has no chance of governing in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since the other parties have said they would not form a coalition with the party.
The AfD is also making gains nationwide, a new poll showed on Sunday. If the national election were held next week, the AfD would win 12 percent of the vote, making it the third-largest party in Germany, according to a poll conducted by the Emnid institute for the Bild newspaper and published on Sunday.
Merkel had made a last-minute campaign appearance on Saturday in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, warning against the politics of "angst" offered by AfD with its virulent anti-refugee stance.
Canada is bigger than the US, but have less sway in politics than France and the UK...
V
Canada is bigger in land area, but smaller in population then either France or the UK.
edited 4th Sep '16 1:35:59 PM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling On
Like Australia.
Swiss blink first in EU standoff with striking similarities to UK predicament
With talks between Bern and the EU commission due to resume on 19 September, Swiss ministers have welcomed a parliamentary panel’s plan to give preference to local people in job hires rather than impose unilateral quotas on foreigners.
edited 7th Sep '16 5:37:15 AM by TerminusEst
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Looks like Luxembourg thinks Hungary should be kicked out of the EU.
A procrastination in of itself
Might need to kick Poland out alongside Hungary.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
And Poland being delivered into Russia's hands like what happened at the end of World War II?
Isn't anti-Russian sentiment running at a near all time high in Poland? Because they blame them for that plane crash (that was totally an accident)?
Russia or not, the EU should put its collective foot down and let Poland, Hungary and any other wannabe dictatorships out there know that the EU is a liberal democracies' only club.
edited 13th Sep '16 8:44:33 AM by Rationalinsanity
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
We should kick Hungary out and stop giving structural funds to Poland.
Frankly I find the behaviour of both countries government disgusting and hypocritical. Pi S claims to adhere to Christian values yet refuses to help people in need. Hundred thousands of Hungarians have found refugee 60 years ago in other countries, yet they treat refugees as animals. No one says they should act like Germany, but if you want to be part of the European community, you should show some decency.
A procrastination in of itself
They'd still be in NATO so the Russians wouldn't do anything, plus they couldn't, Russia can't even control Ukraine, what makes people think it could reach as far west as Poland?
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Poland is not a lost cause yet, there is still political opposition left to Pi S. In Hungary however, you know things are dire if the only alternative to Orban is Jobbik.
V
@ Rationalinsanity:
That presumably includes the UK as well? 
Although, more seriously what other EU members would you could as "wannabe dictatorships"? Italy? Austria? Greece?
edited 13th Sep '16 8:50:00 AM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling On
A procrastination in of itself
How are the Baltics at the moment? As for the UK, a Hungarian or Polish expulsion could provide cover for the UK goverment to try and reverse the referendum result.
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
Pretty sure that the UK, Austria, Italy and Greece meet the liberal democracy threshold. Though the latter two have huge corruption problems (and Greece is Greece). If Brexit fails to happen/is delayed and the worst/possibly unrealistic fears surrounding May and her positions on human rights come true, maybe you could throw the UK in as a potential problem child on that front.
The Baltics have some issues with their Russian minorities, and all of Eastern Europe is dropping the ball of on the current crisis. And its easier to name countries that don't have Roma issues. But these on their own doesn't make them non-liberal democracies.
edited 13th Sep '16 9:02:03 AM by Rationalinsanity
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
@VincentQuil: how is that any different from wanting to distribute resources to your countrymen first, before giving them to foreigners (ie economic migrants)?
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground