10 September 2015

The Crux of the Refugee Crisis

I mentioned this in a previous post but it's worth repeating. While there's no doubt the refugee crisis has in part been spurred on by the rise of Islamic Radicalism, one must step back and see the forest through the trees. The real cause is the total undoing of the Middle Eastern world.


Some blame certainly lies at the feet of Barack Obama. His guilt is probably the most pronounced in Syria. George Bush certainly bears a great deal of guilt for the destruction of Iraq and for launching the misnamed War on Terror. But in reality these policies and the consequent wars extend back to the end of the Cold War and the aggressive and expansionist policy shift embraced by the United States.
You cannot destroy whole societies as in Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Libya and elsewhere and not expect it to breed death and monsters. The murderers who comprise ISIS are guilty but they would not 'be' if the US had not waged a generational war against the people of the Middle East and much of Africa.
But considering the rise of the Khmer Rouge has been distorted and misunderstood it is no surprise we find the same today. It is truly lamentable to see these realities manipulated and exploited by the Establishment. And the suffering is tragic.

But the notion that ISIS and people smugglers are alone to blame is to ignore the elephant in the room.