Golden Dawn party demonstration (Greece, 2012)



   

         Guard patrolling Hungarian border fence built to keep Syrian refugees out of Hungary


Whenever I think that the woes in Canada and the US are verging on overwhelming, I consider the news from other parts of the world - where things are just as crazy. 

Tomorrow, there will be a referendum in Hungary on whether to accept the European Union's policies on immigration. Accepting EU immigration quotas, for Hungary, is going to mean letting a lot more Syrian and Iraqi immigrants into its territory. However, the other choice is to reject the EU's quotas and wait to see what the EU parliament will do about it. The polls are predicting 75% of Hungarian voters are going to vote for telling the EU that Hungary simply won't do it. Syria is not their problem.  

The EU may very well decide at that point to kick Hungary out. As things stand, it is a net receiver of transfer payments anyway. Many in the wealthier countries may say: "Leave and good riddance." But the noises in the media in the rest of Europe do not sound pleased about either outcome. 

People in many other parts of the world can't figure out what is going on in such a scenario. Why would the French, the Scandinavians, the Dutch, and especially the Germans be willing to subject themselves to so much stress - pressuring Hungary to take in more immigrants and taking in immigrants themselves - when it would be so much easier to reject all who do not speak the host country's language and usually also have no other major assets going for them (e.g. advanced job skills). 

In my view, there are a lot of reasons, but two are primary. 

In the first place, immigrants are good for the economy of the country that takes them in. Poles, Irish, Italians, East Indians, Chinese, Japanese ...all of these as immigrants came into Canada, and into the US. They turned out to be hard workers and responsible citizens. Yes, there were a few criminals in their ranks, but in general these people did not weigh the nation down. They buoyed it up. They worked hard, saved fanatically, sent their kids to schools and universities, started businesses, introduced new foods, music, dance, art, and ...the benefits go on and on. 

Immigration is good for a country. The studies on the subject are beyond dispute.  

But in the second place, like there are good consequences to a policy that welcomes immigrants so there are bad consequences to shutting them out. 

No nations in the world know this better than the Europeans. Nationalism that rejects outsiders is just a part of a way of thinking that in all of its policies is either going gradually more and more in the direction of tolerance and pluralism or else more and more in the direction of jingoism, bigotry, xenophobia, and hatred. The giant principle being embedded in those giant policies is really very simple. It is the answer to this question: Do you love your fellow humans or don't you?  

The Europeans know these things. They have seen and suffered through the consequences of the xenophobic option, and they don't want to go there again. If one of the prices that must be paid to neutralize the threats that lead to war is the acceptance of immigrants, then so be it. 

Admittedly, this is not all Europeans. Every country in the EU contains people who don't want any more "outsiders". But the general trend in Europe is toward recognizing that a country must build one of two futures over the long haul of generations and centuries: the downward, easy path that leads to war or the upward, hard path that leads to peace and prosperity. 

I always imagine a metaphor when I think about statecraft. A millwright talks to me about installing and maintaining a large, complex system of machines in a giant factory. Lubricate. Calibrate. Monitor. Clean. Test. Repair. Replace. Etc. 

And after he has explained it all, he states his bottom line: "You can pay me now, or you can pay me ten times as much later. The choice is up to you." 

The Hungarians are going to discover over the next year or two that belonging to the EU and having access to its advantages comes with a price tag attached. Parts of that price include protection of workers and the environment. Another item on the invoice is a friendly policy toward immigrants. 

Peace requires vision. What liar ever told you otherwise? Find that fool and kick his ass.   

But in the shadow of the mushroom cloud, nevertheless friends, have a good day. 

   

                                                 Pro-immigration in Germany (January, 2016)