Western Wars is Fuelling Europe's Migrant Crisis
As right wing politicians and their believers scream about the rising migrant problem across Europe, they continue to ignore the root cause of the problem happily blaming the victims instead.
Headlines scream about migrant boats, city centres looking more like a third world country, violent crimes increasing, and the escalating "crisis" on Europe's borders. Right Wing Politicians across the continent clamour for stricter controls, tighter borders, and more forceful deterrents. Yet, amidst all of these so-called deterrents to the migrant problem, a crucial truth is often buried, ignored, or deliberately obscured - the root of this humanitarian crisis is fuelled by the very foreign policy undertaken by the West.
If the people clamouring for a lasting cure to the migrant problem actually wanted to solve it rather than paying lip service to it to win votes or blame them for their own failures, they must demand a radical shift in the government’s actions – specifically, an end to the resource-driven wars in the Middle East that only enrich arms manufacturers and the politicians themselves at the expense of human lives and regional stability.
War, Displacement, and Profit
The relationship between war, displacement, and profit is not a conspiracy theory; it is an undeniable reality. Look at the primary source countries of the largest refugee flows into Europe over the past decade - Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya. What do these nations have in common? They are all countries where Western powers have, directly intervened militarily, with the stated aim of toppling dictators, promoting democracy, and fighting terrorism. However, beneath these noble crusades lies a more cynical truth - the strategic importance of these regions, particularly their vast oil and gas reserves, which has long driven Western political interests in the area for decades.
Consider the aftermath of these conflicts. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, utterly destabilised the country because of lies about Saddam Hussein not only having WMDs but also being a supporter of Al Qaeda. The country’s state apparatus was dismantled overnight unleashing sectarian violence that had been brewing for years, creating the perfect conditions for the rise of ISIS. The civil war in Syria, fuelled by interventions from Turkey, Russia, the USA, France and the UK, displaced millions, turning a once-vibrant nation into a landscape of rubble and despair. Libya, following NATO intervention in 2011, plunged into a hellscape, a vacuum of chaos that became a hub for human trafficking and a gateway for desperate people looking for passage to Europe.
These wars, whether full-scale invasions or covert support for various factions, have a devastating human cost. Homes are destroyed, livelihoods obliterated, and societies torn apart. When faced with the choice between staying in a war-torn land where their children face death, starvation, torture, and even forced conscription - embarking on a perilous journey across continents, millions choose the latter. They are not coming to Europe for a holiday; they are fleeing for their lives.
And who benefits from this ceaseless cycle of conflict? It’s not the migrants. The answer lies in the burgeoning profits of the global arms industry and the politicians who start the wars. As bombs fall and cities burn, the demand for weaponry skyrockets. Major Western arms manufacturers, many of whom have close ties to government officials and former military personnel, sign multi-billion pound contracts to supply the instruments of war. Tanks, fighter jets, missiles, surveillance equipment – each piece of hardware represents a payout for shareholders and a bonus for company directors. The very governments that lament the so-called invasion of migrants are simultaneously approving arms sales to regions they have helped destabilise, creating a grotesque loop where conflict breeds profit, which in turn fuels further conflict and displacement.
The Illusion of Control
The current political malcontent in Western Europe, fixated on border security and deterrence, is the same as treating the symptoms of a severe illness while ignoring the actual disease. Building higher walls, deploying more patrol boats, and striking deals with African regimes to transport migrants might offer a temporary sense of control, but they do nothing to address why they are leaving their homes in the first place.
This is not only inhumane, which leads to countless deaths in the Mediterranean and the Channel, but it also helps the creation of human smuggling gangs, but it is also ultimately pointless. As long as the root causes persist – war, persecution, economic collapse – people will continue to seek refuge. The desperation is simply too intense.
Demanding True Solutions
If people in the West genuinely desire a real and lasting cure to the migrant problem, the solution is clear - demand that their governments fundamentally rethink their foreign policy towards the Middle East. In fact, stop interfering in the region altogether.
End Military Interventions: Commit to non-intervention and genuine diplomatic solutions, rather than military might, in regions rich in resources. Shift away from the belief that Western powers have a right to dictate the political landscapes of other nations.
Combat the Arms Trade: Implement strict regulations and ban on arms sales to conflict zones and regimes with poor human rights records. This would require dismantling the powerful lobbying efforts of arms manufacturers and prioritising human life over corporate profit.
Investing in Peace and Development: Shift resources from military spending and intervention to long-term development, humanitarian aid, and genuine peace-building initiatives in these affected regions. Empower local communities, rebuild infrastructure, and foster stability, allowing people to thrive in their homelands.
Promote Transition from Fossil Fuels: Accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources, reducing the political demand to control Middle Eastern oil and gas reserves. This would alter the true reasons for Western intervention.
None of this is easy and I doubt very much if any of them will even care to tackle the root causes. It requires them facing uncomfortable truths about their past actions and challenging powerful arms manufacturers looking out for their own vested interests. It also demands a complete change in national priorities from political dominance and resource control in the Middle East to actually caring for human life and the stability of the world. The money they plow into the arms industry and into wars could help fund a tougher but more righteous war - that against poverty at home and abroad.
The alternative is a continued cycle of conflict, displacement, and the burden of lives lost at sea or trapped in desperate circumstances. All the while right wing politicians and their cronies blame the migrants for their own country’s failings.
The people of the West face a clear choice - continue to white wash over a self-inflicted crisis hoping that someone else will deal with it, or demand that governments address the problem at its source. The true cure to the migrant problem lies not in turning away those seeking safety, but in turning away from the wars that force them to flee in the first place.