US Imperial Wars Responsible for refugee Crisis

 

     

US Imperial Wars Responsible for Refugee Crisis by Stephen Lendman Human floods undertake hazardous journeys to new countries - seeking safe havens away from war-torn countries, desperate to get there and begin new lives.  Bipartisan US imperial policies bear full responsibility - endless wars of aggression, devastating targeted countries, displacing tens of millions. Complicit NATO partners and rogue Arab states share guilt. As long as conflicts continue, human floods of desperate people will follow, internally or externally displaced, enduring enormous hardships, getting pathetically little aid when most needed. Washington’s response to its culpability for the greatest refugee crisis since WW II is largely dismissive - ignoring its responsibility to help desperate people, paying lip service in addressing it with token amounts of aid, disgracefully little for emergency conditions, needing a large-scale Marshall Plan-type response, America, Canada and European countries contributing proportionately. Fortress Britain wants none of it - partnering in America’s wars, dismissive of aftermath horrors, granting safe haven to less than 1% of human floods arriving in Europe daily. Prison awaits others getting in. Razor wire greets desperate people in Calais, France, barbed wire fences in Hungary and other countries, borders increasingly closed, dismissive of an overwhelming human tragedy - the direct result of US-led imperial wars. UN aid agencies have inadequate resources to cope - overwhelmed by millions in need they’re increasingly unable to help. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said displaced people in conflict theaters increased fourfold since 2010 - from 11,000 daily to 42,000 in 2014, larger numbers in 2015. He explained “a dramatic increase in need, from shelter to water and sanitation, food, medical assistance and education” with inadequate resources to cope. Budgets can’t keep up with exponentially growing needs, he stressed. “Our income in 2015 will be around 10% less than in 2014…(W)e are financially broke…(W)e are failing the basic needs of (desperate) people.” “The situation is beyond irreparable. If you look at the number of children who will see their lives so dramatically impacted by malnutrition and lack of psychosocial support, you will see this is already happening.” UNHCR needs around $20 billion this year to provide vitally needed aid. Its operating budget has only an inadequate one-third of this amount. Emergency Wednesday night refugee crisis talks in Brussels  produced disgraceful results. No common European aid policy was achieved. European Council president Donald Tusk warned “(t)he greatest tide of refugees and migrants is yet to come.” Exponentially increasing numbers are overwhelmingly refugees and asylum seekers, not economic migrants as some European officials claim, dismissive of human beings in need, their countries doing little or nothing to help. Multi-billions of dollars and euros are needed to provide desperately needed aid, amounts required growing exponentially as human floods increase.  In response, European leaders meeting in Brussels agreed on providing a woefully inadequate one billion euros, a small fraction of what’s needed. They intend tougher border controls, hoping draconian measures will discourage refugees from coming - at the same time agreeing to accept a woefully inadequate 120,000 apportioned under a quota system, most economically well-off Western ones accepting the largest numbers, Eastern ones agreeing to token amounts. Prior to Wednesday night’s meeting, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Latvia rejected compulsory quotas, calling them illegal, saying they’ll take their case to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.  On Wednesday, Poland agreed to accept Brussels’ quota system conditionally. So did Latvia. Four of 28 EU nations rejected it - Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania. EU nations accepting refugees will do so on a voluntary, not mandatory, basis - each able to decide which ones to take or reject, leaving things dysfunctional out-of-control, millions of desperate people left in limbo. Floods heading to Europe daily are increasingly unwanted. Around 11 million displaced Syrians alone need help, along with tens of millions of Afghans, Iraqis, Libyans, Yemenis, Palestinians, Ukrainians and others. The vast majority are imperial war victims. Millions want refuge in Europe, far from war theaters. Millions more will follow if conflicts continue. They show no signs of ending.  The greatest human flood to Europe has yet to come - greeted increasingly with hostile responses, America and European partners failing to address the disaster they caused, creating greater horrors for desperate people in need. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.  His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.  Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.  Steve Lendman