Thread by @daniel_howden

THREAD: What happens next on Lesbos after the notorious Moria camp burns to the ground?

It will be rebuilt. Despite its chaotic aspect, Moria was the product of political calculations in Brussels & EUR capitals. Their calculus hasn't changed. It's fireproof

Moria was the emblem of an EU deterrence policy in which the warehousing of asylum seekers in humiliating circumstances was THE point. Any other approach is seen as creating a "pull factor". This base assumption is impervious to evidence.

When EU-Turkey deal collapsed in Feb what was strategic response? Remake same deal on marginally diff terms (hasn't worked). Now, with 12k people homeless on Lesbos & Covid already arrived, the end of Moria will mean the rebirth of Moria w/marginal changes

Lesbos is part of a European system of warehousing & deterring desperate people, with Moria as centrepiece. It creates a fearful spectacle which is then used to justify the notion that we (EUR) are full & they are dangerous. That there's no other choice

This isn't about money, never was. The financial response to 2015 sea arrivals in Greece was unprecedented. This investigation from me & @balkanizator explains how all that money resulted in such appalling conditions
newsdeeply.com/refugees/artic…

@Balkanizator Fretting over what caused the fire is total red herring. Pointless to debate why the matchbox caught fire. Camp conditions meant regular, sometimes deadly fires were inevitable. See this on recent one theguardian.com/world/2019/oct…

For a fuller history of the camp, its underlying logic & dynamics read: 'Moria: Anti-shelter and the Spectacle of Deterrence' chapter in Rethinking Refugee Shelter berghahnbooks.com/title/Scott-Sm…

Worth following for news & analysis as the fallout continues & spectacle cranks up: @g_christides @matinastevis @barbamou @katymfallon @refocusmedialab