Thread by @Filomen03258997

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The West helped create the conditions that force Iraqis, Iranians and Syrians to cross the Channel

Military & economic warfare now go hand in hand – it no longer makes sense to distinguish between economic migrants and political refugees.
inews.co.uk/opinion/west-h…

Many of the current wave of migrants reaching the Channel come from four countries – Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria – that have seen ferocious military conflicts and still suffer from their consequences.

It is correct to say that the West played a significant role in bringing war to these countries and cannot escape responsibility for the disasters that followed.

Military and economic warfare now go together so it no longer makes sense to distinguish between economic migrants and political refugees fleeing military action.

Both are refugees driven from their homes by different types of warfare. Yet there is little appreciation in the West that if you wreck the economy of a country, many of its inhabitants may end up on your doorstep or die trying to reach it.

Economic warfare in the Middle East works particularly well for Washington, because the millions it displaces head for Europe and not the US. The Europeans never seem to have taken this on board.

What can be done to stop or reverse this exodus? The link between economic sanctions and forced migration should be recognised for what it is. Embargoes should be seen as one of the cruellest weapons of war, one that targets civilians and turns them into refugees.