Thread by @bctallis

I support this #Schengen 'tourist' #visaban for Russians🇷🇺.

There are good arguments for & against - & neither option is perfect - but deciding between imperfect options is often the essence of politics.

After much careful consideration here's why I support the visa ban🧵
1/

https://twitter.com/kajakallas/status/1556903576726896642

I've worked on borders, visa, migration & mobility issues for the #EU & done a lot of research, policy advice & public engagement work on those topics
- notably in the context of their connections to geopolitics & 🇪🇺 foreign & security policy.
2/
link.springer.com/article/10.105…

I've esp worked on this re #Ukraine & its relations with the #EU since 2004 - that's what my book (out '23) is about. I'm well aware of how these issues affect belonging (e.g. for 🇺🇦s in Europe), approximation (to EU standards & practices)- & the spread of EU order & values
3/

I've written extensively about these things - especially about the positive, transformative power that being more open & encouraging people-to-people contact can have -
ip-quarterly.com/en/integrating…
/4

& how the #EU's been at its best when boldest & most open to people who want to integrate with it - like in #Ukraine 🇺🇦 - as that unleashes its true transformative power
5/

foreignpolicy.com/2022/04/07/ukr…

& I've been strongly critical of the #EU for maintaining it's lose-lose visa regime with #Ukraine up to 2017 (& was happy to be tangentially involved in the process of visa liberalisation).
-all that's to say that I very much get the issues & costs involved-so why a #visaban? /6

As @kajakallas rightly points out, visiting the #EU is a privilege, not a right, & it is one that we have been very generous with when it comes to Russians over the years -they have consistently been the largest group of visa recipients (e.g 1/4 of total Schengen visas in '21) /7

Yet there is no evidence that all of these visits, this exposure to EU citizens practices, standards & values (however uneven) have had any positive, transformative effect on #Russia.
In fact, things have been getting worse.
/8

Obviously there are many reasons for that, but visas & travel so don't seem to be helping.
This leaves us in the laughable (if it wasn't so sad) situation whereby we are granting one of our greatest privileges (not available to so many ppl around the world) to Russians who /9

seem to be laughing in our faces. Rubbing our noses in the fact that they can afford to travel (& shop) while not having to worry about things like democracy, freedom & human rights. In fact, many of their compatriots have been working in the cracks in our own systems /10

to undermine those values & standards in #EU states. As @MattLightCrim has pointed out - this makes us look weak & gives the impression we're not fully committed to #Ukraine as we still want Russians' cash from tourism. Yes, that looks like a cost .../11

https://twitter.com/MattLightCrim/status/1557270461909815296?s=20&t=D-KzIGc6ow1WyCwnYqTkoA

But, like imposing sanctions, bearing it for the right reason makes us look stronger, not weaker.
Like military & humanitarian aid to #Ukraine it's actually an investment - in a 🇺🇦 victory, but also in the resilience & vibrancy of our own democracies.
We fight 🇷🇺 together
/12

As @KaroliinaAinge argues in a super 🧵on this topic, not acting - allowing the majority in #Russia who support their country's war on #Ukraine to continue to enjoy this privilege - is unacceptable. This echoes the argument made by @MarinSanna /13

https://twitter.com/KaroliinaAinge/status/1557260476224081920?s=20&t=80PHkD6hig5h9o4D8q3iFQ

This won't hinder our transformative power in #Russia because we don't have any, at least not through this channel, as long as Russians continue to support #Putin & overlook the barbarity of his regime (the cost/ benefit constellation of which they mostly appear to want).
/14

For exposure (via travel and P2P contact) to lead to progressive approximation, there has to be desire for change
- not enough Russians have that for this to be a justification to keep issuing visas.

In fact, withdrawing this privilege is one the things /15

We CAN meaningfully do to show 'ordinary' Russians that they too must bear the costs of their (repeatedly) chosen leader's brutality. This is about sticks, not carrots, now.After too long of playing nice its time to increase the squeeze on the dictator & his everyday enablers /16

As @chris_pyak & others have rightly argued it does not become those of us not living under direct threat of persecution to demand overt resistance from those who do face such threats.
But nor can we sit by & allow silence or even content to bolster Putin's aggressive empire /17

This means that🇷🇺s who don't support Putin may leave #Russia.

➡️That's why its essential we keep channels of emigration (not tourism) open.

It won't be possible for everyone, nor is it fair (one of the imperfections), but its a lot less unfair than what 🇺🇦s are facing
/18

Which has been imposed on them by the Putin regime which is supported or at least enabled by the tacit consent of ordinary Russians.

Losing tourism privileges is a relatively small removal of privilege in this context.
- it also shows the choice to be made

/19

EU states should work with Russian civil society in their countries to counter and destabilise the Putin regime (as Russia has been doing to us for years) and should clamp down hard on espionage on & intimidation of dissidents (& anyone else) by RU security services /20

In terms of geopolitics, this would indicate that the #EU is willing to stand up to the bully (more needs to be done as well, but this would be a step in the right direction).
It would also give a bargaining chip to be used as a reward for any future progressive reform in 🇷🇺
/21

It may seem that the EU us betraying its liberal principles in clamping down on migration - but anyone who has followed its record in this field in recent years knows there are no such principles.
We should focus on liberalising mobility for people from countries around /22

the world who are not actively attacking us, slaughtering Ukrainians (or anyone else) & who want to work for a more liberal, more progressive regional & global order.

We need to stop confusing liberal processes with liberal outcomes -and focus firmly & clearly on the latter /23

The liberal outcomes we should be aiming for in this regard are
- a Ukrainian victory
- a more secure & free Europe (incl. Ukraine)
- change in #Russia

all of these are, on balance, served by a #visaban as called for by @kajakallas & @MarinSanna
We need to get on the front /24

foot & make problems for Putin. MT & LT a #Schengen #visaban will be a problem because it will hurt Russians -& they WILL know why (or that they shd find out - & if they want to they can).
It will help undermine Putin & will show our resolve in suport of #Ukraine. /END