Tom Friedman writes an interesting column on what is behind the migration -- and immigration -- crisis around the world:
In the early 21st century, climate-driven extreme weather — floods, droughts, record-setting heat and cold — on top of man-made deforestation began to hammer many countries, especially their small-scale farmers. Developing-world populations exploded thanks to improved health care. Africa went from 140 million people in 1900 to one billion in 2010 to a projected 2.5 billion by 2050. The same surge happened in Central America, in countries like Guatemala.
Meanwhile, the smartphone enabled citizens to easily compare their living standards with Paris or Phoenix — and find a human trafficker app to take them there. Also, China joined the W.T.O., gobbling up low-wage industries, and the end of the Cold War meant no superpower wanted to touch your country, because all it would win was a bill.
This is creating wide zones of “disorder” — and the biggest geopolitical trend in the world is all the people trying to get out of zones of disorder into the world of order. And that is what’s creating all the populist, nationalist, anti-immigrant backlashes in the world of order — particularly in America and Europe.
And, in the United States, we're witnessing a replay to Norman Jewison's hilarious take on American hysteria in The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. Donald Trump is playing the role Paul Ford played. Ford was the local leader of the VFW, who kept poking people with his sword.
If we could only laugh at this foolishness.
6 comments:
"...the end of the Cold War meant no superpower wanted to touch your country, because all it would win was a bill." What the hell has "the Moustache of Understanding" been smoking? The US has no hesitancy at all in touching other countries and has by my count been involved in 18 international conflicts since the end of the Cold War. In fact, the country's economy is structured around permanent war and the opportunities for government subsidy of the private sector this brings!
Cap
It was all about getting others to pick up the tab Cap. Remember, Mexico was supposed to pay for the wall.
Friedman's remarks are so banal it makes me question where he's been the past 15 to 20 years. He imagines there is some "world of order" when that's less evident than he imagines. Every nation is going to be visited with some degree of chaos as climate change progresses and that certainly includes America's coastal states (sea level rise), the broad range of the American south - drought and water insecurity, particularly in the southwest, and sea level rise and increasingly severe storm events through the southeast, and the devastating loss of groundwater in the "breadbasket" states that share the depleted Ogallala aquifer. In contrast to most Third World countries, America's intensive and sophisticated economy leaves it less resilient to disruption. Then again we all can resort to whistling past the graveyard at difficult moments.
We increasigly have difficulty dealing with root causes, Mound. If we could recognize those causes, we could begin to make the radical -- as I remember, the two words come from the same place -- changes we need to make.
Better health care has resulted in fewer deaths and more people. However, there are more people because there is an extreme lack of birth control. Many religious organizations didn't want birth control as part of the health care system. Some first world countries would not fund health care unless birth control and abortions were kept out of health care. Now the chickens have come home to roost, in more ways then one. Those unwanted and unplanned pregnancy results want into the countries that at one time these countries insisted be born. In my life time the world's population has more than doubled. if there were fewer people it might be a start.
then there is the no small problem of imperialism by the U.S.A. and any number of other countries. they went in, took what they wanted and then left. They did nothing when the corporations from their countries made corrupt deals with corrupt governments because these first world countries wanted the profits and the materials. now those who live in these countries don't want to stay in the messes the first world countries created. had first world countries taken the long view, some of these second and third world countries wouldn't be the mess they are to day.
The international monetary fund didn't help either. Remember back in the 1970s, 80s, they would force countries to sell their water systems to some European conglomerate to pay off their debts. As a result the people could not afford the water and it all went down hill from there. One African country was forced to sell its fishing rights. Result, starvation. the local fishermen could no longer go out and fish or the areas they could fish were fished out.
People from Iraq want out. If the U.S.A. hadn't gotten rid of Saddam Hussein, things would not be pleasant, but it wouldn't be the mess it is today. Had the Americans had a "chat" with Saddam Hussein back when he gassed the Kurds the first time, things may not have gotten so out of hand. But the west wanted the oil, so they didn't care and the same goes for other oil producing countries. the west let things go because they wanted the oil.
Central America is a war zone. How did it get that way. Hello come on down U.S.A. they interfered where they should not have.
We in the first world created this problem and now we will have to live with it or we can fix it. Doubtful if that will happen. the only country they're interested in now is Venezuela and not because its having problems, but because they all want the oil. That includes Europe also because if they have to abandon Saudi Arabia for political reasons at some point, they need oil from somewhere else.
it wasn't as if world leaders didn't know what was going on in Syria, they just didn't deal with it because the President had married a nice british woman and all would be o.k. Well even with good manners, he was still a killer. they let it go, people revolted and then when the west stood back, the ISIS fighters came in, the Syrians left and a nice war where Russia was able to flex some muscle. About all the west did at the beginning was Harrod's refused to sell anything to Bashar al-Assad's wife.
there is no will to deal with the environmental issues, especially in the U.S.A. when you have some of these Christian nut bars nothing will change. Canada wasn't much better during the Harper years. He belonged to a religion which preached the end of days was imminent and the bible was inerrant. Now how can a government which leader believes that deal with climate change, effectively. How can you get people to change their ways when they believe god won't let it happen or they will go to heave for something better.
The billionaire class isn't that interested, because they know they can purchase the last bit of dry land and drinkable water, when the end comes near.
You've covered all the bases, e.a.f. Taken all together, it adds up to inertia.
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