Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Viktor Orban, Nigel Farage and myriad other populist, right-wing leaders sprouting over much of the Western World, are being tagged by the political ruling class as an ill-conceived, hate-fest phenomenon; and often portrayed as the mutant offspring of fascism. Such interpretation, however, might be only serving as ear plugs against the loud, real voices of people who fear a real threat to their economic wellbeing or their cultural identity.
This mischaracterization could end up being the undoing of the now-ruling political class, not just in some European nations but also in the US. And, when there is no trip switch to prevent emotional blindness as fear holds hands with anger, an egomaniac such as Trump could easily become the hopeful savior to many, instead of the predatory con man his deeds point him to be.
Nowadays, perhaps dating back a generation or longer, we have come to redefine the very meaning of the term refugee. Where in the past refugees were assumed to be fleeing turmoil – war, political oppression, religious persecution, or even some major natural disaster – in most cases restricted to a locale, region or nation; such clarity is no longer evident. To a great extent, today’s refugees are either refugees-of-convenience, solely seeking a better economic life; or hybrid-refugees, where economics plays a major role, if parasitic to turmoil, in their decision to flee their native lands.
The present refugee situation in Europe, accentuated by the reality of terrorism, brings to the surface the undercurrents of the immigrant-refugee problem which has been simmering for two generations, and has now reached the boiling point. In general, we could say that Europe has had mixed success Europeanizing a flood of immigrants, almost exclusively Muslim, with deep-rooted cultural and spiritual traditions. [Muslims in Europe represent 6 percent of the population versus 1 percent in the US.]
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