Turkey, who has been chomping at the bit to join the European Union for over a decade, struck a new deal on Sunday: they will take in Syrian refugees in exchange for three billion euros, loosened visa restrictions throughout Europe and “renewed talks” on joining the EU.
So many thoughts in this reporter’s mind!
On one hand, refugees need somewhere to go. Obviously. But combining refugees with words and phrases like “deals” and “in exchange for money” sets off serious mental alarms. Those three billion euros are for the refugees, says the EU. It’s to better their living circumstances, to help them. Fine. But what happens when you give a nation with a terrible human rights record billions of euros and a disadvantaged, weakened group of people where the only incentive to really take on that group of people lies in that nation becoming more powerful in ways that don’t directly benefit the disadvantaged people? Am I making sense here? It’s like handing Miss Hannigan 100 million dollars and 300,000 more orphans, and telling her she can keep the money and receive police backup if she but sees to the orphans’ care. I’m willing to bet Miss Hannigan ain’t planning to build sturdy apartments with that dough. In fact I’d be less than shocked if she found ways to somehow thin the goddamned orphan population through rampant viral spread.
“Oops!” That’s what I hear. “We just don’t know why so many refugees died! They were just so ill already from being refugees. Guess we’ll have to find another use for those billions of euros.”
That’s right. I’m insinuating that Turkey ain’t gonna do jack shit for the refugees except the bare fucking minimum. Moreover, Turkey may even find a way to cause the refugees further harm. Then they’ll have the dough, Turkish citizens will get visa-free travel in most of Europe and Turkey will cozy into the EU like smallpox on blankets. We’ve seen groups of disadvantaged people no one wants – we’ve seen this before. Please show me a group like this which has flourished under the reign of another, powerful nation.
And for the record, this reporter doesn’t use the phrase “disadvantaged people no one wants” in a lighthearted fashion. That is merely the echo of most of the free world’s collective response to the refugees’ situation – and it’s sickening. From “they might be terrorists!” to “what refugees?” (okay, maybe no one has said this) we have all declared that it isn’t our problem – or – maybe, there’s just so many needy people we simply don’t know what to do. Some places in the U.S., for instance, have begun taking in refugees but have been met with resistance. And let’s not forget the reason the EU struck this deal with Turkey in the first place: to keep refugees out of Europe.
So on the other hand, maybe the Turkey deal is brilliant, because they just need somewhere, anywhere, to go, and I am a great big cynic. Insert eyebrow raise.
As to the details of the visa deal, the idea is that many Turks will be able to travel visa free to Europe’s Schengen zone (22 of the 28 EU countries participate in this visa-free travel zone; 26 European countries in total) within the year. The Turkish end of this bargain includes tightening eastern borders to Asian migrants and reducing migrant departures to Europe.
At the time of this writing, Turkey has rounded up 1,300 refugees and was sailing to hideouts around Greece to apprehend more. Having a place, at least, is supposed to provide stability. According to the United Nations Human Rights Council, 300,000 people have attempted to cross the Mediterranean route into Europe (usually by way of Greece), seeking safety. Thousands have already died in the attempt.
About the money, though: let’s keep our eyes on that 3 billion euros.
“This three billion euros is to be spent for refugees in Turkey, it’s not for Turkey,” says Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.
Fine. Then who is overseeing its usage? What independent, third party will be verifying this? We’ll see the Turkish-landed refugees in something better than communal tents, then, right? Sooner as opposed to later, right? Then perhaps, they will be absorbed into Turkey’s population and part of an EU country and we’ll all get along pretty well and Russia won’t throw any interfering temper tantrums.
What hopes we have for humanity! It remains to be seen what actions the PKK will take in all this …
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