How many freedoms will we give away this time, will wire fences go up between every European Country, will we fall back into the false safe haven of nationalism? Europe just seventy five years ago was divided and violent place. The European dream of unity slowly stabilized a continent and brought prosperity and liberty, walls came down, now we seem to be intent on rebuilding them.
Suspicion of the other brought us hundreds of wars, the holocaust, the Berlin Wall and the horrors of the Balkans as totalitarian communism faded into the history books. There was a Europe that every time a slight was made a war resulted and and millions upon millions died. Many fled the carnage and repression to the US. This was the Europe of fear, distrust and division. After the last major conflagration we said “never again” and a dream was born of a United Europe.
This dream is under threat from the voices of division and fear, those nationalist parties wanting to seal themselves off from the other, even from other Europeans. There are voices for quick and bloody vengeance, for more war and bloodshed, just as long as it is not happening where we live who cares about the lives of the “other” when we ourselves are threatened.
We allow our liberties to be taken in the name of security, fascist voices once reviled are listened to once again, just keep us safe. Racism is on the rise tied to religious differences, we can blame with impunity whole groups of people based on the actions of the so very few. We can console ourselves as we surrender the liberty of others with, it’s for our national security and the extreme right will lap it up, whilst ramping up the fear further. How long before someone comes up with the bright idea of arm bands with the star and crescent to identify those we hate and fear?
We can justify refusing to help refugees of brutal violence and even consider sending them back into the bloodbath by the simple mantra of “national security”. We can deny others succor through our own fear. Some governments are now using the actions of a few violent individuals to condemn millions and turn away those fleeing the violence of many, justifying inhumanity with inhumanity.
This was the stated objective a a small band of terrorists right from the start, we will bring down your world and give you ours. A world of fear and loathing, a world of distrust, a world we can thrive in. We will get you to crush your own dreams.
Our response was one of bombs and war, the sale of more and more weapons in the name of security. The hundreds of thousand killed are a rallying call for hatred around the world. Our leaders talk of swift and just vengeance and so do theirs. We ask why do many return to fight us after we gave them succor, this many being a mere handful in reality. Our swift and just vengeance has been going on fifteen years with no end in sight, each atrocity justified by another in return. The wells of hatred are full to the brim, each vicious action demands a reprisal, to hell with reason.
Once we have eradicated ISIL what next? Will none be radicalized by our militaristic reprisal? Will our fear then turn inwards, will discrimination and exclusion increase further? Will we try forced deportation? What regime change in the Middle East will be next? Will we be content if Assad remains, what if he fails, will we support the next one? Will we just keep on repeating our long history in the Middle East, one of supporting some of the most brutal regimes on the planet, then toppling them when they eventually displease us?
If only everyone could be like us?
Really?
Like who exactly?
What next?
More death, division and fear?