Examining Europe’s Refugee Crisis

Europe is currently facing an extreme influx of refugees unseen on the continent since World War II. In this year alone, over 300,000 refugees have arrived in Europe by sea, 234,770 of those via Grecian coastline. The crisis has raised myriad debates over issues of free movement and moral obligation to help these desperate people. Political scholars and humanitarian workers alike have denounced the European Union for doing not nearly enough to help these people, especially in cases like Hungary, where police have recently been turning away specifically Syrian refugees from transiting through the nation. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban targeted specific refugees by asserting that Hungary does not want anymore Muslims. In order to truly understand this crisis, we must look further into the theoretical aspects of the events that have been unfolding. This post will examine the crisis through a constructivist lens, focusing on issues of identity and social constructions concerning states’ responses to refugees.

When looking at the issue of refugees as a whole, we must first consider the important role that state borders play. Although borders can be created through physical means like rivers, mountain ranges, or even walls built by the state, they are still only possible through mutual recognition by other states because they are a human construction. In other words, they could not exist if we as human beings did not give them meaning. By extension, refugees themselves would not be labeled as such without the creation of borders, because they would not have issues accessing a border that did not exist. This creation of borders and states generally has also led to the development of identities within state borders and externally.

Political theorists that identify with the constructivist argument believe that we construct identities through our differences. In regards to the refugees in Europe, this could not be more applicable. Although the EU is made up of many different states and identities, foreigners attempting to seek asylum within Europe’s borders are seen as especially different. For example, last week Syrian refugees attempted to board trains at a Budapest train station in the hopes of transiting through to countries like Germany in Austria. Hungary denied them access, despite most refugees possessing train tickets already. The belief that states only exist upon shared understanding and mutual recognition shows why refugees are often seen as a threat. Although all they do is seek refuge from often war torn regions, their failure to recognize states’ borders makes them a threat to the social construction of the state. Furthermore, states like Hungary see Muslim refugees as an infringement on their state’s identity. Some have argued that Hungary is largely Xenophobic, possibly due to the nation’s history of Ottoman rule in the 16th and 17th centuries. This also upholds the constructivist argument that social norms and identities are often reproduced over time.

From Al-Jazeera website: A boy is wrapped in a blanket to serve as a reminder of the horrors these refugees faced in war-torn Syria and Afghanistan.

However, constructivist arguments of identity do not end at individual identities. According to political researcher Stefano Guzzini, it is essential that we understand foreign policy identities as well. We cannot understand the refugee crisis without recognizing things like Hungary’s perceived Xenophobia due to the nation’s history. On the other hand, countries like Germany who are accepting much larger numbers of refugees obviously have a much different foreign policy on refugees. These facts are essential to understanding why refugees are turned away by some, and embraced by others. While one can argue that this has to due with their individual identities, it also has a great deal to do with the foreign policy identities of both the countries they’re entering and the ones they’re fleeing.

Although refugees have been seeking asylum throughout Europe, the majority of them have been concentrated in Hungary and Greece. The police blocks and subsequent protests at the Budapest train station, along with explicit images of refugees washing up on beaches have led to international outcry and demand of action on part by the EU. Annette Groth, a member of the German parliament, called the crisis a “complete failure of human rights in Europe”. Germany is one of the few European nations contributing extensively to resolving the refugee crisis, showing that it is more than possible for other EU members to provide aid. The creation of the EU has led many political theorists, especially constructivists, to rethink the idea of anarchy in relation to international politics. While there is no overarching global government to direct states, organizations like the EU create a platform for international cooperation. And in situations like this one, cooperation is essential. Political theorist Alexander Wendt argues that anarchy may cultivate norms around self-help, but it could also create cultures of friendship and cooperation. In regards to the EU, it is imperative that each member state works together to provide aid and asylum to these refugees. Between 2008 and 2014, twenty-eight EU states have never resettled more than 7,400 people in one year, while the U.S. averages the resettlement of 60,000 per year. This statistic alone shows how little the EU is doing now, and how much it is capable of doing in the immediate future.

While it is easy to criticize countries like Hungary and Greece for inadequately handling the refugee crisis, it is important to understand that they are not only to blame. It is impossible for them to carry this burden alone. There are 28 nations within the EU and if they all open their borders to the desperate refugees, it will lessen the burden for them all. Analyzing the crisis through a constructivist view allows us to understand why these refugees are seen as such a threat to European states, and why said states have hesitations of letting them in. Social constructions of identity have limited our ability to see these refugees for what they really are: fellow human beings in desperate need of our help.

From businessinsider.com: Protesters gather outside Budapest train station as Hungarian police look on.

Related articles: 

• “Hungarian PM: We don’t want more Muslims”
•  “Refugees and Europe’s dilemma”
• “Police wall blocks refugees in Budapest for second day”