Refugee wars

19/3/2022

Turn on the TV and you will see heart-breaking scenes of streams of desperate people, frightened, shell-shocked and displaced by war, fleeing within Ukraine or escaping across crowded borders into neighbouring countries. It’s a tragic and all-too-familiar scene. Not that long ago, we witnessed similar images of dispossessed and traumatised people, at that time clinging together in crowded boats or walking on long roads, trying to reach safety away from the ravages of a brutal war in Syria.

It's tempting, in such circumstances, to compare and contrast. Why, for instance, is Poland throwing its doors wide open to Ukrainian refugees whereas it was decidedly reluctant to do so for Syrian refugees? Is this evidence of endemic racism? It is because Ukrainians are white, because they ‘look like us?’ – as more than one TV reporter asked this week. These are important questions... and they also risk pitching one set of refugees against another, as if competing for empathy and support.

I’ve had the personal privilege of working in the UK alongside asylum-seekers and refugees from countries as diverse as Afghanistan, China, Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Mali, Mexico, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Vietnam and Yemen. Up-close, every person is unique, has a name, and carries his or her own lived experience, his or her own individual story. Step back, and we can discern patterns shaped by e.g. culture, history, language, narrative and geopolitics.

In some significant respects, I believe European public discourse concerning the Ukrainian refugee situation is different to that in 2015. Geopolitical factors include: Ukraine borders directly with Europe, vs Syria lays at a geographical distance; Ukraine is perceived primarily as an invasion by a foreign power, vs Syria was viewed primarily as a civil war; Ukraine is perceived in simple terms as a ‘hero’ against a ‘villain’, vs Syria was perceived as a complex conflict between multiple ‘villains’.

Cultural factors include: Ukrainian refugees are perceived as culturally- and pro-European, vs asylum-seekers in 2015 who came from a diverse range of countries and cultures – often perceived as hostile to European liberal values and cultures; Ukrainian refugees are primarily women and children and, therefore, considered most-vulnerable and least-threatening, vs asylum-seekers in 2015 were perceived as primarily men and, therefore, considered least-vulnerable and most-threatening.

If we are willing to pause and reflect openly, honestly and critically, we can see that the stance we take reveals all kinds of underlying personal and cultural beliefs, values, assumptions and biases – including whom we consider worthy, or not, and why. The media plays a very powerful role since most of what we believe and think we know about asylum-seekers and refugees is mediated via media. The ‘news’ is a blend of info and drama, with an agenda. Let’s not fan the flames of a refugee war.

(For further reading in this area, see: Alexander Betts & Paul Collier, Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee System (2018))

34 Comments

Rob

19/3/2022 04:03:50 pm

There are other factors. There's a perception that those people arriving on boats will be a permanent burden on UK-European society, whereas Ukrainian women and children are perceived as ultimately wanting to return home to Ukraine.

There's also a perception that people on boats are attempting to enter illegally, without any form of identification or paperwork, whereas refugees from Ukraine are entering legally and by invitation. That's why Ukrainians are being welcomed in.

Voni

19/3/2022 04:33:55 pm

Ukraine is mainly Christian too meaning their outlook on life is similar to our own

Nick Wright

21/3/2022 01:17:29 pm

Hi Voni. Yes, it can feel easier to connect with, feel empathy towards and build relationships with people and groups whom we regard as similar to us.

In the New Testament, we see Jesus modelling and challenging his followers radically to reach out beyond the 'insiders' towards those perceived to be on the 'outside'.

Jesus himself had been exiled into Egypt, a foreign country, as a young child. We see resonances in the Old Testament too: https://sojo.net/22-bible-verses-welcoming-immigrants

19/3/2022 04:37:49 pm

Hi Rob. Yes, that illustrates well the power of media and narrative..!

19/3/2022 04:44:00 pm

Ukranian refugees are also not perceived as becoming a burden on the taxpayer because they are being housed in people's homes rather than in expensive hotels.

Europeans also often perceive themselves, including Ukranians, as hard-working whereas they don't perceive people from Africa or the Middle-East in the same light.

The latter are often perceived as economic migrants, coming to Europe for what they can get, rather than what they can give, and disguising themselves as 'refugees'.

19/3/2022 04:47:11 pm

Hi Rob. I think those are great examples of how cultural stereotyping influences how people feel towards people they perceive as different, the assumptions they make about them and the stance they take towards them.

Ruth Cook link

21/3/2022 05:46:12 pm

Thanks Nick, really thoughtful piece and helpful to me because of my internal anger about what I perceived as straightforward racism in the reporting and the response. You are right - there are many factors involved .

21/3/2022 08:29:15 pm

Thank you, Ruth. Yes, what we are seeing and hearing via the media can certainly trigger feelings around people and issues we already feel strongly concerned about. One of the disturbing consequences I see of the war in Ukraine is an (understandable) anti-Putin sentiment being projected (unfairly) onto all Russians. How quickly, as human beings, we seem able, psychologically and culturally, to separate ourselves from others and to demonise them. :(

David

19/3/2022 04:10:49 pm

Thanks for a moving, reflective, self-analytical piece!
When “might” writes the rules, “might” IS right (in its own eyes). The strongest case I can think of for “weak” leadership!
When I see the Putin’s (digitally enhanced) “Make Russia great again” rally and lies he spouts as truth, it’s so reminiscent of (US) Trump and (UK) Johnson, so these power crises are MUCH closer to home than we’d hope!

19/3/2022 06:02:36 pm

Thank you, David. Yes, when I listened to Putin's murderous-sounding 'self cleansing' speech this week, with his references to 'scum' and 'traitors' to describe those who oppose his war, I could only think of Stalinist purges in Russia's violent past. (It also reminded me of Macbeth..!)

It also made me wonder how many Russian dissidents will become displaced internally (e.g. in hiding) or escape to other countries as refugees. Against that backdrop, the peaceful protest actions of Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova this week were astonishingly courageous.

Monika Müller

19/3/2022 05:48:37 pm

Nick - you haven't mentioned that the so-called 'refugees' that came into Europe in 2015 brought their misogynistic cultures with them and sowed seeds of terror for women in European countries. For example: https://www.dw.com/en/new-years-eve-in-cologne-5-years-after-the-mass-assaults/a-56073007

We don't expect that kind of behaviour from Ukrainian women and children. That's why we are inviting them here.

19/3/2022 06:04:39 pm

Hi Monika. Yes, I can remember feeling physically sick as I watched those horrific news reports coming in. The behaviour of the men who perpetrated such heinous crimes was absolutely appalling - especially in a country that had done so much to welcome and support so many refugees.

I also remember, afterwards, seeing refugees interviewed who felt horrified and devastated by what had happened. I feel humbled and amazed by how the German people have sustained such a compassionate refugee stance after those events, not blaming the majority for the actions of a minority.

Kathrin Hoffmann

19/3/2022 06:23:09 pm

Hi Nick, basically sad that we compare people in difficult situations and the situations themselves and divide them into black and white, "bad" refugee vs "good" refugee or "bad" war vs "good" war. There are always people who seek their advantage in bad situations and act incomprehensibly to us. But the majority see leaving their country as a chance for a better future. It also depends on us and our attitude how and whether we give them this chance. Jesus would have done it.

22/3/2022 09:21:03 am

Hi Kathrin. Yes, my sense is that polarising (e.g. 'good' vs 'bad') is sometimes a way of simplifying complex realities that could, otherwise, feel too complicated, anxiety-provoking or overwhelming. On that theme, this short related piece may be of interest? https://www.nick-wright.com/polarities.html

The question of what Jesus would have done is an interesting, important and incredibly challenging one. Jesus showed compassion to representatives of a violent, oppressive occupying power: the enemies of the state (Mt 8v5-13) - and to corrupt, extorting officials who benefited from the occupation: the enemies of the people (Lk 19v1-10).

He also showed compassion to people who belonged to the 'wrong' religion: the cultural outsiders (Jn 4:1-30)- and to those who had chosen the 'wrong' lifestyle: the social outcasts (Lk 7v36-50). In doing so, he often had a transformational, positive impact in their lives; and, at the same time, incurred the hate of those who despised him for it.

I sometimes wonder...if I were alive at that time: how would I have felt as I saw what Jesus did, and would I have still been willing to follow him? I don't know...but I truly hope so.

Alex

19/3/2022 10:43:08 pm

Thanks Nick
Another thought provoking and challenging reflection. Our tendency to extend empathy to people like ‘us’ is well researched. And it raises uncomfortable questions.

Regarding the difference in Poland’s response to the Ukrainian refugees compared to the Syrians desperate to cross from Belarus earlier this year, I heard the same question being put to a Polish government minister this week by a Chanel 4 reporter. The reporter’s accusation was that Poland had suddenly become friendly when a few months ago they were shutting Syrians out. The minister’s response was swift and direct, saying Poland hasn’t changed at all but the circumstances are incomparable. His assertion was that the refugees at their border with Belarus a few months ago, had been transported there as pawns of Lukashenko’s regime with the primary purpose of destabilising Poland.
As ever, our interpretation of events deserves scrutiny, as does our mixed response to those seeking compassion.

19/3/2022 11:34:46 pm

Thank you, Alex. Yes, I think I saw the same interview on Channel 4. I was in Germany last year during the Belarus-EU border crisis, when people (predominantly from Iraq, I think) were perceived as being 'weaponised' by Belarus to put pressure on the EU at the Polish border.

Interestingly, I noticed a marked shift in the tone and content of news reports in Germany this time, in subtle yet marked contrast to those in 2015. Whereas in 2015 the overt emphasis was on the humanitarian crisis with geopolitics as a backdrop, this time it was the other way around.

Germany, like much of the EU, suffered a strong public and political backlash for how it handled the influx of people in 2015. Perhaps it treads more cautiously now. I agree: 'As ever, our interpretation of events deserves scrutiny, as does our mixed response to those seeking compassion.'

Margitta

20/3/2022 07:01:27 pm

Very good analysis of the refugee situation now and 7 years ago. We are closer to Ukraine than to Syria or Afghanistan. We consider Ukrainians as victims of Putin's aggressive war. And we are afraid that other East European states might be the next target of Russian geopolitical hunger.

25/3/2022 10:17:12 am

Thank you, Margitta. I always value and appreciate your perspective. You speak from the heart as well as the mind. My sense is that for some people who feel helpless in the face of such terrible images of suffering and injustice on TV, helping Ukrainian refugees can create a feeling of supporting the war effort in Ukraine - of doing some thing useful. It means the Ukrainian men can concentrate on repelling the Russian invasion, without having to worry as much about their families too. Let's pray that Putin doesn't cross more borders, and NATO red lines with it...

Steve Travis

20/3/2022 08:50:23 pm

Hi Nick. Like the blog.

20/3/2022 08:50:53 pm

Thank you, Steve!

David Head

21/3/2022 01:59:46 pm

Completely agree Nick.

21/3/2022 02:00:20 pm

Hi David - and thank you for your affirming feedback.

21/3/2022 03:17:43 pm

Pleasure Nick. It takes courage to point out the multi layered nature of these issues, so thanks for sharing.

21/3/2022 03:43:48 pm

Hi David. Yes, when emotions are running high, there's a risk that people create or grasp hold of simplistic or polarised narratives to explain complex phenomena. That makes me nervous, especially when such narratives guide stance and action.

Etienne Toussaint

21/3/2022 08:31:44 pm

Isn't it just that Ukrainians aren't known for coming over here as terrorists?

21/3/2022 09:00:15 pm

Hi Etienne. I think that's an interesting and complex question.

Yes, Western interventions in the wars in Syria and Iraq in 2015 were partly a fight against brutal Islamist movements such as Daesh and other similar extremist groups. It created a fear that such people could infiltrate European countries disguised as 'refugees' - a fear that was realised when the number of Islamist terrorist attacks in European countries increased starkly around that time.

This phenomenon raised all kinds of difficult questions, such as how we could know for sure which people claiming asylum were trustworthy; especially as there was rarely a way to verify their identity and story. Some European security services are raising similar questions now: what if Russia were to infiltrate European countries with people capable of terrorist attacks, disguised as Ukrainian refugees?

I believe these are legitimate and important questions for nation states to ask. As an unintended consequence, however, it can lead to a public perception that everyone applying for asylum should be treated with suspicion, as if a potential terrorist threat - unless they can prove otherwise. It ignores the statistical reality that, of the millions entering Europe, only a tiny percentage have proved unsafe.

In 2015, many of the people trying to enter Europe were feeling from exactly those same terrors in their own countries - on a far wider scale; just as the people of Ukraine are fleeing from Russian terror now. I hope we can bear the security risks in mind, yet keep them in perspective as we show compassion and support for the vast majority of people who are simply seeking safety and a better life.

Elisa Schneider

22/3/2022 09:49:40 am

Hallo Nick. Thank you for sharing such an interesting post. I am happy we want to help the people from Ukraine. You said to Alex that you have been in Germany. Can I ask you a question? Why do you think the UK's refugee response was so different to Germany's in 2015? Is it because of Brexit?

22/3/2022 12:00:08 pm

Hi Elisa and thank you for asking such an interesting question. I will try to answer it as well as I can, but I know that I'm trying to simplify an incredibly complex historical, political and cultural myriad of issues. Here's one way that I find useful to try to make sense of this, from a geopolitical perspective:

Germany has land borders with 9 countries. This means, that historically, Germany has paid very close attention to its neighbours. By neighbours, I mean those countries that are situated close to Germany geographically. This is one reason why I believe the EU is so important to Germany. When asylum seekers entered the EU in 2015, they entered Germany's 'neighbourhood'. Germany then saw them as neighbours in need, so chose to prioritise them as recipients for support. (I believe there are other reasons why Germany invited the asylum seekers too: e.g. to create a new history, in stark contrast to it's WW2 history; to bring in young people for the future, to balance to its own ageing demographic).

The UK is an island with no land borders with other countries. Historically, the UK has had looser ties with European countries and, by sea, created its own global 'neighbourhood' based on e.g. language and trade, not on geographical proximity. When asylum seekers entered Europe in 2015, the UK's priority and focus was less on those whom it deemed to be now-safe in EU countries, and instead on those it regarded as still most vulnerable in war zones, on the direct borders of those war zones or living in dire poverty, unable to travel to safety - irrespective of where they were situated geographically.

In this sense, my impression is that Germany tends to see 'neighbourhood' close-up vis a vis geographical proximity; whereas the UK tends to see 'neighbourhood' globally in terms of distant horizons and geographically-dispersed networks. This is one reason why I believe Germany was so bemused during Brexit negotiations that the' tiny' UK would want to leave its far larger EU neighbourhood; and, by contrast, those who voted for Brexit in the UK viewed the EU as far too small, local and constraining.

As you can imagine, this led to some interesting (and, at times, heated!) conversations with my German friends! In terms of a refugee response, it means that the UK risks missing the needs of real people standing on its doorstep or shores because it's gaze and sphere of concern is towards those who are by far poorest and most vulnerable elsewhere in the world; and Germany by contrast may risk prioritising the needs of those standing on its doorstep and miss the needs of those who are in far greater need elsewhere in the world.

Forgive my huge simplifications and generalisations..!! I hope this makes at least some sense.

Sarah Thomas

22/3/2022 04:50:00 pm

I find it difficult to categorize people who need help as poor or even poorer. Refugees need help, poor people need help, ..... no matter where in the world and no matter how poor they are.
So many countries help with refugees in Europe, but could help in so many parts of the world. But of course that's not possible. Where to help and where not to help? Difficult!

22/3/2022 05:17:04 pm

Hi Sarah. I think that's a hard question - and a real dilemma. It's a bit like asking, 'If you were given £1,000,000 to improve the lives of people who are poorest and most vulnerable in the world - which can include refugees - how would you spend it?' As I have attempted to describe in my (albeit grossly oversimplified) hypothesis above, we can see how different countries may choose to prioritise according to different criteria; including in the Ukraine refugee crisis.

In my work with international non-governmental organisations, we try to ask fundamental questions such as, 'Why are people poor?' (which is not always easy to answer with any degree of certainty), and then to devise theories of change to help guide intervention strategies to bring about change. It raises so many related difficult questions, such as 'What do we mean by poor?'; 'From whose perspective?'; 'Who and what is influencing what - and how?'

It gets even more complex when we consider all kinds of perverse incentives and unintended consequences that can emerge, often unexpectedly, from any strategy, decision and intervention. And then, above all, to face the real person standing in front of us. He or she isn't a statistic, a factor in a strategy. My partner in the Philippines describes this as a 'sacred encounter'. It's about seeing the person and responding with compassion. We can...we must...be hope.

22/3/2022 03:35:09 pm

Thoughts on Elisa: The fact that the UK didn't want to have more or not as many refugees is perhaps due to the fact that society in the UK is already so international. The population in Germany is less international in comparison and in terms of quantity. Until 2015, no large streams of refugees came to Germany. So this situation was new for most people in Germany, including politicians. Germany thought along with the EU that it had to help in order not to make the situation in Hungary even worse. Maybe also because it was closer to the action and closer to the EU than the UK.

22/3/2022 04:02:17 pm

Hi Kathrin. I think you bring another interesting and useful dimension to the conversation. Yes, the UK (like France) has an internationally-diverse population; partly (like France) stemming from its colonial history and, in more recent years, resulting from migration from EU countries too. Some of the challenges associated with multicultural diversity and (un-controlled) EU migration were certainly part of the Brexit conversation in the UK, along with some of the benefits that such diversity and migration can bring. It's still a live issue in the UK, even after Brexit.

When I visited Germany and watched German news around the 2015 period, there was a noticeable focus on practical issues for asylum seekers (e.g. language skills; housing; health care; education) and virtually no conversation whatsoever about navigating cross-cultural issues. I wondered if this was influenced in part by Germany's anxieties from its Nazi past, where focusing on identity and culture (vis a vis Jewish people in particular) had led to the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust. A risk is that it leads now to cross-cultural silence and blindness.

The UK and France are trying, awkwardly and painfully, to talk about these issues - but it's difficult to do without creating binary debates that generate far more heat than light. The same 'angels' vs 'demons' dynamics are played out in conversations about asylum seekers and refugees too. I pray and hope that, throughout the world and at national-international as well as individual-community levels, we can find ways to hold conversations, create stances and build relationships that are built on encounter, wisdom and compassion...not just drama instilled by media.

Haven

22/3/2022 04:19:13 pm

Refugees in western countries most often define as people fleeing from one country to the other safe exit countries. In the opposite part of the earth like third world countries. Refugees means people who are seeking progress in their livelihood. Individual who wanted to escape from violence and extreme poverty they experience daily. People who suffer from tons of responsibilities who cannot even take time to feed themselves because what they earn or have for a time is not even enough to feed five children waiting at home.

Most often these type of refugees have no way out from their own countries unless they risk their own lives to gain not only for themselves but for the entire member of the extended family. This war is like Covid keeps mutating or like a biological warfare that people endure until Jesus comes back. No one can help because almost everyone were plunged in same gravity of endless war. Where everyone are refugees but no asylum offered because no one notice and no one care because its part of life. You cannot complain nor explain nor justify because the only way out is to survived.

Only divine intervention is our asylum.

22/3/2022 04:21:50 pm

Hi Haven and thank you for sharing such a different perspective, based on very real lived experience. It presents a humbling and challenging insight, in contrast to that of people and policy-makers in wealthier 'host' countries where asylum seekers and refugees are invited in - or trying to enter.

Your comment that refugees are people who 'want to escape from violence and extreme poverty they experience daily' - along with some of the reasons why that is often difficult to do practically - touches on contentious debates in wealthier countries about what constitutes a 'refugee' and what support should be offered.

Refugees have traditionally been regarded as people escaping persecution or death (influenced by, for instance, the experience of Jewish people escaping from the Nazis in World War 2). Questions arise now over whether, for instance, escaping from extreme poverty should also be considered grounds for asylum.

At a more personal level, I am continually reminded how easy (and, at times, arrogantly and insensitively) it is to make asylum and refugee policy judgements and decisions from a place of wealth and safety. You remind me of the harsh realities of lived experience - and how important that is to hear.

When you and I chat, I'm always reminded of the heart-breaking yet glimmer of hope-inspiring words in U2's song, Van Diemen's Land: 'the poor will toil and tear their hands as they tear the soil...But a day will come In this dawning age...' As a follower of Jesus, I desperately want to be part of bringing that 'day' in this world. I know that you do too.

Refugee wars

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