The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that in 2013, the global population of refugees from war and persecution hit 51.2 million — exceeding 50 million for the first time since World War II. Half of them were children.The vast majority were “internally displaced persons,” homeless people within their home countries. Many live in refugee camps run by under-funded NGOs, where they face continuing privation and abuse.
There are over ten million refugees in Africa, and five million in Asia. More than six million people have been displaced for years, and in some cases decades. The UN estimates that 6.3 million people have been displaced in Syria alone.
According to the UNHCR, Afghanistan accounts for the world’s largest population of refugees; in Iraq, many of the two million people who fled the country after the US-led invasion in 2003 are now returning, despite the fact that many of its 1.7 million internally displaced citizens remain homeless, and more than one million new refugees have fled ISIS. Iraq has also absorbed about one million refugees from Syria.
Developing countries are host to 86% of the world’s refugees, with wealthy countries caring for just 14%. Many countries with nowhere near the wealth or infrastructure of the United States or the European Union or Australia have kept their borders open on humanitarian grounds. Yet it is those three who are the most vocal in the protest that they face a crisis and the most enthusiastic in fortifying and militarising their borders.
There are over ten million refugees in Africa, and five million in Asia. More than six million people have been displaced for years, and in some cases decades. The UN estimates that 6.3 million people have been displaced in Syria alone.
According to the UNHCR, Afghanistan accounts for the world’s largest population of refugees; in Iraq, many of the two million people who fled the country after the US-led invasion in 2003 are now returning, despite the fact that many of its 1.7 million internally displaced citizens remain homeless, and more than one million new refugees have fled ISIS. Iraq has also absorbed about one million refugees from Syria.
Developing countries are host to 86% of the world’s refugees, with wealthy countries caring for just 14%. Many countries with nowhere near the wealth or infrastructure of the United States or the European Union or Australia have kept their borders open on humanitarian grounds. Yet it is those three who are the most vocal in the protest that they face a crisis and the most enthusiastic in fortifying and militarising their borders.
Open borders won't become a reality until workers are aware of the need to abolish the political State.
ReplyDeleteAlas, i fear you are quite correct. And the abolition of the State won't happen until we end capitalism. And we won't abolish capitalism until we have workers unity and have stopped workers being racist and nationalist. Expounding no borders is the same as promoting the end of the nation-state. The class struggle won't end capitalism but we do not declare we should cease that activity. Like-wise countering immigration controls is part of the creating more world-wide solidarity and increasing class consciousness.
ReplyDeletei think this reply to the British National Party makes our position clearer than this blogger can.
"We are not advocating the abolition of frontiers here and now under capitalism, if only because we know it's not going to happen: the capitalist states, into which the world is currently divided, will always prefer to be in a position to control the labour force within their frontiers. What we envisage is that when the resources of the Earth have become the common heritage of all the human race then the world would no longer be divided into separate states, and people would be free to travel anyway in the world without needing a passport or visa and whether to live or to work or simply for pleasure."
http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2000s/2003/no-1187-july-2003/letters