As Libya's lack of sovereignty facilitates the flows of migrants, I've become very involved in the issue. Now I've ventured into the space of writing about the 'migrant crisis' even when the migrants aren't flowing from Libya. Fascinatingly, main stream outlets don't want to hear about how rolling out the humanitarian welcome matt is likely to cause a huge backlash leading to the rise of the anti-european extreme right. Fascinatingly, only a conservative publication like The National Interest was willing to get out this message even though what I am saying is we need to calibrate our response to the migrant crisis *so as to prevent* the rise of the extreme anti-EU right. Well.. either way hope you read this one. To do so click here.
Globalization theorists and advocates frequently claim that like industrialization, liberalism, or capitalism, it is an irreversible juggernaut. Even North Korea and Cuba are increasingly subjected to pressures arising from the internet and the free flow of ideas. Imploding states like Libya and Syria still experience globalization all the time -- migrants and jihadis flow in and out, while militiamen upload videos on their smartphones. And yet, on a recent visit to Hungary, I had grounds to question if this conventional wisdom applies everywhere. Could some countries buck the trend, successfully keeping people and ideas out?I wonder if Hungary isn't just experiencing in microcosm trends that will take roughly a decade to play out across the continent: Compassionate Eurocrats roll out the welfare state to help the world's most destitute. This in turn angers hard-working Germans and Finns who drift rightward and turn against further EU integration amidst an upcoming economic downturn. As if by some undiscovered Newtonian law, today's attempts at humanitarian internationalism are sowing the seeds for tomorrow's resurgent anti-globalization nationalisms.To read the full article click here.