What describes your views of the European migrant crisis?

[Recursion]

As an American overseas I'm kind of cut off from what Americans back home see, hear, and think. So I'm curious which of these most closely matches people's views.

7 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	The what? (Be honest; no shame there.)
	0 (0%)
	This is a temporary upturn of normal migration patterns and it will resolve itself with time
	1 (14%)
	This represents a fundamental change for all European polities but the EU itself will stand roughly as is
	1 (14%)
	The north and west of Europe will be largely unchanged; the south and east of Europe will be drastically changed
	1 (14%)
	This will at least de facto end the EU
	2 (29%)
	Something else (please articulate below, if you don't mind)
	2 (29%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[enlightenment]

1. What I think can't be reduced to a sentence or two

and it's a little early in (my) morning to be terribly articulate - but I'll try.

The migrant crisis in Europe is many steps along the path that created it - whether it is war, internecine fighting, religious conflict, extreme poverty or famine. The issues that are driving people from their homes are myriad and until they are addressed, nothing will change.

From the perspective of what impact this will have on the EU? My gut feeling is that this is exposing the fundamental philosophical flaw of the Union. It's nice to think that nations will all play nice, but the EU leadership seems to talk a game of egalitarianism and shared risks and benefits, but when push comes to shove, it doesn't always follow through. Whether the issue is small (like the old kurfuffle over ugly vegetables) or big (like Greece), when the EU nations perceive the leadership as not listening, the mutterings begin.

Frankly, I don't think the EU will survive in its current form if the migrant crisis continues - and since we, as a planet, seem singularly unequipped to help resolve the problems, it seems it will continue. Whether or not that means it will collapse or just return to its roots as a trade pact, I do not know.

Sorry - very brief and not very smart sounding (but I'm still waking up!)

[world wide wally]

2. Economics, economics, economics

[Bluenorthwest]

3. I think it is a refugee crisis, migrants wander and migrate from place to place which is not what

these people are doing these people are fleeing and seeking someplace to live, not a place to reside until moving to another place.
Refugee, immigrant, migrant and emigrant are not synonyms.

[Romulox]

4. This is the bitter fruit of neoliberal economics--a worldwide diaspora of desperate people. nt

[MohRokTah]

5. This is much more complicated than the choices given in the poll. eom

[Shandris]

6. Gadhaffi warned us this would happen.

I feel terrible for the few real refugees fleeing war in Syria, and I feel terrible for the people in Europe because this will NOT end well.

I do notice there seems to be a staggering lack of women and children, at least in the images shown in the media. Given that I trust the media about as far as I can throw them I'll assume there aren't QUITE so few, but it's still obvious that something...untoward is going on with the familial situation.

[Recursion]

8. I've had that same thought

But I also have no numbers to back it up, just media images.

Then again among many of the Afghanis I know, the pattern was something like:

Wife and kids find relatively safe place

Husband in most direct danger; he goes abroad

Once he finds a landing spot he arranges for the rest of the family to come

[riderinthestorm]

7. None of the above. These are war refugees nt

[Recursion]

11. Some of them, yes. There are a lot of migrants.

The Calais people aren't from Syria or Lybia

[eissa]

9. First, they're refugees, not migrants

Secondly, to the question of why most of the images are male -- simply because most men don't want to risk the lives of their families in making this dangerous trek. That's what my brother-in-law did as he departed Syria for Greece with his eldest son. Thankfully, they've arrived safely. Now the journey begins to find shelter in any country that will take them and start the process of bringing over his wife and daughters.

I feel bad for Europe, particularly Greece which obviously has enough on its plate already. But Syrian civilians have been bombed, raped, neglected and chased out of their homes for the past five years. No one makes this dangerous (not to mention expensive) journey unless they're at the end of their rope.

[Recursion]

10. There are both refugees and migrants.

"Migrant crisis" is what the UK press is calling it.