Fw: Europe: Thunder on the right. "Your View", GDN 14th of June 2024 - P 10
John Churchilly
On June 14, 2024, the GDN published a letter titled “Europe: Thunder on the Right” by Eric S. Margolis. He argues that immigrants are being blamed for the EU’s financial troubles and political shift to the right. He points out that the U.S. has had military bases in Europe with 100,000 troops since 1945, which he believes are no longer needed since the Soviet Union collapsed. Margolis suggests that Russia, being a European country without expansionist goals, means the U.S. should have removed its bases from Europe back in the mid-1990s.
The book “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” by Walter Rodney, published in 1972, is mentioned to highlight how European colonialism enriched Europe at Africa’s expense. The author describes the migration of Africans to Europe as an escape from poverty and oppression. Similarly, the Middle East has seen people flee from war-torn countries like Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Libya, which were once peaceful and prosperous.
The U.S. is criticized for being in a state of constant war, which is seen as a way to balance its economy. The U.S. federal debt is skyrocketing, increasing by $1 trillion every 100 days, or $10 billion a day. This year, the debt grew by $470 billion in just two months, reaching $34.5 trillion. It’s expected to hit $35 trillion soon, $37 trillion by the end of the year, and $40 trillion in 2025, which is faster than predicted by the Congressional Budget Office. The forecast suggests it could reach $60 trillion within ten years.
Europe is described as struggling economically, with Germany receiving 1.7 million asylum applications from 2015 to 2019, the most in the world. Many refugees from Syria and Iraq have been naturalized and integrated into German society, benefiting from their education and skills. However, this also means their home countries have lost some of their best talents.