Chaos Coming
Now that Balkan countries and Austria have closed the border to the North,
30,000 refugees are bottled up in Greece. More arrive daily.
In response, German Chancellor Angela Merkel wars of chaos. As to who is
to blame for the chaos, the Chancellor ought to look in the mirror.
Merkel welcomed the refugees with open arms, and come they did, by the
millions.
It’s time for plan “B” but Merkel does not have one. This led Austria and Nine Balkan Countries Effectively Tell Merkel Go
to Hell.
The sad saga continues.
Please consider Greece Crisis Looms as 30,000 Migrants Stranded.
A clampdown along Balkan borders has left 30,000 migrants trapped in
Greece, marking a new stage in the humanitarian crisis swamping Europe.
Countries farther up the migration trail, from Macedonia to Austria, are
now letting in only a few hundred a day, and sometimes no one.
Allowing migrants to be stranded in Greece is considered the EU’s last
option to halt the relentless inflow of people from the Middle East, South
Asia and Africa. More and more EU governments have lost faith in German
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policy of stopping irregular migrants at Turkey, spreading
bona fide refugees around the EU, and keeping Europe’s internal borders open.
Merkel warned this week of “chaos” in Greece, but other European Union
leaders say there is no alternative to shutting down the Balkan migration
route.
“The first priority is to rapidly stem the flows,” European Council
President Donald Tusk said on Wednesday while visiting Croatia, a country on
the now-constricted Balkan trail. Europe’s months long furor over migration
“is testing our Union to the limit,” Tusk said.
Greece is rapidly becoming a pressure cooker. Refugees and other migrants
are growing frustrated and angry. Hundreds tried to storm the border with
Macedonia on Monday, only to be driven back with tear gas.
Chaos Cannot be Stopped
Chaos is coming one way or another. The only choice now is to accept chaos
everywhere as Merkel wants or to try to limit the chaos to Greece.
That is the unpleasant choice.
Leaders Lead
Note that even European Council President Donald Tusk has abandoned
Merkel.
A friend of mine who supports Merkel commented “Leaders lead. Even if it
means they make unpopular choices.”
Indeed. Here are two more examples of leaders doing stupid things.
- Bush led us into an inane war in Iraq.
- Johnson led us to an inane war in Vietnam.
But hey, leaders lead. That’s what they do.
I prefer a leader willing to admit he or she made a mistake.
Mike “Mish’ Shedlock