Disastrous intervention by the US has been the cause of many major refugee flows including the current flows out of the Middle East. The people’s Daily published an interesting article on this subject on 7 September. The article refers to refugees from Syria, Lybia, Iraq and Afghanistan. It could have added that one of the major refugee flows since WWII was triggered by the disastrous intervention in Vietnam. See article from People’s Daily below. John Menadue

Xinhua Commentary:U.S.shouldbearblameforEuropeanrefugee, humanitariancrisis

By HuYao (Xinhua)09:10, September 07, 2015

BEIJING,Sept. 5 (Xinhua) –Whenmillionsofpeoplearoundtheworldweretakenaghast bythepicturesof drownedthree-year old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi lying washed up on a Turkish beach and the massive refugee crisis engulfing Europe, they should see through the fact that the United States is mainly responsible for all the mess.

Themainsourcesoftoday’srefugees–Syria,Libya,IraqandAfghanistan–aretargetsof U.S.intervention,whichledtodevastation,chaos,deterioratingdomestic securityand extensivedisplacements.Peopleinthosecountriescouldnolongerenjoyevenbasic humanrights.Manyofthemhadnochoicebuttofleeforlife,notonlytoneighboring countries,buttoEurope.

AccordingtoUnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugeesAntonioGuterres,more than300,000refugeesandmigrantshaveventuredtocrosstheMediterraneaninto Europesofarthisyear,andover2,600didn’tsurvivethedangerousjourney.

WhiletheEuropeancountriesareaccusedofindifferenceandincapabilitiestocopewith therefugeecrisis,theUnitesStates,theirclosestallyandthemajorcauseofthecrisis,seemsnottohaverealizeditsmoralobligationtohelpcleanupthemessandworkto addresstherootcauseoftheproblem.

SyriaisthelatestcountryfollowingIraqandLibyatobecomethevictimofU.S.interventionintheMiddleEast.Havingbeenmiredinafullblowncivilwarforfouryears duetopersistentU.S.ledWesternintervention,thecountrywasthelargestsourceofrefugeesboundforEuropein2013, 2014andthefirsthalfofthisyear.Themilitantsoftheso-calledIslamicState(IS),emergingfromtheSyrianoppositions whichweresupportedbytheU.S.totoppletheSyriangovernment,havelaunched numerousattacksagainstSyriancivilians,whohavebecometargetsofkidnappings, suicideandcarbombings,amongothers.Theirlivesareatperiliftheyhangonintheir owncountry.

Onotherfronts,althoughtheUnitedStateshaspulledoutitstroopsfromsomecountries likeIraqandAfghanistan,itshouldbestillheldaccountableforhavingdestabilizedthese countriesinthefirstplaceandthenleavingtheminahopelessmess.

As a self-styledleaderoftheworld,itisashamefortheUnitedStatestostirupchaos,anarchismandtheemergenceofextremistandterroristgroupsinthosecountriesbyits selfishforeignpolicies.

NowasEuropestrugglestocopewithadailyinfluxofthousandsofrefugees,theU.S.shouldactimmediatelyanddomoretohelpsolvetherefugeecrisisandworkoutlong-termmeasurestohelptroubledcountriesandregionsrestorecalm,stabilityandnormal lifeassoonaspossible.