Migration and Security: the Challenge for the Transatlantic
Community
The impact of migration on security of NATO states was clearly shown in
2015, when a mass immigration to the European Union took place. It was
related to the decisions taken by the Chancellor of Germany, Angela
Merkel, the differences in the assessment of this phenomenon by the
Member States. As a result of the situation and refusal of the path
chosen by Berlin and Brussels United Kingdom’s society pick up Brexit in
the form of referendum. The following questions became background of
decisions taken afterwards with implications for the present time: what
is our, the Europeans’, position towards migration process now, and in
future, what is our common reaction in formula of Transatlantic
relations, together with the United States and Canada? What are our
societies like in the context of phenomenon? What do they have in common
and what divides them in relation to the approach to migration from the
poorly developed to the well-developed regions of our planet? What
actions should we take here and now as well as in the close and distant
future to adequately address this issue on both sides of the Atlantic?
How should we deal with migrants in the context of the liberal,
humanitarian tradition confronted with those of them who reject it in
the name of their politically and culturally hermetic views, or any
other views? Should we, and if so, where should we put impassable
frontiers for security of individuals and collectivities in the
processes of integration and disintegration of liberal, democratic
societies?
Above outnumbered questions, and many other similar ones appear to be
crucial in the 21st century. At the same time, they are becoming more
and more fundamental. Even though migration processes occurred
throughout the 20th, it is their present form, intensification that
initiated a debate on the nature of the phenomenon, its influence and
the ways societies, states and institutions approach it. In the
discourse we observe, disputes concentrate on three leading issues, the
first one being the humanitarian dimension of the phenomenon, the second
the nature of help offered to migrants, and the third a
widely-understood national and international security confronted with
migrations of people from unstable, most often conflict-stricken
countries. Together with these questions, there are many other ones,
whose importance, depending on the situational context, is indicated as
crucial, or sometimes the most critical. Germany is a good example. From
the very beginning, the creation and functioning of the CDU – CSU –
SPD government have been determined by migrant-related issues, and they
may finally lead to its breakdown.
The intensification of anti-migration social and political attitudes in
Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia as well as in Austria, Italy
expressed by the recently-formed governments, and in the remaining EU
states, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, indicates that the migration
issue enters another stage. The existed till now interpretation of the
EU institutions supported by Berlin’s policies, which may be
characterized by a phrase ‘we can handle it’ ceases to be less and less
effective, especially in the aspect accepting subsequent waves of
immigrants which potentially may appear in Europe. The decisions which
have been taken in this respect have been verified by societies, their
institutions, and the European Union itself. Nevertheless, the
phenomenon continues to occur, and tends to be periodically intensified.
It creates the background to the debate on internal security of the
states which form Transatlantic bonds, mainly on the European side of
the Atlantic. Its effect may be a trend observable since 2017,
reinforced by the European Parliament Elections 2019, and expressed by
negation of the existing politics of the European elites and their
migration policies. Such a change is confirmed not only by acts of
terror with the participation of migrants, but also more frequently by
the ‘no go zones’ / ‘non-governed zones’ which are reinforced by new
incomers from the distant parts of the world functioning on the margin
of open societies, moreover, by the cultural violence existing in these
spheres, anti-Semitism and radicalism, which sometimes leads to
terrorism.
The arguments raised in the public debate for and against migration, its
forms, and in this context, the relations between the states and their
societies on both sides of the Atlantic are extremely important. They
influence the perception of the phenomenon in the context of security
(Colett, 2017: 150-154). Here we can distinguish a national dimension
(social, cultural, and political) as well as an international one. In
the latter case, it is all about the policies of the states and the
whole Transatlantic Community. What is of special importance here are
the main migration problems, namely:
- Global network-centric management of national and international
security;
- Connections between migration and the rapidly-changing levels and
types of transnational relations;
- Connections between migration and extremism as well as terrorism,
social movements, political parties and the forms of the related
internal and international policies;
- Character of individual and collective identity;
- Social development, its level in the respective regions of the planet;
- Manners and character of the conducted military and non-military
operations which create or destabilize the international order.
Understanding of these issues, and their interpenetration form the
present interpretation of the problem of migration of people from the
poorly developed to the highly developed areas of out planet, and the
states of the Transatlantic Community located therein. Furthermore, it
specifies the stances of its respective countries, both in the national
dimension, i.e. political parties, citizens’ and ordinary
people’s movements, the international dimension, and the dimension of
organizations and institutions. This interpretation also implies the
normative and organizational solutions which are being adopted, and
application of the ones which exist at present.