Analyst blames Western interventionism for refugee crisis

Europe is hit by an influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria. This year alone, more than 3,200 people have died at sea while making the perilous journey to the continent. Press TV has spoken to Scott Rickard, a political analyst and former American intelligence linguist, and John Steppling, an author and commentator, for their takes on Europe's ongoing refugee crisis.

On Monday, the UN General Assembly held a first-ever summit on the refugee crisis, during which delegations adopted the New York Declaration aimed at addressing the current crisis and preparing the world for future challenges.

Rickard believes the refugee crisis is absolutely the result of “Western interventionism” in Middle Eastern and North African countries.

He also stated that “there is absolute blood on the hands of the West”, adding that Western countries need to stop the actual funding of their mercenaries and move the refugees back into their countries of origin.

The analyst went on to say that the refugees are not “combatants” but rather individuals who are forced out of their countries because of the West’s interventionist policies.

Rickard further mentioned the refugee crisis is an “insurmountable problem” which is not going to be easily resolved.

He also noted this crisis should be handled by the perpetrators - namely the United States and the member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

“The perpetrators should be setting up cities and villages in open areas that are protected by NATO forces and then they need to stop arming these mercenaries and start building new cities for countries like Libya and Syria in what we would call reparations that are being paid back by war criminals,” he said.

The analyst also argued that war criminals in the West should be put on trial at The Hague and held accountable for the crimes they have committed over the last 20 years.

Also speaking on the program, John Steppling opined that Western countries are “complicit” in the refugee crisis because it is the US and NATO’s interventionist policies that are largely driving this crisis.

“The funding for the mechanisms of bringing in immigrants and treating them humanely and setting up housing for them and [provide] food, should be funded by the US and NATO. They are the cause of all of this, “ he said.

According to the analyst, the refugee crisis is a “political problem” but in terms of numbers, it is not a critical one. He argued that Europe is perfectly “capable” of absorbing many more people.

However, he stated, European countries are not going to easily welcome refugees because there is “anger and frustration” due to the bad economic situation in the eurozone.

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