"How we treat others today becomes something by which we will justify ourselves in the future" said Stephen Chan during a public lecture at the School of Public Policy at Central European University on May 2. In his talk, he reflected on the reactions of European governments as well as the general debate about the refugee crisis.
Stephen Chan, who is professor of world politics at the School of Oriental & African Studies at University of London and currently George Soros Visiting Chair at SPP, identified several negative principles that tended to dominate European responses. With few exceptions, governments tried to take advantage of the refugee situation. This was especially the case in Hungary, which proved to be "the most hard line of all the European nations." Chan noted that the arrival of refugees in Hungary was portrayed as a threat to "national sovereignty" and to the country's "territorial integrity." However, the majority of refugees were not at all interested in settling in Greece, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia or Austria. Instead they were rather looking for "safety" and "safety with guarantee", which most of them associated with Germany.
Chan went on to explore some of the positive principles which could have been applied to the refugee crisis. One such principle might have been the basic Christian teaching "do unto others as you would have others do unto you." He also noted that "refugees to Europe are the product of maps and wars which Europe drew up or helped wage, or did not help wage," and accordingly compensation could have been an applicable principle. Finally, humanitarian international law, although not enforceable, might also have been applied. While compassion and humanitarianism were briefly visible in the cases of Germany and Croatia, which opened their borders for short periods, logistical and financial challenges soon prevailed, eroding higher order principles.
Chan stated that overall Europe failed in 2015 to meet its own standards and that "it has not been a glorious page in terms of Europe's modern moral history." The question remains what to do with refugees from outside Europe. Looking back at how Europe dealt with refugee crises in the past, the exodus of Hungarians in 1956, or the influx of Vietnamese boat people in 1979, Chan concluded, "we did it once, so we could do it, we know from experience we can do it, therefore we should do it."
You can read his full lecture here or watch below.