Illiberalism
Gilead
Migration
Did Texas really interfere with U.S. Border Patrol operations? Yes, they did. Did people die due to this interference? Yes, they did. Is Texas admitting responsibility for these deaths? Kind of an awkward silence, there.[1]
I’m expecting a similarly awkward silence from the federal government as well. Joe Biden seems to perceive, probably correctly, that unauthorized migration is a political vulnerability for him in an election year. But reports will undoubtedly be made and I’m wondering if the Department of Justice investigates.
All that said, I can scream it until I’m blue in the face: It’s not enough to address “pull” factors in migration, those factors thought to attract migrants to particular locations. (In the U.S., these are mainly economic.) And it’s certainly not enough to build walls or put in other obstacles.
When people are desperate—this desperation is politically inconvenient and therefore generally not acknowledged—you must also consider “push” factors, those factors that drive people to risk their lives on perilous journeys, in which crossing the U.S. border is only one of numerous hazards.
In Central America and southern Mexico, these “push” factors have U.S. fingerprints all over them: Inadequate and sometimes flatly wrong U.S. climate and trade policies were ruinous for subsistence farmers, while the U.S. “War on Drugs” enabled drug gangs and cartels that make these regions among the most dangerous in the world.[2] U.S. support for oligarchs and coups d’etat have enabled corruption that further impoverishes and immiserates the population.
But we don’t want to get involved with that. That is, apart from the fact we’re already up to our eyeballs in our own manure.
Dan Katz, “Three migrants drown in Rio Grande after Texas blocks Border Patrol from rescue,” Texas Public Radio, January 13, 2024, https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2024-01-13/three-drown-in-rio-grande-after-texas-blocks-border-patrol-from-rescue
Imperialism
United States
Yemen
It’s difficult to imagine the U.S. actually getting dragged into yet another war in the Middle East. But from what I can see, factors on the ground are pulling inexorably in that direction. It’s unlikely the U.S.-led attacks have significantly impaired Houthi capabilities[3] and the Houthis have made themselves heroes among Arab publics by taking up the Palestinian cause and aligning with Hamas.[4] Stars need to align to prevent a wider war and I’m just not seeing that alignment.
CNN, “President Joe Biden’s statement on strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen,” January 11, 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/11/politics/read-biden-statement-airstrikes-houthis-yemen
Mahad Darar, “US-UK airstrikes risk strengthening Houthi rebels’ position in Yemen and the region,” Conversation, January 12, 2024, https://theconversation.com/us-uk-airstrikes-risk-strengthening-houthi-rebels-position-in-yemen-and-the-region-221006
Gabriel Gavin, Antonia Zimmermann, and Jamie Dettmer, “Middle East braces for chaos as Iran and West square up,” Politico, January 12, 2024, https://www.politico.eu/article/middle-east-chaos-iran-west-houthi-israel-hamas-war/
Thomas Grove and Stephen Kalin, “U.S. Launches New Strike on Houthi Radar Site in Yemen,” Wall Street Journal, January 12, 2024, https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-led-yemen-strikes-heighten-risk-of-broader-middle-east-conflict-aedb0006
John Paul Rathbone, “Military briefing: can the US and its allies stop the Houthis?” Financial Times, January 13, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/c09a1244-b4af-4fc0-8dad-e4e724988716
Patrick Wintour, “How Houthi anger with Israel is reshaping the Middle East conflict,” Guardian, January 13, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/13/how-houthi-anger-with-israel-is-reshaping-the-middle-east-conflict
- [1]Dan Katz, “Three migrants drown in Rio Grande after Texas blocks Border Patrol from rescue,” Texas Public Radio, January 13, 2024, https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2024-01-13/three-drown-in-rio-grande-after-texas-blocks-border-patrol-from-rescue↩
- [2]David Benfell, “Conservative Views on Undocumented Migration” (doctoral dissertation, Saybrook, 2016). ProQuest (1765416126).↩
- [3]John Paul Rathbone, “Military briefing: can the US and its allies stop the Houthis?” Financial Times, January 13, 2024, https://www.ft.com/content/c09a1244-b4af-4fc0-8dad-e4e724988716↩
- [4]Patrick Wintour, “How Houthi anger with Israel is reshaping the Middle East conflict,” Guardian, January 13, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/13/how-houthi-anger-with-israel-is-reshaping-the-middle-east-conflict↩