Monday, 8 January 2024

Migration Policies of the European Union

Lecture I: Reflections on self and others

I. Introduction

A migrant is de ned as a person who does not hold the nationality of the country
where he lives. Any discussion on migrants requires a re ection on the inclusion and
exclusion of migrants in human societies. Who are we? And, who are they?

II. Homily of Holy Father Francis, visit to Lampedusa (8 July 2013)

Pope Francis talks about the tragedy of Lampedusa, an Italian island in the
Mediterranean where very frequently many migrants have sought refuge but found
death along the way. He prays the tragedies cannot be let to be repeated. He
thanks the people of Lampedusa for their kindness and solidarity towards migrants.

He mentions biblical writings to exemplify what God expects from us: he mentions
how God asked Adam “where are you?” after his sin, and how God asked “Cain,
where is your brother?”. He says these questions echo to this day. He claims we are
no longer attentive to the world in which we live, we don’t protect what God created
for everyone, and we end up unable to care for others. This is why tragedies like
Lampedusa’s happen.

He uses the example of Lope de Vega’s Fuente Ovejuna to showcase how the
whole of humanity is responsible for the blood of the befallen migrants. We are
responsible to care for them. We should be Good Samaritans. But we have become
indi erent towards the su ering of others.

III. M. Walzer ‘On Humanitarianism: Is Helping Others Charity, or Duty, or Both’

(2011)

We think of ‘humanitarianism’ as charity or philanthropy. But these words describe

voluntary acts, matters of kindness or human sympathy. International
humanitarianism however, seems more like a duty based on justice and prudence.
Or perhaps, it is a combination of the two.

In the Jewish political tradition, the word ‘tzedakah’ can be commonly translated as
“charity” but comes from the same root as the word “justice”. Charity is good, but
also right. ‘Mitzvah’ means “commandment” and a “good deed” or “act of human
kindness”. These words developed due to the statelessness of many Jewish
communities which had to rely on contributions from fellow members. The kahal

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 could compel people to give what they were supposed to give freely, but it still
counted as charity. In Christian and Muslim traditions, tithing is also understood as
an act of justice and charity together. Walzer talks about just and unjust of
charitable giving: those aimed at helping the poor to be independent, against those
who perpetuate dependency and subordination. Contributions should be
anonymous, and non-humiliating.

For stateless people, charity and justice come two in one; but charity can be left to
the devices of the powerful. Only in strong and e ective welfare states relying on
just systems of taxation and care of basic needs, charitable giving is independent.
International society is stateless and anarchic, and humanitarianism cannot be a
freely chose gift: it has to respond to urgency and need. It has to be connected with
justice. It is a political project because choices taken primarily involve calculations
of e ectiveness, but justice and respect are also requisites.

Charity and justice together require that rich and powerful states contribute in
proportion to their disproportionate wealth. All individuals are committed to justice.
But no actor has been designated to act upon crisis situations; but until there are
timely and consistent arrangements, the governing principle of humanitarian
intervention is: whoever can, should. This principle cannot be legally enforced but it
is held to political scrutiny.

Aid workers and soldiers should do what they can, the best that they can, to
promote the independence of individuals and states. Sovereignty is
humanitarianism’s morally necessary end (state building vs regime change,
humanitarian vs ideological projects, repair without relief vs with).

Humanitarianism invites us to choose to do what we are absolutely bound to do.

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