photos Shasta area; 2 by Bessemer; Merkel plan

Lake Siskiyou

      Black Butte, cinder cone of Shasta

 Mt. Eddy

                  Shasta

2 by Auriel Bessemer, appearing in Climb the Highest Mountain
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9-6-17        Europe's seemingly attractive plan, in other words, is nothing more than an illusion.  In the run-up to German parliamentary elections on Sept. 24, Merkel wants to create the impression that she has the refugee crisis under control.  And Macron wants to portray himself as Europe's savior. But the truth is that Europe has already decided to seal itself off. Italy is pushing ahead with its plan to close down the Mediterranean route and Austria is shutting down the Brenner Pass.  Merkel is the main beneficiary of these actions, because they enable her to remain the refugee chancellor, even as borders in the south are being sealed.

The agreement with Turkey has ensured that very few people now make it across the Aegean Sea to Europe, and even those who do are usually stuck in Greece. Now Merkel is trying to create a similar project in Africa, by essentially shifting Europe's external borders to North Africa. Ultimately, however, cooperation with African countries could prove to be even more difficult than with Turkey.

In Libya, Europe must deal with two opposing governments and countless militias. The EU supports the weak unity government of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj by sending it millions of euros, so that it will stop migrants from crossing the Mediterranean while Italian warships ensure that the Libyan coast guard forces refugee boats to return to land. Most private aid organizations have been forced to abandon their efforts to rescue refugees.

Italy also supports an agreement between the unity government and two Libyan militia groups, Brigade 48 and Al-Ammu.  Until recently, the two groups controlled the migrant smuggling trade from western Libya to Europe, but now they are being paid to prevent boats from putting out to sea.

In taking these measures, Europe is placing the protection of its external borders in the hands of criminals - a move that is both morally questionable and strategically unwise, because it makes Europe susceptible to blackmail.  Most of all, though, the humanitarian situation in which these migrants find themselves is likely to become even more desperate.  The vast majority of those who arrive in Libya lack the money necessary for a return journey.  What, though, should happen to the people in the camps?   http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/europe-seeks-to-shut-down-the-mediterranean-migration-route-a-1166228.html
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/06/world/asia/gauri-lankesh-india-dead.html