Poland-Belarus Border Migrant Crisis Causing Rifts in EU

Belarus is pushing thousands of Middle East migrants toward its border with Poland. EU officials accuse Russia and Belarus of trying to destabilize Europe.

Summary

Belarus’ attempt to push migrants into Poland is expected to last months according to the Polish defense minister.

• Thousands of migrants from the Middle East have been “camped out on the border” between the two nations, which some in the west are calling a manufactured crisis to cause dissent and division in the European Union. 
• NATO condemned Belarus for “using vulnerable migrants as a hybrid attack against other countries.” 
• Violence broke out recently as Polish officials say migrants “attacked our soldiers” in an attempt to get through to Polish territory. 
• On Wednesday morning, it was reported Belarusian officials were moving migrants away from the border, in a “possible de-escalation” of the situation. 
• The Belarus-Poland situation is one of several areas of concern in which Russia’s influence and presence in Europe is worrying EU and American officials.

• The Daily Beast argues that even with the destabilizing efforts of Belarus and Russia, “the exaggerated reaction” in Europe “shows that a rational, fact-based debate about migration is now impossible.” 
• Time detailed the torturous journey and difficult conditions migrants are braving while becoming “unwilling weapons in a new type of conflict.” 
• The Atlantic blasted the Belarussian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, a dictator bent on destroying “the international institutions that maintain” “respect for human rights, the rule of law, impartial justice.”

• Breitbart reported on possible propaganda efforts by Belarus which allegedly preps child migrants with cigarette smoke in an attempt to elicit tears for the cameras, calling it part of a larger Belarusian propaganda campaign. 
• The Daily Wire reported on the physical confrontations in which Polish forces used water cannons and tear gas to disperse migrants attempting force their way into the country. 
• The Wall Street Journal detailed how the crisis is causing rifts in the European Union, including Eastern European nations concerned about their irrelevance after Germany took the lead in confronting Belarus and Russia.

Author’s Take

There’s been relatively little coverage of the day-to-day of this crisis in American-centric outlets, which is to be expected. Reuters has been comprehensive in their reporting recently.

The Daily Beast’s take on the situation is simplistic, obtuse, and incongruent with the facts on the ground. It completely misses the point of the situation. The problem is not that there are migrants of any number. It is that Russia and Belarus are using them as part of a larger anti-Europe campaign. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are ratcheting up military exercises and beefing up their border after aggressive moves by Russia, while the Russians are also putting more pressure on Ukraine. The Daily Beast does not understand this ultimately has nothing to do with “immigration” and is far too nuanced of a situation to declare it confirmation of anti-immigrant sentiment.

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© Dallas Gerber, 2021