LAUSR

Spending part of my sabbatical during this past academic year in Europe, I saw firsthand the impact of the refugee crisis, the largest human migration witnessed on the continent since 1945. Normally open borders began restricting access, a strong military presence became visible in train stations, and the issue of asylum-seekers became a major focus of public attention. Combined with horrific attacks in France, Belgium, and Germany by terrorists in subsequent attacks, apparently inspired by the so-called “Islamic State,” it has contributed to an alarming growth in xenophobia and Islamophobia throughout Europe. This has not only resulted in electoral gains by far right-wing antiimmigration parties in recent elections, but one of the more disturbing aspects of the dramatic and disruptive decision by the British electorate to leave the European Union was howmuch of it was apparently rooted in anti-immigrant sentiment. Indeed, British authorities have reported an alarming spike in antiimmigrant hate crimes since the “Brexit” referendum. Last year’s terrorist attacks in Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and Nice—which killed scores of innocent people—were not only tragic in themselves, but have resulted in an erosion of civil liberties, increasing Islamophobia and antiimmigrant sentiment, and the risks of further Western military intervention in the Middle East.