I think you're assuming that I meant not playing the game going forward. But if we hadn't been meddling in the Middle East for 40+ years, then perhaps there wouldn't be the amount of chaos we see now. Any time I hear the phrase "national interest" come out of the mouth of a politician, I roll my eyes. It's usually some thinly-veiled excuse to drop bombs on people.
And let's not delude ourselves: the giant social welfare states in Europe and the United States act as magnets for refugees and immigrants.
The level of cynicism in the world's leaders is breathtaking. How many leaders said anything along the lines of, "We will take as many refugees as our people are willing to feed, house, and clothe, since the people of this nation are the most generous, loving people on earth"? Not a single one. It's always got to be the job of the State when a politician comes up with an idea. And of course the people get to pay for it through coercive taxation no matter if it's a good idea or not ;-)
Maybe that's true, although realistically it's not just the US who played in the Middle East; Europe played in the region for about 150 years, the Soviets had their fun, etc. Besides, a lot of the harm we've done is just making some terrible leaders extremely rich, and well armed.
Putting that aside, this would be happening in some form without that, because of climate change. The sad fact is that we're entering a period of increasing global instability, as previously livable regions become unlivable, and visa versa. I can't think of a single reason why some desperate Eritrean (for example) would say to themselves, "Oh no, these people who have been central to that process of climate change don't want me to live with them. I guess I'll just stay here and try to make it work. Maybe I'll starve and die, but hey, it's the law."
And let's not delude ourselves: the giant social welfare states in Europe and the United States act as magnets for refugees and immigrants.
The level of cynicism in the world's leaders is breathtaking. How many leaders said anything along the lines of, "We will take as many refugees as our people are willing to feed, house, and clothe, since the people of this nation are the most generous, loving people on earth"? Not a single one. It's always got to be the job of the State when a politician comes up with an idea. And of course the people get to pay for it through coercive taxation no matter if it's a good idea or not ;-)