Calling all educated Muslims!
Saturday, February 11, 2006 at 6:44PM ARTICLE: “EU’s New Tack on Immigration: Leaders Talk Up ‘Brain Circulation’ to Cure Shrinking Work Force,” by John W. Miller, Wall Street Journal, 10 February 2006, p. A8.
Europe has always attracted Muslims from the Middle East and North Africa primarily in the same way we attract the bulk of Hispanics from down south: give us your poor and ambitious and largely undereducated and we’ll have them do the 3D (dirty, dangerous, difficult) jobs that we can’t find workers for.
That collection of low-end workers, when combined with the high-end ones that America so naturally attracts (our Muslims are better than your Muslims!), sends back to home countries over $100 billion in remittances each year (just $72B in 2001 and now $126B according to IMF). The entire OECD development aid package (meaning all the foreign aid the Core sends to the Gap) each year is just around $60B, so this flow is hugely important to shrinking the Gap (or keeping the worst parts afloat in the meantime).
What this article says is that Europe is beginning to realize it not only needs the 3D Muslims, but the more educated ones that we naturally attract. Why? The demographic aging of Europe proceeds with so much more speed than our version here, so they think the EU will be tens of millions short on skilled workers in coming decades (20m by 2030).
Think Europe is the “great alternative” and the rising superpower that will lead the world in the future? Or do you still see it aping America as it tries to catch up, ad infinitum?
Reader Comments (2)
yes, if by 'aping' we mean 'trying to cherry pick a few successful 'strategies' while holding its nose and looking down at the overall approach saying 'I'm too sophisticated and cultured for all of that,' all the while falling further and further behind.'
that is to say, i agree, Tom.
and, to myself: 'sheesh. where did that visceral response come from? do i feel so defensive re: Europe? guess so...'
Fareed Zakaria has a more cynical take in Newsweek's latest issue.
For example, he said:
"Talk to top-level scientists and educators about the future of scientific research, and they will rarely even mention Europe. There are areas in which it is world-class, but they are fewer than they once were. In the biomedical sciences, for example, Europe is not on the map, and it might well be surpassed by much poorer Asian countries. The CEO of a large pharmaceutical company told me that in 10 years, the three most important countries for his industry would be the United States, China and India."
Can Europe really turn back the tide with this evolution in immigration policy?
Btw, I love that "3D" term. I will definitely use that in future debates with friends about immigration.