March 24, 2012

Border Control

/TIME, March 5, 2012, Page 44-48/

Introduction

   This article picked up the immigrant problem inside Schengen area, where european citizens can travel and work across the bouder line. Western and wealthy countries’ people claim that rising immigrant population causes unemployment, crime, and cultural identity loss in their society, and some people turned into far-right extreme activist, trying to reject any immigrant. 

   I chose this topic because this recent issue facing Europe is also the potential 

problem for Japan, which is aging rapidly in terms of labor force, economic scale, and international influence. 

Briefing

   Why labor liberalization caused western regions’ discontent and nationalism?

Most of the victim of the liberalization is blue collar people in western countries, exposed to competition with less-waged and abundant labors from eastern European countries and North-African Muslim areas. Those who suffers from jobless and multicultural situation have composed nationalist party and affected county’s policy. 

   But these people is not mainstream. However, the anti-immigrant trend is gradually spreading to major politicians, because they cannot ignore the opinion of considerably large number of suffering class, facing the next election. 

   The writer of this article and some researcher cited in the article, they stand against the disintegration, unlike increasing nationalist. From the economical point of view, going back to previous Europe cause huge loss as much as 25% to 40% in cross-border trade. Such an estimate is crucial for western countries’ industry which is still dependent on inter-regional trade. For immediate solution, western politicians need to remove people’s discontent without disintegration. 

Opinion

   Now problem is how. According to the article, those nationalist are more afraid of losing their cultural unity rather than losing their job. Such an emotional conflict is very tough to neutralize by policy, because it is not a matter of money.　At least now, solution is not clear. But, this example suggests that globalization is not necessarily good for everyone.