Misplaced faith

By Alex Gratzek

One of the major reasons for Trump’s success in being elected to the presidency was his insistence that a wall would be constructed along the southern border and it would be paid for by Mexico. It became a rallying cry at his rallies, helping to propel him to the presidency.

Despite his comparison that wheels are old and still work, so therefore walls must also still be effective, a quick glance through history will show this to not be the case. Instead, money intended for a wall could be used much more wisely in the pursuit of ending illegal immigration.

Trump’s desire to build a Great Wall of America underscores a certain ignorance of the “success” of the original Great Wall in China.

The Great Wall was constructed with the aim of protecting China from the nomadic tribes of the Steppes such as the Mongols, Manchus, and others. Despite the construction of the wall through the enormous expenditure of treasure and sweat, China found itself repeatedly overrun by Steppes peoples at various times throughout its history.

China was often better off when it traded with or bought the non-aggression of such tribes’ tribute. The Steppes could not provide all the grains, luxuries and manufactured goods needed by its peoples which could only be obtained from China; either through trade and tribute or plunder.

Such trade was skewed in favor of the Steppes peoples as they produced very little China actually needed, but it allowed the leaders of tribes to maintain their authority and prestige to curtail raiding. Often times, the termination of trade rights and the subsequent stoppage of goods flowing to the Steppes would lead to open warfare.

A part of America’s border with Mexico is along the Rio Grande. The river serves as a natural barrier which Trump wishes to supplement by fortifying it with fencing or a wall which lessons from history show is just another half-baked idea. It has been tried before and failed.

The Roman Empire, after the annihilation of Varus’s legions in A.D. 9, ceased its efforts at expansion in Germany and instead chose to consolidate and defend its holdings. The borders it came to rely on were the mighty rivers of Europe, the Rhine and the Danube.

Although its borders came to rest on these rivers, the rivers were supplemented with military rivercraft to discourage crossings and fortified cities at key points. All this never proved sufficient to prevent a plethora of peoples from periodically crossing the Rhine or the Danube, eventually culminating in the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire.

The mass migrations which created a domino effect leading to the fall of Rome can be traced back to the Goths attempting to flee from the Huns to the relative safety of the Roman Empire.

The Roman Empire was safer when it paid “tribute” to these peoples beyond the rivers as it solidified the position of local rulers. They would in turn dissipate gold and other luxuries which cemented their status as the provider of such goods.
When Rome cut this ‘tribute” the authority of the local ruler would be undercut and war-bands would splinter off to take by force what was no longer being provided by the local ruler whose authority was no longer unquestionable.

Trump’s infatuation with building a wall to prevent illegal immigration is not one that is grounded in reality. There are countless examples of migration throughout history of people overcoming obstacles, both manmade and natural. The untold billions being bandied about for a building a wall and its upkeep would undoubtedly be better spent on economic assistance to Central America.

In our countries recent past, the aftermath of World War II saw Europe devastated and countless refugees flocking to the safety and prosperity of America. With the advent of the Marshall Plan and the reconstruction of Europe, the flood of refugees to America turned to a trickle and in present day the number of immigrants from Europe is very small.

Now, the majority of immigrants coming to America are from “shithole countries” Trump seems to despise so much. If he wants to curtail this, the wall is perhaps the worst approach but the one that is most appealing to his vanity.

As time progresses and the ability to forestall climate changes lessens, the current trickle of refugees to America from Central America will turn into a flood. Climate change will be most felt by the poorer countries of the world which lack the resources to alleviate the coming crisis.

Some citizens of these nations are now fleeing gang violence and a lack of opportunities, but with climate change, a mass migration is not inconceivable as people will be seeking their very survival.

People from Africa are currently risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe. An entirely natural occurring sea is surely a stronger deterrent than a wall and yet this has proven to be an inadequate deterrent to migration to Europe.

If Trump is genuine in his concern to prevent such migration, it’s better to act now and to provide aid to the countries in Central America so they are able to develop themselves and take care of their people’s needs rather than throwing up obstacles which history has repeatedly shown to be ineffective in the face of human determination.