A Spanish rescue ship tows a refugee boat on the island of El Hierro (Canary Islands) on October 21st. STRINGER / AFP
DECRYPTION – The challenges of the migration wave are high on the continent's political agenda, as populist groups roil parties on the right and left.
For many years, immigration was not a controversial issue in Europe. But today it is destabilizing democracies, toppling governments and permanently weakening the mainstream parties, the old traditional political movements, whether social democratic or conservative. As if by a domino effect, one by one they succumb to the irresistible force of the wandering hurricane.
The issue has long been denied in Western European countries. In France, the left dismissed the issue by reducing uncertainty to a “feeling,” by advocating for a multicultural society and ending a debate deemed “toxic” or “extreme right.” In Germany, Angela Merkel opened her country's doors to more than a million Syrian refugees, ignoring the reservations and fears of part of the population.
Sweden has developed one of the most generous admission policies…
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