Since people from war-torn nations often flee to Europe where they tend to get all kinds of help and support, I wonder what countries Europeans would/could flee to - and be welcomed by - if there were to be a war engulfing most of Europe?
Any thoughts?
(Random thoughts, I’m clueless about this subject, it’s safer to assume I’m wrong about everything)
USA is an obvious first choice for many. I imagine other developed countries in the Americas will be hotspots too. The big question is which countries would accept mass influxes of European refugees.
I wonder if enough could flee to Africa, and bring some substantial wealth with them… Would that actually help Africa catch up to the developed world? Or would it instead just be new colonialism?
Of course Africa is huge, diverse and messy, so that’s a very vague answer/question.
I don’t really think that this is true at all.
In the past the USA might have been appealing because there was real opportunity. If you show up, and work hard, there’s a good life in a stable environment for your kids and their kids. Those financial opportunities don’t seem to exist anymore, and the political and social environment seems… undesirable for migrants.
Presently the USA might be desirable for people already in the Americas because you can get there, and the currency exchange is favorable.
I wouldn’t want to make generalisations about Africa. There might be some locations on the continent that would be suitable, but IDK about that. You certainly wouldn’t want to be wealthier than the local population, because that dynamic wouldn’t continue very long.
I don’t think there’s a sensible answer to OP’s question. I imagine that only a minority group from Europe could really require ‘asylum’ (like Jewish people during WWII), and the answer depends on the nature of whichever group is seeking asylum.
So, this might change in the future and is not representative of every person here, but as an European, the USA would be one of the last places on my list to flee to if I had to. The current administration has made it more than clear that Europeans are not welcome (that doesn’t speak for all US Americans, of course, but still).
Canada or a South American country like Brazil would be a much better choice.
If not America, there’s North Africa (Tunisia, Egypt), Turkey (which is arguably part of Europe in certain ways) and maybe even a Caucasus state, depending on what kind of war I’m fleeing from.
Some of those might be better suited for a longer stay than others.
Odds are the USA will be on the wrong side of any major conflict and Canada would also be looking to Europe for support.
The USA is the exact opposite of safe. A record number of people are currently trying to leave or have left (I’m one of those)
I don’t think it will help that much. There’s already a lot of rich people in Africa. If anything this would bring about gentrification in a lot of the parts.
But that isn’t to say it will be a completely bad thing. (The people moving to African countries, not the gentrification). Maybe some parts of the economy will be stimulated.