Political Implications of the challenge of Xenophobia and the challenge of

Human Rights: A Global Perspective

Xenophobia is not a recent phenomenon. It has led to countless wars, bloodshed, religions and
movements across human history. On one had it has led to the formation of nation states while
it has also brought down mightiest and the most benevolent of empires. What is the Xenophobia
and how does it impact human political systems in the 21st century?
Merriam – Webster defines xenophobia as fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of
anything that is strange or foreign. In the real world, people across the world define and sense
it varied manners. Whether it comes to people fleeing persecution and seeking political asylum
like political dissidents and human rights activists or refugees themselves fleeing war and
destruction, the ostracism that they face is unique yet common.
Various factors play into the level of xenophobia but the essence is possibility of assimilation.
When one looks at discrimination meted out in the United States of America to Jews fleeing
Nazi persecution during the Second World War or Irish and Italians fleeing domestic
difficulties in comparison to Asians in particular West and South Asians in the modern era one
understands the difference. The ability of these groups in assimilating with the majority
population becomes a key factor in deciding the levels of xenophobia.
Geopolitical realities are another important factor. Muslims currently are viewed with
suspicion across European nations like England. The Irish on the other hand who have had
faced arduous difficulties in England especially during the Troubles. But since the same has
now disappeared and the Irish nation has become an important and cultural trading partner, the
animosity between the groups has significantly reduced. The same can be gauged by the
exponential increase in the export of Guinness from Irish ports. Muslims have had easier lives
but since the explosion of Islamic terror, Muslims across the world have had to face many much
hate and contempt.
Historical factors too play an important role in unacceptance of certain groups. The hate many
in China and Korea feel against the Japanese people is most attributable to the horrors of the
Second World War like the Nanking Massacre. This effects not only how people view nations
in the modern but how nation states themselves interact. The Japanese and the South Korea
both being Western allies were expected to work and progress together but that has been proved
inaccurate. The handling of the North Korean ‘nuclear crisis’ where the nations have failed to
strategize and act in unity.
Such xenophobia powers itself on deep seated human emotions of hate, jealousy and the feeling
of being wronged. Politicians have been effectively been able to use this for centuries. When
the pope of the Holy Roman Empire found him powerless and overthrown, he invoked fervent
religious intolerance amongst the masses. He somewhat successfully raised the banner of the
Crusades in an attempt to solidify his position and his targeted hate led mass deaths. Leaders
of the modern world have started playing with peoples deep seated insecurities. The rise of
nationalistic leaders is testament to the above statement. The emergence of Jair Bolsanaro in
Brazil, Viktor Orban in Hungary and Donald Trump in the United States of America, the
beacon of acceptance is a signal for the re-emergence of xenophobia. Once modern, secular
democracy strove to become a beacon of acceptance, but now its own institutions are being
held hostage to such forces.
Nations such as Israel, Pakistan, South Sudan and Bangladesh have formed due to the inability
and unwillingness of people to accept others. The deep-seated divisions between people on
religious, ethnic and linguistic lines have had long been the divisive factor and have exposed
people who are different to hate. This thought of nationalistic leaders such as Shinzo Abe and
Narendra Modi which under the garb of strongmanship are seeking to evoke majority cohesion
by targeting the ‘other’.
European refugee crisis is a prime example of xenophobia. Europe has received 1 million
refugees since the civil war began in Syria and Yemen. Turkey has on the other hand has
received 3.5 million refugees alone without much international hue and cry. European Union
which comprises of 28 nations including some of the most advanced economies and almost a
continent has decreed refugee immigration as a ‘crisis’. This brings us to the factors which
were discussed above. The unwillingness of Europeans to accept and inability of Syrian
Muslims to assimilate in European society has led to their ostracization and them being
unwelcome.
This poses a danger to the modern economic and political system which depends on the
exchange of information to keep evolving. The importance of migration of people can be seen
from the fact that the Manhattan project was steered and led by immigrants.
Xenophobia has had always led to human rights violation. When one group despises another
there is always a risk of conflict.