Athens and the Global "Yasou"

Many in Africa and Eastern countries know Athens and Greece as the unofficial gateway to Europe. Many of the migrants coming from the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe often make their way to Greece to gain funds and documentation to start a life in Europe through making their living in the crowded and multicultural streets of Athena. While living in Greece is a great opportunity for many, Greeks themselves bear the burden of processing, living with and administering much of the immigration coming to Western Europe through their ancient and proud state and culture.

On occasion the tensions of so many migrants can put a great burden on the government and institutions of society. As mentioned in the last few postings by my wonderful colleague Cathryn Cluver, countries such as Syria and Jordan are doing their best to accept and integrate more than 2 million refugees from Iraq, but their social infrastructure, economy and residents can only absorb a certain number of people until it becomes unbearable. Like Jordan's refusal to accept more refugees in large numbers, and Syria issuing a Visa program for future migrants from Iraq, any country which has a disproportionate number of migrants coming in a short period of time will have problems digesting and equipping new citizens and residents into mainstream society in a proper manner.

While the Iraqi refugees are more likely now to flood into to Greece, issues in Greece may make life for migrants even more difficult. It is suspected that the cause of the massive fires in Greece this summer was started by an Iraqi migrant. As well, the death of a legal Nigerian migrant this past week in Athens made many Nigerians in Greece protest their ill treatment living in the ancient city.

With Athens being the gateway from the east to the west, the structure and society of Greece will likely accommodate and occasionally slightly implode based upon migration issues creating tension in Greece and neighboring nationsone constant however is that Greece will remain as the meeting point for many cultures in the years to come as it has been in its golden age.