Borderless Earth | as easy as ABC

Brexit. Other threatened EU exits and Schengen Visa review. Donald Trump and his growing legion. Countryless refugees outside national borders. Unenforceable United Nations rulings.

It is almost unthinkable that just about a year ago, optimism over international trade agreements and high spirits over the benefits of human mobilization seem to suggest that the world is coming more together despite pending geopolitical risks. Globalization, not deglobalization, was the battle cry just last year.

If there are “squatters” in one’s own country (despite advocacies that there should be none due to the basic human right of abode), it appears to be palatable to say there is no such thing as “citizens of the world,” and that there are immigrants because we have our own countries. UK unabashedly made immigrants central to the issue of the leave-or-not referendum. They say bluntly that spending for costs associated with maintaining immigrants is like food being taken away from the mouths of the London folks towards the tables of immigrants’ families. They’re unabashed to talk about immigration because it is so much more diplomatic to talk about it that way than to say that they want to keep potential terrorists out.

Still reeling from the shock of unexpected Brexit, France, deliberately or not, gave UK folks a sampling of the bitter taste of their own medicine when thousands of cars were stranded from Dover in UK going to the port of Calais in France.

Every bomb or hacking attack that happens in Germany, the most generous European country that opened its doors to Syrian refugees; and any unfortunate terror attack in the US or elsewhere, are used as booster by this US presidential candidate to his proposed policy of keeping Muslims (and Mexicans alike) “until we figure out what the **** is going on.”

“Terrorism is a different religion” was eloquently said by a brokenhearted mother of a Muslim US solider who was heralded as a hero. The same US presidential aspirant insulted her by lumping her along with everybody else in the same basket. It is quite scary to admit that this “religion” of terrorism espoused by an estimated 250,000 ISIS fighters seems to be succeeding. If its objective is to de-unify nations and slow down the growth of civilization that is decadent in its eyes, then the fear for one’s family and people appear to be cooperating with their long-term desires.

It “appears” only, because I do not think it will be true. Deglobalization will never be a model because it is simply too late. The US alone is a country practically owned by immigrants, with Native Americans estimated to be only three percent of its total population of 300 million. Purge that, and you wipe out an entire population. Almost every nation’s culture and economy are richer because of immigrants. In a study cited in a PwC APEC Global Worker Report, immigrants do not only supply labor or skills. Data shows that immigrants increase trade between the country that receives them and the country where they hail from.

If fear for one’s safety is the agent of deglobalization, human survival-economic considerations will continue to be the overriding reason for globalization. And its principal agent will continue to be human mobility. The PwC APEC Global Worker Report cited that human mobilization redistributes resources across economies. Businesses address talent shortages through mobility and workers acquire new skills without changing their citizenship. Global workers’ population alone (without their family members) is approximately 232 million around the world.

Humans are not only wired to travel; they are wired to adapt. Terror changed the way we travel forever – we are x-rayed to our skin; luggage are opened, revealing personal stuff; ladies are constrained to bring toiletries that can fit the size of a small transparent plastic bag; and we are forced to finish or throw away our bottle of drink – but those inconveniences never stopped our travel. When the plane flies, we pray for a safe return but we still fly. In the same way, immigration rules may prove to be tougher, sadly and unjustifiably, especially for some nationalities. But global mobility and immigration will always happen.

For the meantime, it must be appreciated that if, as CNN reported there are about possibly 250,000 hard-core terrorists in a world that has a population of nine billion people, why can’t we all be agents that help the military and government, and be part of an international network, regardless of race or nationality, to capture information to fight against terror? There are risks, but it is better than being passive victims.

If a few good men do nothing, evil prospers. A few billion good men can certainly make the difference. If as a global people, we put in our share to fight terror, we can succeed. Then we can talk about the concept of “global citizen.” And then we can say, there are NO “squatters” in our own Earth.