Resume

Daniel Williamson

Las Vegas, Nevada          702-672-0439

dwilliamson257@gmail.com

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Objective

Seeking a position in the capacity of a Professional Writer

Education

               Northern Arizona University                                                Flagstaff, Arizona

                    Bachelor Interdisciplinary Studies – Humanities

                    Conferred Summa Cum Laude December 2016

                    Yavapai  College                          Prescott, Arizona

                    Associate of Arts                                                                                                                                                                   

                    Conferred with honors December 2014

                    American High School

                    Fremont, California

Skills

               -CRLA certified tutor                                                                  -Writing for Journalism

                    Level I Certification awarded Spring 2015                               -Technical Writing

                    International Tutor Training Program                                         -Business Writing

                    -Web Content Creation                                                             -Paralegal Studies

                    -Literary Criticism                                                                        -Small Business Management

Work History

               Yavapai College Learning Center                        2014-2015

                    Writing Tutor                                                                                                    Supervisor: Robb Ferguson, Director, 928-776-2085

                    Rugertalk.com

Freelance Content Writer                                         2014                             Supervisor: Christopher Eger, Editor

Williamson Raingutter Co.                                         2012-2014                                        Owner-Operator

References

Judith Costello, MA, Associate Professor for the department of Comparative Cultural Studies in Humanities, Latin American Studies and Cinema Studies.            

                    928-774-1401 x106                                                                     jcostello@courts.az.gov

                    Gioia Woods, PhD, Associate Professor Humanities

                    928-523-8168                                                                              gioia.woods@nau.edu

                    Angela Fabela, Learning Center Director, 928-776-2086        angela.fabela@yc.edu

“O Holy Narmada”: Identifying Key Literary Elements within Mehta’s A River Sutra

“O Holy Narmada”: Identifying Key Literary Elements within Mehta’s A River Sutra

            In her moving 1993 novel A River Sutra, author Gita Mehta utilizes unique narrative techniques, compelling symbolism, and geographic setting to form a microcosm of Indian society which highlights the multiplicity of cultural and spiritual influences amalgamated into one collective identity.

            Mehta does not rely on a sole narrator to convey the complexities of the Indian imagination. To be sure, there is a collection of stories that without the cohesive functioning of the “sutradhar” might have seemed disjointed. A sutradhar is translated literally as “the one who holds the threads” or what we might think of in western terms; a director (Sin). The ex-bureaucrat weaves the threads of separate stories into a comprehensive cross-section of Indian society. If A River Sutra is the loom, the unnamed sutradhar is the weaver and the threads of individual stories within the novel are woven into an elaborate tapestry that illustrates the beauty that can be derived from diversity.

            Just as the variations of the Indian story require, the author chooses equally varied points-of-view to describe it adequately. As already suggested, the sutradhar performs as the catalyzing force; generating, promoting, and interceding between the hosts of sub-narrators. He is, however, not exclusively omniscient. At times he begs for knowledge from his secondary tier of storytellers. This works well within the prose as the reader is allowed a pleasant ignorance until points of great discoveries; much like the slow opening of a beautiful flower or the patient unwrapping of a gift. Mostly, it is by way of third-person limited point-of –view that the sub-narrators lend their threads to the overall tapestry; all the while cognoscente that the director will merge their individual vignettes into a cohesive whole. The decision to enlist multiple points-of-view can be risky for many authors. However, considering the subject matter, it performs well in this treatment. A single-story cannot adequately represent such a diverse region. Thus, Mehta’s literary choices in this regard work masterfully at realistically incorporating a variety of perspectives into one compelling description of the complex Indian ethos.

            The central theme found within the novel is one of the diverse contributions of multiple backgrounds and experiences that come together resulting in a powerful whole, a beautiful cross-section, and a multifaceted coalescence of the human condition. Themes are constructed by way of literary devices. There is no more carefully constructed and consistently maintained device present than the metaphorical theme that permeates Mehta’s prose.

            The author uses the river and its unique characteristics to symbolize how each subculture in the region contributes to the Indian world-view. The Narmada River is a metaphor for the confluence of cultures that are collected into a homogenized Indian identity. The nameless ex-bureaucrat takes pause on his way to visit his Muslim friend, Tariq. He views the river, “I can see the foaming waterfalls where the river plummets through marble canyons into the valley below the rest house, and if I turn to the west I can watch the river broadening as it races to the Arabian Sea to become seventeen kilometers wide at its delta” (Mehta, 7). The river is collecting from mountainous tributaries just as the speaker is collecting the varied contributions of the many narrators of the novel. Their perspectives add to the collective Indian experience which eventually is as broad as the “The Delightful One’s” grand delta.

            The river metaphorically unites very different belief systems. The ex-bureaucrat often transitions between sub-narrators by returning to the river analogy. He looks into the Indian heart as he sits with his “face toward the source of the river” as if what is to be discovered lies upriver in the diversity of the metaphorical tributaries that become a collective (42). Just as he traverses the “narrow bridge [that] spans the stream that flows past Tariq Mia’s mosque” the narrators unique perspective moves always in reference to the water and what it means in the author’s metaphor (44). Notice this is the Muslim “stream” leading to the main river at the center of Mehta’s treatment. The bridge has brought a Hindu observant to a Muslim enclave linking the two belief systems in common friendship. Mehta uses the mullah to point out the unique interlacing of otherwise disparate faiths, “India’s greatest poet also floated down this river, he remarked with some acerbity. Kabir, the man whose poems made a bridge between your faith and mine” (46). It is while descending the common river of Indian experience that Kabir planted the twig of his “toothbrush” cultivating the Hindu faith’s place within it. There are many faiths “planted” alongside the author’s symbolic river, each unique and distinctive yet coalesced into one flow. 

            The quest for personal enlightenment, or discovering meaning in one’s life, can also be found within Mehta’s metaphorical use of water and rivers leading to an over-all cultural identity. Consider the Jain monk who exemplifies the Indian imagination towards devotion to higher things. Before his own conversion and renunciation he told of his own mentor, “I longed to share his knowledge” and “I was convinced he had some unusual power and I wanted to possess it” (32). Whether Muslim, Hindu, Jain, or Buddhist, Indians desire a common spiritual goal, albeit by different paths, that lead each to their own contribution to the wide “delta” of Indian belief. They are the underlying rock matrix across which the spiritual waters trace their tributaries to separate source springs. Again, Mehta uses a metaphorical device of the river to illustrate the intricacies of India’s multi-faceted religiousness. They are sourced from separate “springs,” they may have different characteristics, different taste, color or flow. Yet, they each find their way towards a common river which blends their nuances into a common channel; one never denying the space to another faith or belief system. Just as the Narmada is broad, powerful, and wide at its termination in the Arabian Sea, the collective Indian imagination is equally buoyed by inclusion of each religious affiliation in a surprisingly tolerant coexistence the western world should take notice of.

            This coexistence is demonstrated through Mehta’s setting, characterization, and narrative choices. Located in the Narmada Valley where Muslim chants of “Allah-ho-Akbar” echo across the entrances of Jain caves and across the worn paths of Hindu pilgrimages, the characters that inhabit the story each exemplify a unique world-view (9-11). Tolerance is the peace-maker and underlies the narrative; the loom by which Mehta weaves her story.

            Some characters represent those operating at the margins of society. The courtesans are a sensuous commodity, objectified, and vulnerable individuals that the author uses to promote the much-needed conversation about how a society treats its women. Mr. Chagla speaks of the woman, but more universally of what we might do to help, “Can we keep a visitor, sir?” (158). Caste distinctions and moral norms have forced unwanted consequences on those least able to defend themselves against them in a city where men “believe every human being has a price” (167). Through Mr. Chagla, Mehta is really asking if we can recognize, even redeem those like the Courtesan and her daughter before others meet similar fates. We are judged by how we treat the least of our citizens, and the author constructs a social commentary through these characters that is empathetic towards that segment of society. Ultimately, the only solace had by the grieving mother is that “she was happy her daughter had died in the Narmada because she would be purified of all her sins” (190). Again, the river is the termination, the final resting place for submerging a world of iniquities.

            Enter Tariq Mia. This Muslim teacher and his friendship with the main narrator (a Hindu) are symbolic of the capacity for tolerance residing within the Indian people. There is no animosity between their different faiths or beliefs. There are no attempts to convert the other or disrespect the other. The main premise underlying the idealized interplay of converging belief systems, according to Mia, is love. We learn the only secret worth knowing, “The human heart has only one secret. The capacity to love” (48). There can be no more universal truth within a multi-cultural society that for centuries has demonstrated a unique propensity to evolve in an almost symbiotic manner between different faiths and a multiplicity of cultural influences.

             In the two most memorable moments from the novel, the theme of diversity as a strength is bolstered in grand fashion. First among these is the scene that describes the narrator’s closing of Nitin Bose’s diary and entertains new thoughts on the significance of the holy Narmada. Again, Mehta reinforces the river metaphor as a gathering of disparate beliefs. At dawn he “…was able to see the Narmada leaping headlong through the distant marble rocks, the spraying waterfalls refracting the first rays of sun into arcs of color as if the river were a woman adorning herself with jewels” (139). In fact, the river is adorning itself; albeit by the collecting of multiple traditions and varied belief systems along her route to the sea. The second most memorable moment that enhances the main theme is found within Tariq’s meeting the ascetic at the waterfall. When asked what he is teaching his student the ascetic answers “Shankarcharya’s poem to the Narmada.” The ex-bureaucrat, unable to understand it read in Sanskrit, relays: “I could only listen to the cadences of his recitation and I imagined I heard the river flowing in the rhythms of the poem” (235). This unique interchange provides an opportunity for the author to make a compelling commentary of Indian society relational to her general theme. Although the narrator does not understand the exact meaning of the poem he “hears” the river within it; that being the goal of spiritual growth and progression common to all belief systems that are watered at the banks of the Narmada. Likewise, one does not need to fully understand the intricacies of Jain, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhists tenants to understand that they merely represent separate paths to an equally desirable, or admirable goal; spiritual maturity. These are only two scenes among many within the novel that exemplify Mehta’s theme of inclusion, unity from diversity and the ways by which the multiplicity of Indian spirituality experiences coexist.

            A River Sutra compliments the work of authors such as Dehejia, Schwartz, and Eck by moving the discussion from non-fictional treatments into a wonderful fictional extrapolation. We can find the cave, the temple and the sacred dance transported from mere theoretical explanations into tangible places within Mehta’s prose. The river’s heartbeat pulsing underground, the chants heard across the holy tank at Amarkantak, the vocalized poem from behind the waterfall, all adorate Shiva and develop the concepts of Indian deity from strict theology into meaningful transfigurations of devotion within the daily lives of worshippers. There is a sense that our academic journey in Indian Art has come full circle; that our social and historical appreciations have merged with the characters, themes, and symbolism of the novel like the merging tributaries leading to the holy Narmada.

            The choice of the work’s title: A River Sutra is extremely fitting once one understands the etymology of “sutra” and its relationship within the author’s main theme. The above references to the book as a “loom” becomes more illuminated when it is revealed that the word sutra means “a string or thread” in the original language-Sanskrit (Monier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary). Mehta has “sewn” together the separate vignettes to form a cohesive narrative that is exceptional in its ability to describe the seemingly complex confluence of belief in the region. Just as the Narmada weaves multiple source waters into a common flow, the author’s prose has woven the many contributing influences to the Indian imagination; beginning boldly with the title.

            Just as the sages sing as they line the banks of the Narmada, I too feel the novel (like the river) is “twice-born.” It is first revealed in the context of what we have learned in our course material. Yet, the second birth is when I realized the inherent beauty in Mehta’s masterfully constructed work. The river metaphor is extremely useful; the multiple narration compelling. The varieties of perspectives gravitate towards the great valley and flow gracefully to the sea. The characterizations are deeply developed and operate on multiple levels of social interaction. The inclusion of poetic verse and heart-felt dialogue are appropriate and incredibly moving. I am forever changed. As Kalidasa once asked of the river, “…who can bear to leave you;” I cannot bear to leave this work. I feel as though it might reveal itself even more so through subsequent readings. And that is what I intend to do. It is a truly wonderful work.

Works Cited

Mehta, Gita. A River Sutra. New York, NY, N.A. Talese, 1993.

“Monier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary Page 1274.” Monier-Williams Sanskrit English            Dictionary Page 1274, www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/1200/mw__1274.html.

At a Crossroads: A Critical Analysis of the Effects of the Current Refugee Crisis on an Economically Vulnerable Greece; Cause, Impact & Implications

At a Crossroads: A Critical Analysis of the Effects of the Current Refugee Crisis on an Economically Vulnerable Greece; Cause, Impact & Implications

            September 2^nd 2015: many people worldwide awoke to see a heart-wrenching photo going viral across their Twitter feeds. With the hashtag “KiyiyaVuranInsanlik” meaning “Humanity Washed Ashore” in Turkish, the depiction of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi’s body washed up on a Greek island beach was too much for many to bear. Like multitudes of other displaced persons fleeing war-torn Syria, his family paid smugglers, donned fake lifejackets and entered the cold Aegean Sea. Although the world was captivated by the tragedy, it did not begin to realize the totality of the unique convergence of circumstances that has created a complex milieu of economic, political and humanitarian concerns regarding refugees seeking to enter the EU through Greece. Since the Greek government debt crisis and global Great Recession occurred simultaneously with external conflicts such as the Syrian Civil War, Greece, as a perimeter entry point it has found itself financially burdened by an explosion of refugees from conflict regions disproportionate to other EU member states.

            The Great Recession of 2007-2009, also known as the global financial crisis, is considered by most economists to have been the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The catalyst for this far-reaching event originated within the U.S. housing market where the risky practice of sub-prime mortgage lending led to high default rates and foreclosures. Housing prices fell by as much as fifty percent in some areas (Grusky, 4). An economic “chain reaction” threatened large financial institutions and spread world-wide as stock markets, national governments, and foreign financial institutions prompting fears of a global economic collapse. World trade fell by up to 30% and the world’s wealth literally vaporized as $11 trillion was lost globally (Roberts, ii).

            The Greek government-debt crisis started in late 2009, as a direct result of the Great Recession. As one of the 28 member states within the European Union (EU), Greece is bound by the Stability and Growth Pact which sets public debt limits at 60% of GDP, budget deficits at 3% of GDP, and prevents bailouts of any kind (Lane, 49). Greece failed on all accounts due to structural weaknesses in the economy and deceptive reporting of government debt levels and deficits ("Acropolis Now."). Additional strains to the Greek economy were exasperated by a lack of heavy industry or manufacturing. For a country whose “lifeblood” is tourism, the global financial meltdown meant far fewer euros at a time they could least afford it (Pournara).             Government tax increases, spending cuts and reforms triggered riots and large scale protests. The government required a series of bailout loans from the IMF, Eurogroup, and the European Central Bank to no avail. Greece became the first developed country to default on an IMF loan (Becatoros). By 2015 the debt level reached 323 billion Euros or 33,000 Euros per citizen; an unsustainable financial condition for any nation (BBC). The situation was worsening.

            The end result of the Greek government debt crisis, the Great Recession, and failing tourism industry manifested itself in the decimated daily lives of millions of citizens. Tens of thousands found themselves homeless and 20% of all shops in Athens are empty (Hope). One out of four Greeks were unemployed; a condition that has not improved since (Eurostat). By 2015, 1 in 5 Greeks could not meet daily food expenses (Zeitchik). As a proud culture with strong social and family structures, Greece barely needed to measure such things as hunger and homelessness in the past. Now, it has consumed the national conversation.

            The financial crisis in Greece propagated extreme antagonism between the nation and other member-states within the EU. In fact, many analysts fear the situation would “not only sink Greece but also the euro and the idea of the European Union itself” (Chu). Many feel as though the animosity between the country and the EU could lead to a “Grexit” or Greek exit from the union similar to the one Britain voted for recently (Smith). Greeks feel abandoned and other member-states have an increasingly negative opinion of them as their debt crisis is threatening the stability of the entire region. The sentiment is building in that many Greeks resent EU meddling in their affairs. Only a third has a positive view of the relationship (Pew Research Center). Eighty-five percent say that the EU does not understand the needs of their citizens (Stokes). This tenuous relationship will become even more strained by the refugee crisis looming on the horizon.

            The Syrian Civil War grew out of the 2011 Arab Spring simultaneously with the Greek financial crisis. Protesters calling for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad were met with violent responses by government forces killing over 5,000 in just the first nine months (Malla). In the years since, the conflict has become a “proxy war” with the U.S.S.R backing the Assad regime and the U.S. supporting the opposition (Barnard). By 2015, 10.9 million Syrians (half the population) had been displaced with many looking West towards Greece as a place of refuge (OCHA). With over half of the refugee population in Greece originating from Syria, the ongoing conflict has exacerbated the already dire economic conditions there. The situation is worsening. According to the European Commission’s policy brief, by late 2015 almost 70% of all detections (undocumented entries) in the Eastern Mediterranean were Syrian Nationals (EMN).

            Other global conflicts like that in Afghanistan have contributed to the influx of refugees into Greece seeking entry to the EU. One-quarter of all refugees in Greece have fled the decades of conflict in Afghanistan. Although many of the 3.7 million displaced from the country have settled in neighboring Iran and Pakistan, their status there is uncertain. According to Human Rights watch, Iranian officials tend to “deport thousands of undocumented Afghans without allowing them the opportunity to demonstrate a legal right to remain in Iran or to lodge an asylum application” (Niland). The options for many Afghan refugees are rather limited considering their treatment by neighboring host countries coupled with the dim prospect of repatriation to a devastated homeland. Again, the EU represents their best chance for improved lives and Greece being the most readily accessible entry point.

            The balances of the displaced seeking entry to the EU through Greece originate from Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan. Regional conflict, political instability and proximity to the “Eastern Mediterranean Route” effectively “funnel” asylum seekers towards Greece. This is an unfortunate geographic anomaly for countries like Greece at a time when they can least afford it.  

                        One of the most significant factors which place a disadvantage on Greece as a perimeter entry point to the EU can be traced back to the controversial Dublin Regulations (1997, 2003, and 2008). The primary goals of this agreement is to prevent asylum seekers from “shopping” applications in multiple nations and prescribes that the EU country where they first land is responsible for processing their applications and caring for the applicant while they await a decision (THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION). At the height of the European refugee and migrant crisis in 2015 many member states disregarded the agreement, refusing to accept back asylum seekers who were located elsewhere leading to a partial suspension of the requirements. Cracks were beginning to form in the EU caused primarily by this agreement. Yet, for the refugee seeking a better life on the continent, survival meant crossing the sea, legalities be damned.

            The Mediterranean crossing is an extremely dangerous one. A disturbing trend is revealing itself as the death tolls for asylum seekers have continued to rise over the past few years. Although the Central Mediterranean route (Libya to Italy) tends to be more deadly, the Aegean is increasingly experiencing rising casualties due to the shifting dynamics of regional conflicts outside of Northern Africa (IOM). 2015 saw a huge shift taking place with Greece overtaking Italy as the primary point of arrival for asylum seekers (UNHCR). The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) has reported that “In 2015, some 885,000 [illegal] migrants arrived in the EU via the Eastern Mediterranean route – 17 times the number  in 2014, which was itself a record year” (Frontex). The future shows no signs of improvement as the UN have called 2016 “The deadliest year ever for migrants crossing the Mediterranean”  where an asylum seeker faces a 1 in 88 chance they might die trying to reach the EU through the Eastern route (Kennedy). Great numbers of bodies are washing up on Aegean beaches with no end in sight.

            The Greek islands off the coast of Turkey have borne the brunt of the crisis. This is in part due to the construction of a 10.5 km fence on the mainland between the two countries in 2012. The 4-meter-tall, barbed-wire fence secured the only portion of the 125-mile shared border not naturally defended by the Evros River. At a cost of 3 million euros, the fence cut illegal entries on the mainland by 95% causing many refugees to seek out the more dangerous sea crossings (Ekathimerini). Greece has over 6,000 islands spread far across the Aegean and Ionian Seas but only 227 are inhabited (Greek Islands). The islands of Lesbos, Chios, and Kos have garnered the majority of recent attention as they are closest to the Turkish mainland. As the death toll mounted in the Aegean, and the monumental proportions of the situation were not improving, international aid agencies began to take notice.

            The UNHCR has taken a leading role in trying to relieve the devastating impact of such great numbers of refugees attempting to gain entry to the EU through Greece. At the time of this writing, 62,000 refugees are located in Greece all needed emergency resources (Harris). The agency has called upon the EU to increase humanitarian efforts in Greece calling the crisis “shameful” (Kambas). In an effort to assist, the UNHCR has opened reception centers on the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos. Unfortunately, the camps have degraded to becoming “closed” facilities; basically detention centers deemed deplorable by human rights watchers where asylum seekers wait for extended periods in administrative limbo (Tineke). Conditions have become so bad that in October, refugees rioted and set fire to the Moria camp located on Lesbos (Associated Press). Following a visit in April, Pope Francis was moved by what he saw there and brought twelve Syrian Muslims to Italy aboard his own plane (Boghani). The situation was at a breaking point and Greece officials were once again looking towards the EU for viable solutions.

            The winds of change are blowing across the Aegean as the EU-Turkey deal on Migrant Crisis seeks to relieve the pressure placed on Greece as a perimeter entry point to the EU. On March 18^th of this year the 28 EU heads of state forged an agreement that allows Greece to return to Turkey “all new irregular migrants” that reach the troubled nation (Collett). In turn, The EU agreed that for every returned Syrian migrant to Turkey, one Syrian already in Turkey will be resettled in the EU (News, BBC). The agreement targets the people smugglers’ business model in order to remove their incentive to seek out irregular routes to the EU. The agreement was not without controversy.

            Since its hurried implementation just two days after signing, the EU/Turkey Agreement has been heavily criticized. As seen in past examples like the Evros wall, once one route is closed, smugglers and refugees merely adjust and look towards other paths to enter the EU (Delfs). Human rights advocates are even questioning the legality of the agreement. The leading group, the Council of Europe, listed a number of indictments against the deal shortly after it was put in place. First, they claim that inadequate legal protections for refugees wishing to appeal rejection decisions. This has led one Dutch parliamentarian to suggest, “Even on paper, it raises many serious questions of compatibility with basic norms on refugees’ and migrants’ rights. It has so far given every indication of being even more problematic in practice” (Rankin). Second, they cite the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in the Greek detention centers as inhumane and not representative of what Western civilization should be demonstrating to the world. Prior to the riot and fire at Moria, aid workers warned that due to deplorable conditions and slow-moving asylum claims the camp was “a ticking time bomb” (Jones). The terms of the agreement also raises questions as to what happens to refugees once they are returned to Turkey.

            When Syrian refugees leave Turkey for Greece it is for good reason. There are over 2.5 million refugees residing there already having fled the turmoil of civil war in their homeland (Sreenivasan). Even with EU funding to help keep Syrian refugees in Turkey, they cannot build camps fast enough. In fact, the dozens of camps along the Syrian/Turkish border are full upon completion and severely overcrowded. As a camp resident, they are not allowed to work outside the facilities (Cerre). The same conditions that initially caused Syrian refugees to risk the ocean crossing await them as they are returned leading to a cycle of despair and unending hopelessness. One report even claims that Turkey is only sending the sick and ill-educated to Europe in the migrant swap deal, something no one ever imagined at signing (Ensor). Only time will tell if the implementation of the agreement will stem the tide of Syrian refugees attempting to use Turkey and Greece as a “stepping stone” to the EU while at the same time doing with humane and legal safeguards. For an already financially devastated Greece, they need look no further than home to see how this crisis is revealing a critical vulnerability.

            The effects of the refugee crisis have impacted important sectors of the economy. As mentioned earlier, Greeks are substantially reliant upon tourism, an industry incompatible with bodies washing up on pristine island beaches. The size and status of Lesbos as the third largest Greek island has made it the preferred destination for asylum seekers crossing from Turkey. Holiday visitors from around the world travel to Lesbos; but for quite different reasons. “The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) describes the Dodecanese [Lesbos included] as a haven of crystal clear waters, sandy or pebbly beaches” where visitors can enjoy “the destinations culture, gastronomy, and excellent weather” (Leadbetter). “Often, the two worlds would jarringly intersect - here the vacationers from affluent and stable European countries dining at a seaside restaurant, while over there, a hundred meters away, destitute and desperate refugees arriving, wet and hungry, after a perilous journey in an inflatable boat from Turkey” (Angelopoulou). The industry was beginning to notice severe impacts as the refugee situation worsened.

            Tourism represents 20% of Greek GDP overall, but for islands like Lesbos, it’s closer to 100%. With bookings on the island down 90%, hotel and tavern owners are now serving international aid workers instead of vacationers (Angelopoulou). Cruise ship dockings are down by almost 50% and 2017 estimates according to booked itineraries are not much better (Chrysopoulos).  As a testament to the great numbers of crossings, there is an immense “mountain” of discarded life-jackets near Skala Skaminias growing ever larger as 2,000 or more refugees arrive each day (Strickland). “Without a more comprehensive solution from the European Union, the Greek government fears that the unabated flow of refugees and its impact on the economy risks boosting xenophobic elements in the country, said a senior government official” (Marans).

            Deeply affected by severe economic conditions and the influx of great numbers of refugees, many Greeks have gravitated towards right-wing nationalist parties like the Golden Dawn party. Originally founded in 1980, the party remained relatively insignificant until the 2,000’s where they found new strength in opposing the increase in immigrant populations (mainly Muslims) who they feared would alter the Greek social landscape (Kitsantonis). The Golden Dawn has no problem using a “swastika-like” symbol, using violence and intimidation, and promoting fascist ideals in their response to what they feel is the greatest threat to Greek culture; the influx of refugees. The ultra-nationalist party has even realized political legitimization as of late, even so far as being elected to Parliament where their platform is centered upon total expulsion of all immigrants in Greece (Pennie). Just as the economic conditions in the Weimar Republic of 1930’s Germany paved the way for the Nazi party, many observers fear a similar path is forming in Greece as they continue to struggle with this unique confluence of contributing factors.

            The economic outlook for Greece is dismal. The country has failed to enter a “recovery phase” and a contracting GDP has many fearing a total collapse (FocusEconomics). The EU is working with the country in an attempt to pressure creditors for more relief and the government for more austerity measures. This dire outlook makes it even more imperative for the troubled country to continue to receive help from the union in regards to the refugee situation.

            Forecasters see equally disturbing indicators that show the refugee crisis will not end anytime soon. Despite the EU/Turkey Agreement, refugee camps are still bursting at the seams and ocean crossings seem to be increasing not decreasing as many had hoped (Squires). This prompted Save the Children director Katie Dimmer to lament, “We’re nearly back at square one. As the number of arrivals creeps up again, we’re starting to see scenes reminiscent of last summer. Except this time, most asylum seekers are unable to continue their journeys, and are trapped on the islands, in overcrowded facilities, and under the blazing sun” (Lowe). If there is any hope in sight, it lies within the willingness or not of the EU to commit more resources to aid Greece’s dilemma, an acceleration of asylum application processing, and stricter adherences to the return policies dictated by the EU/Turkey agreement.

            In 1991, an extraordinary confluence of unrelated meteorological events off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States became known as “The Perfect Storm.” Any one of these weather anomalies alone would have had severe consequences for the vulnerable coastal region. The Halloween Gale, Hurricane Grace, an erratic cold front, and area of low pressure all converged causing 13 deaths and over $200 million dollars in property damage. Using this analogy is the best way to understand the extraordinary confluence of concerning events that are having a prolonged and persistent negative effect on the Greek nation.  The Great Recession, Greek Government Debt Crisis, and the recent influx of great numbers of refugees flooding into Greece have produced a similar “Perfect Storm” devastating to the, economy of, and more importantly, people of Greece. The tenuous relationship between Greece and the EU threatens all of Europe and the very fabric of the union. Right-wing nationalist are gaining political traction by leveraging rising xenophobia and economic concern. The “Cradle of Democracy” is at risk of a total economic collapse as the rest of the World recovers (albeit slowly) from the Global Recession unburdened by the compounding of socio-economic concerns of the 11 million Greeks spread across the Aegean. Aeschylus, writing in Prometheus Bound suggested “Oh it is easy for the one who stands outside the prison-wall of pain to exhort and teach the one in pain” (AESCHYLUS). Likewise, it is easy for outside observers to dictate remedies to the Greek people. Only time will reveal whether they will find adequate solutions before they irreversibly descend into fascism.

           

           

Works Cited

"Acropolis Now." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 01 May 2010. Web. 03 Nov.             2016.

AESCHYLUS. "AESCHYLUS, PROMETHEUS BOUND." - Theoi Classical Texts Library.             N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Angelopoulou, Alexia. "Greek Tourism Still Affected by Refugee Crisis | IOL." Greek Tourism          Still Affected by Refugee Crisis | IOL. IOL, 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.

Associated Press. "Migrant Riot at Greek Island Camp Damages Asylum Offices." Fox News. FOX News Network, 24 Oct. 2016. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Barnard, Anne, and Karam Shoumali. "U.S. Weaponry Is Turning Syria Into Proxy War With    Russia." The New York Times Online. N.p., 12 Oct. 2015. Web. 3 Nov. 2016.

 BBC. "Greece Debt Crisis: Eurozone Rejects Bailout Appeal." BBC News. N.p., 30 June 2015.   Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

Becatoros, Elena, and Raf Casert. "Greece Fails to Make IMF Payment as Bailout Expires."             CTVNews. N.p., 30 June 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

Boghani, Priyanka. "FRONTLINE." PBS. PBS, 19 Apr. 2016. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.

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“It’s a Family Thing”: Organized People Smuggling as Villains within Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway

“It’s a Family Thing”: Organized People Smuggling as Villains within Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway

            When ascribing ultimate responsibility for “largest death-event in border history” many who have studied the incident often see villainy everywhere they look. To be sure, we can place blame on the socio-economic conditions that motivate the walkers to undertake such a dangerous journey. We can possibly blame NAFTA, U.S. border policies, Migra, or even the immigrants themselves. However, to focus the lens of culpability in a strictly legal sense we must look at the highly organized criminal enterprise that contributed more to the tragedy than any other element. In Luis Urrea’s heart-wrenching story The Devil’s Highway, the Cercas family people smuggling operation constitutes the book’s villain by operating a predatory criminal enterprise that valued profit above human life and thus deserves the blame for the migrant’s deaths.

            Throughout the book, we learn of a corporation of evil. The corporation is centered within one family; the Cercas. They are the predators who benefit from the border policies that need to be changed to prevent deaths like those experienced by the Yuma 14, but more importantly to embrace the positive economic contributions of Mexican immigrants. There is an irony embedded within this conversation. That being that there are factions that would not want border relations to improve or change in any way. The Cercas would be out of business. They distill their “tides of money” from the immigration controversies; from the parts of the fences protected by single strands of wire or nothing at all. They parasitically hitch themselves to the “American Dream” by extracting every last peso from the poor far from the border region.

            Chief among the author’s villains is the head of the criminal enterprise that lured the Yuma 14 into the desert. Luis Cercas is likened to “Tony Saprano” of the popular HBO series (Urrea, 61). Crime syndicates operate within established hierarchies that isolate the upper levels of power from the transgressions committed by the foot soldiers, but they are no less culpable. From Phoenix, Cercas calls the shots through his brother (Daniel) in Hidalgo (61).

            Daniel Cercas, or “Chespiro,” holds the reins of power south of the border. Again, the structure is highly organized in order to protect those at the top; “…he never met the bottom-feeders of the gang face-to-face; he kept in contact via cell phone” (62). All criminal enterprises revolve around money and Chespiro is the hub of the wheel. He makes all payouts and takes in all the payments making sure the family’s profit machine runs smoothly (62).

            Any effective organization needs a competent administrator; for the Cercas, that was Chespiro’s unnamed sister-in-law. Working from Phoenix, she organizes the movements of “human deposits” once they arrive in the U.S.; shuffling them from safe house to safe house until they can be disseminated into the rest of the country (62).

            Following the corporate analogy, “middle management” belonged to Luis’s brother-in-law, El Negro, the “dreaded enforcer and manipulator of Sonoita, Sonora (62). He commanded a small army of soldiers; the drivers, guides, coyotes, runners, and lookouts (63). They upper levels of the crime-family have no regard for their lives just as they have none for the walkers as long as the money keeps flowing.

            As “a walking ad for the American good life,” Don Moi Garcia was the tip of the criminal spear in Veracruz. He was a fixer and recruiter for the coyotes (47). Finding clients among the disadvantaged poor in the south was not very difficult. He would ask them, “How much is your future worth to you?” while setting the fee at what amounted to a year’s wage (49). As many did, they could borrow the money from loan sharks, or Don Moi himself, if they didn’t want to wait and save. The allure of Moi’s big belly, fancy car, and cell phone sealed their fate. They put their lives in his hands and were sent northward through the interconnected family enterprise knowing not what lay in store for them.

            Medez and Ramos may have actually led the walkers into the Sonoran Desert. Yes, they abandoned them promising to return with water which they never did. Many place the blame on these foot soldiers of the people smuggling operation. However, that attribution is misdirected just as it would be wrong to place responsibility solely on a Gambino or Capone foot soldier. They are merely a cog in the Cercas criminal machine; guilty yes but not solely.

Ultimately, as in any organized crime syndicate, the responsibility is at the top. The Cercas family was effectively “taken human lives to turn them into a commodity” as Border Patrol spokesman Rene Noriega put it (Dell'orto). Urrea speaks to the group’s legacy in the final chapter “Home,” “The Yuma 14 changed nothing, and they changed everything” (211). The “nothing” is the cold truth that until conditions change, there will always be an incentive for criminals like the Cercas. The “everything” is that there has been so much attention drawn to the plight of the smuggled, the vulnerable migrant, that the much-needed conversation concerning the complexities of border issues has been advanced exponentially. If the attention is too much for the Cercas then another family will take their place. The poor will look north. The money will change hands and criminal will profit, however evil their enterprise. Through his Pulitzer Prize winning story, The Devil’s Highway, author Luis Urrea follows exhaustive research processes to reveal the true villains behind the tragedy known as the “Yuma 14;” the Cercas family and their criminal people smuggling business.

Works Cited

Dell'orto, Giovanna. “14 Illegal Immigrants Die in Desert.” Washington Post, The Washington    Post, 24 May 2001.

Urrea, Luis Alberto. The Devil's Highway: a True Story. New York, Little, Brown, 2004.

“In the gardens of hardship” : Descriptions of Refugee Camp Conditions in Hashimi’s When the Moon is Low

“In the gardens of hardship” : Descriptions of Refugee Camp Conditions in Hashimi’s When the Moon is Low

As Fereiba navigates her family from the “toxic air of Kabul” she never imagines a refugee camp. She admits, “I had no better plan in mind. We would go to London” (128). It is not until they reach the Greek mainland that they begin to hear horror stories of refugee camps.

The first actual refugee camp mentioned in the novel is Pagani on the Greek island of Lesbos. Saleem is out trying to locate other Afghanis in Athens. He meets a group of six young boys playing cards that describe their experience at the camp. “Pagani was a detention center for immigrants…The building was a cage…the biggest cage any of them had ever seen” (191). The conditions were not unlike those in many other camps we have studied thus far in the course material….deplorable. They describe sharing a toilet with a hundred other people, some never went outside, and crowded a central courtyard (192). No matter how harsh their treatment at the hands of Athens police, the boys would never consider returning to “the cage.” It must have been horrible.

Pagani has been a focal point for much of what is wrong with many detention centers. It was a converted former storage facility which was initially planned for only 300 refugees. At times, it held up to 1200 people at a time in extremely cramped conditions. It got so bad at one point in August of 2009, 160 underage refugees who were locked in a single room and shared a single toilet began a hunger strike (Wikipedia).  Hashimi has done her research and conveys the experiences of those who had to experience such hellish conditions appropriately. They would rather live free in limbo for years in Athens, subject to harassment and beatings from police than to return to Pagani.

            We learn what many of the camps conditions are like when Saleem asks questions of the volunteer with the aid group handing out water. “Tell me what happens here?” Saleem said instead. “This is what happens to most people who come here. They are arrested and the police take them to detention centers. They should be clean and safe places for people to stay, but there are too many people. There is no room. People say it is like a prison….they say it is worse than the place they came from (198). So again, Saleem has been told from two separate sources that he is a great risk of being placed in a “cage” or prison; no wonder he becomes anxious.

Works Cited

Hashimi, Nadia. When the Moon Is Low. New York, NY: William Morrow, an Imprint of             HarperCollinsPublishers, 2015. Print.

Wikipedia contributors. "Pagani Detention Center." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.             Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 25 Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.