Vučković: The Great Migration was triggered by the brutal Huns, and the Syrian refugee crisis by the infamous ISIL

Bosnia and Herzegovina's security expert, M.Sc. Vladimir Vučković, compares the immigrant crisis – the wave of Syrian refugees constantly arriving in the Balkans – to the Great Migration.

The first migration, Vučković says in an analysis he prepared for the BiH news agency Patria, was triggered by the brutal Hun tribe, and this second one by the equally infamous ISIL.

And, considering the route of the so-called Southern Balkan route, used by smugglers and traffickers for decades, Vučković warns that the wave of refugees will not bypass Bosnia and Herzegovina either.

By: M.Sc. Vladimir Vučković

An old saying goes: "History is the teacher of life." Keeping this saying in mind, I cannot resist the urge to draw a parallel between the current emigration crisis and the Great Migration.

There are many similarities between these two events; I will mention only a few of the most dominant ones. The greatest similarity lies in the etiology of these two phenomena. Namely, the Great Migration was triggered, at least as history teaches us, by the passage of the warlike and very brutal Hun tribe through the Gates of Nations, i.e., the area between the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea. The arrival of the Huns caused great turmoil among the tribes that lived peacefully in the areas outside the Roman Empire. The ruthless warriors of the East, nomads, people who slept in the saddle, knew only one craft, and that was plunder. Various "European" tribes saw their only safety in the embrace of the Roman Empire. A great and powerful civilization that was the only light of that era, at least that's what the Romans and Byzantines called themselves. The migration could begin!

A similar situation is visible today. The rampages and brutality of ISIL, considered by some authors to be the most brutal terrorist organization of modern times, have led many people to seek their future elsewhere. I will not go into detail about the brutality of ISIL, as I have written about it in some of my previous texts.

The second similarity lies in the fact that people fleeing to safety have other motives that drive them to such a step. The fact is that a large number of emigrants passing through Serbia state that one of the reasons is the better standard of living they want for themselves and their descendants. Something similar happened long ago; the tribes fleeing from the Huns sought to gain the benefits of life that the citizens of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires had.

Life in Syria and Iraq is not easy at all, even in peacetime. A high rate of corruption, nepotism, and various other phenomena limit the ambitions of young people who want to show and prove their abilities. The fact is that most state officials and military officials, precisely those who decide on everything, have family ties with the ruling "dynasty" Assad. There is also a high rate of corruption in Iraq, as evidenced by the recent move by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who, under pressure, took a series of anti-corruption measures.

A large number of emigrants have worried European countries due to the possible influx of radical Islamists who, infiltrated among the immigrants, will manage to reach their final destinations. Many prisons have been destroyed, people with questionable pasts have managed to escape, and it is possible that such individuals are moving among the immigrants. There is also justified concern in medical circles, as it is possible that emigrants will bring certain types of infectious diseases to Europe.

In the past, "barbarian" peoples on the borders of Roman provinces were met by military camps with well-armed and highly trained soldiers. Today, the situation is somewhat different, but still similar. The panic that prevails among the leaders of some European countries has forced them to resort to ridiculous and outdated methods of building walls along their borders, which in times of crisis represents an additional burden for budget users. In most cases, "walls" have proven to be futile, as smugglers will spare no effort to make money from emigrants, and based on this, more incidents like the one where 71 people died in a refrigerated truck should be expected.

Bosnia and Herzegovina should view the current crisis with great interest and be prepared to welcome a potential wave of immigrants towards its territory. Considering the route of the so-called Southern Balkan route, used by smugglers and traffickers for decades, we must not think that the emigration crisis will bypass us.

The Southern Balkan route Greece – Macedonia – Serbia - EU has three branches. First: Preševo – Niš – Belgrade. Second: Belgrade – Šabac – Mali Zvornik – Bijeljina – Brčko – Tuzla. Third: Belgrade - Subotica – Hungary – Austria – Italy.

European countries must learn from the historical mistakes of the Western Roman Empire, because if they do not, a crisis may arise that will result in some form of recomposition and weakening of the power of individual states. Immigrants who arrive should be treated humanely, as the spirit of European civilization dictates. Only a joint and coordinated approach by the institutions in Brussels can lead to the best solution for all parties in the current events.