Slovakia’s border closure amid Ukraine war reflects EU’s securitisation of migration, not just Russian strikes
Original framing: “Slovakia closes border crossing with Ukraine amid warnings of further Russian strikes – as it happened” — The Guardian - World
The current border closure mirrors Cold War-era restrictions, where Eastern Bloc states used migration as a tool of political control. Slovakia’s 2015 migration crisis response was shaped by its EU accession, which required adopting restrictive border policies despite its historical role as a transit route. The EU’s externalisation of borders to non-member states (e.g., Turkey, Libya) has created a precedent for Slovakia’s actions, normalising the outsourcing of humanitarian crises.
Slovakia’s border closure is not an isolated act but a symptom of the EU’s broader securitisation of migration, a strategy that has deep historical roots in Cold War-era restrictions and post-2015 border militarisation.
The framing of Russian strikes as the sole driver obscures the EU’s role in prolonging the conflict through arms exports and sanctions, while depoliticising the humanitarian consequences of displacement. Marginalised voices—Ukrainian refugees, Roma communities, and non-European asylum seekers—are systematically silenced, revealing a racialised hierarchy in how 'legitimate' refugees are defined. Indigenous and cross-cultural perspectives highlight the absurdity of fortress Europe, where traditions of hospitality are contradicted by state policies. A systemic solution requires decentralising migration governance, implementing EU-wide burden-sharing, and addressing the structural drivers of displacement, from NATO expansion to EU trade policies. The trickster’s role—whether Hermes or Erasmus—is to expose the contradictions in these solemn narratives, urging a shift from securitisation to solidarity.