THE UPCOMING SOCIAL UNREST: A LETTER TO THE ECONOMIST (January 27, 2009)

As the recession deepens into depression, the specter of which is now looming ever larger, social unrest is sure to spread across Europe, just as you predict in your articles about France and Spain (“A Time of Troubles and Protest” and “And Worse to Come,” January 24, 2009). The recent Anarchist riots in Greece gave only a foretaste of the long slug to follow. But you err in both articles by focusing on the far left, which can be expected to concentrate on growing unemployment. The far right will show its face soon enough, and migrants will take the brunt of their ire as low-paying jobs turn appealing to all. Long a hesitant and bungling migrant haven, Europe will be rent by the upcoming troubles. Violent clashes between the far left and far right are thus likely to become the hallmark of the upcoming social unrest.