We’ve all seen the images: refugees crammed in rubber rafts, mobbed trains, young children drowned in the seas. Hundreds of thousands are leaving war zones in hopes of a better life. But in Europe there are those who want to close the borders, just like in America. The reality is European and American colonialism are at the root of the current crisis. Salon foreign affairs columnist Patrick L. Smith explains how this moment is a rare opportunity for transformation of the foreign policies of the imperial nations, and could bring new and better relations between once-dominator and dominated. A totally new approach is needed, perhaps it begins now.