The Syrian conflict continues to rage In one of the largest embarrassments to international law and the international community to date. Almost 4.9 million people became refugees over the course of the ten years of warfare, an estimated 470 thousand dead. Territory, religion, energy, power; whatever the excuse the international community has seen a drastic rise in civil war and an explosion in refugees that it has not been able to cope with. Regional conflicts threaten to destabilize already volatile regions of the world that were barely functional before the influx of refugees.
The United Nations Refugee Agency, or UNHCR, estimates that there are approximately 65.3 million displaced people internationally, 16.1 million are registered and under the care of the UNHCR. States have created refugee camps and attempt to deal with the massive amount of people pouring out of conflict zones like Syria and Israel, but it is not enough. 4.8 million Palestinians are without homes as settlement building and violent security forces continue to push Palestinians out into neighboring Middle Eastern countries. Syrian refugees flee into Turkey and nearby EU member states, which are contemplating barring their borders. The number of refugees continuously grows as conflicts drag on with no end in sight.
As a permanent member of the United Nations, the US is required by mandate to pay into the UN budget a percentage based on economic prosperity. As the United States is still one of the leading states in GDP and economic development, the UN requires the largest amount of money from the US. According to the UN, the United States is the top provider for UN peacekeeping and the UN budget, which totaled $8.2 billion, of which the US paid 28.38% of the total budget. As conflicts continue to rise, the US will be required to pay more into the system. It stands to reason that the United States has a direct interest in resolving these conflicts to reduce yearly expenditures to the UN.
Refugees have been flooding the Middle East for a decade, stressing new governments barely a 100-years-old. In many cases, far less than a hundred years old. The international community cannot accommodate the sheer size of these communities, however there is hope. A recent petition called Refugee Nation is attempting to raise funds for the creation of a state for refugees. This state has no exact location as of yet, but the proposed plan is to purchase unused land at sea or on land from a state willing and able to house such a large population. There are many problems with the creation of a new state however, there seem to be few options left beyond the immediate resolution of many of the worlds most heinous and violent tangles.
To find out more about the UNHCR head over to their website.
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.htm...
Refugee Nation has their own page detailing their position.
