By now, most people have heard of the Syrian refugee crisis, at least in passing. The crisis received particular attention after the limp body of a Syrian toddler was found washed up on a Turkish beach. It was later discovered that the boy was fleeing to Greece with his family when his boat capsized. The only family member to survive was the father. A picture of the dead boy (which I will not subject you to, but can be easily found online) went viral, and the mood in countries all over the world shifted from indifferent to passionate. However, many people are still unaware of why over four million Syrians are fleeing and what our country plans to do about it. Hopefully this will make everything just a little clearer.
Why Syrians are fleeing their country
The simplest answer: Syria is a war zone. Syria has been in a nasty civil war since 2011, and it doesn’t show any signs of ending soon. The civil war started shortly after their president, Bashar al-Assad, ordered the abduction and torture of Syrian teenagers. Their crime? Spray painting rebel signs. Citizens demanded Assad’s resignation, and, as you can imagine, that didn’t go over to well. So, rebel forces rose up against the government, resulting in the current civil war. However, the conflict is a little complicated because there are three sides, none of which are really “good”.
The first player, previously mentioned, is President Assad. Assad is a ruthless dictator who is not below torturing, murdering, and using chemical weapons against his own people. Under Assad’s rule, citizens live in constant fear. It isn’t uncommon for the government's military to show up in civilian neighborhoods and execute suspected rebels. There is no trial, and family members are often forced to watch the execution. In addition, last month he ordered the bombing of a market place just in case there was a rebel in the crowd. Not only does he terrorize his own citizens, but he has also ordered the capture and torture of European citizens and execution of American journalists. Stephen Rapp, the United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crime Issues, has stated that Assad’s crimes are the worst seen since those of Nazi Germany.
Next, we have a group that was originally surprising: the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Up until 2013, the Syrian Civil War consisted of Assad vs Rebels for the most part, but ISIS came into play as it began merging Syria into the Islamic State. For those of you who don’t know, ISIS is a serious threat to the Middle East and the Western World. They have been charged with crimes against humanity, which include: massacre, beheading, sexual enslavement, use of child soldiers, and forced pregnancy. They are also known for nailing those who don’t conform to crosses, and leaving them up as a warning. In addition to these horrors in the middle east, ISIS has also been responsible for terrorist attacks in Europe and America, such as the Charlie Hebdo attack in France.
Finally we have the rebels. In Syria, there are roughly 1,000 different rebel groups. Although many rebel groups are fighting for freedom and democracy, the rebel groups are underfunded and often have different agendas. For instance, one rebel force is fighting against ISIS but is also fighting to ethnically cleanse Syria of all Sunni Arabs. Key rebel forces are currently charged with the following war crimes: kidnapping, execution, and torture. The rebel forces were supported by the USA and Europe for a time, but often supplies were stolen or the rebel forces would defect to ISIS. As a result, rebel forces are no longer receiving assistance.
In summary, Syria is being fought over by dictators, terrorists, and groups of rebels who aren’t completely good either. All the while, citizens are being captured, tortured, raped, and executed. It’s a crisis unlike any other in this era, and people want out.
Where the refugees are going
Most refugees have fled to Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan. These countries have been extremely generous in the amount of Syrians they have allowed across their borders, but it’s unlikely it will last. Lebanon and Jordan are nearing a breaking point because they can not support the amount of refugees, and the demographics of all three countries have changed since 2013 because of the amount of refugees taken in. As a result, many refugees have begun fleeing to Europe.
However, the journey from Turkey to Greece is a perilous one, and many people, especially children, die at sea. The journey is worsened by countries who will not provide refuge or passage. For example, Hungary has built a fence around the country to keep refugees out, and to cross it is a punishable offense. It's understandable for Hungary to fear hundreds of thousands of refugees coming across the border, as ISIS sleeper cells may be amongst them and the country fears it doesn't have the resources to care for them. However, Hungary's closed border is still a problem because many refugees are headed to Germany, who is taking in up to 500,000 Syrian refugees per year. With Hungary’s boarders closed, the journey to Germany is dangerous and a greater length. Other countries who have not offered help include: the Gulf countries, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. The Gulf countries are not accepting refugees because they fear it will destabilize their countries (they are they only stable countries in the Middle East), and Russia will not accept refugees because they are currently supporting Assad. Croatia has closed its borders for now as well, as the country was overwhelmed by the number of refugees it received last week.
How this affects us
As of now, America has agreed to take in 10,000 refugees in addition to the 70,000 we take in every year. Although this number is smaller than most countries, it is important to keep in mind that we take in refugees and immigrants from all over the world; this fiscal year we took in forty million, of which one million will stay permanently. So, to take in millions of additional people would be overwhelming (as other countries are experiencing). The USA is still the largest donor to the humanitarian aid for those affected by the Syrian crisis, though, and negations are being made to accept more refugees if possible.
On a non-moral standpoint, oil prices are likely to go up as long as there is conflict in Syria. It’s true that Libya produces more oil, but violence in Syria is likely to affect oil pricing and speculation. In addition to this, we as a country do not want ISIS to continue to grow. If they gain control of Syria, it puts them in a better position to attempt to merge neighboring countries into the Islamic State, giving them more power.
This crisis is considered to be the worst since World War II, and those who have suffered start coming to America on October 1. Regardless of how we feel personally about the refugees or how the country is handling it, it is my hope that the refugees will be welcomed by the American population. Some countries have allowed the refugees to affect them negatively, but America doesn’t need to be one of them. In the words of refugee Abu Yazan, "[I ask Americans] not to be radical just like the radical groups that we are running from. Stay human”.
