The refugee crisis of Europe came and went. Starting about a year ago, reports of Syrian and other North African citizens fleeing their country and wars with ISIS filled the news. Germany, as one of the countries that took in the most refugees, was still following a total open border policy, with Angela Merkel holding onto the belief that she and her party could peacefully resettle hundreds of thousands of refugees into a country that hasn't always had the best history with immigration.
As 2015 came to an end, the estimated refugee numbers rose to one million, and right populists and right extremists started gaining followers. Sweden and many Eastern European countries closed or controlled borders that used to be open for free migration. By the second quarter of 2016, Austria and the Balkan countries closed off their borders entirely to any refugees arriving from Turkey and Greece.
After that, the refugee crisis seemingly came to an end, with the occasional news report every week or so. People were no longer concerned with refugees, Syria or immigration. However, that does not change the fact that millions are still stranded "in limbo" in dangerous, overcrowded camps in countries that do not have the financial strength to support them. But Western Europeans don't seem to worry about it anymore, since there are barely any new refugees arriving in their home countries.
The problem with the refugee crisis is that there has never been a right answer to who should be saved and why they should be helped. On the one hand, we have millions of suffering fellow humans who need accommodation, food and a peaceful place to build their lives. On the other hand, we have well-functioning countries who are not obligated to help non-citizens, especially not to the extent of accepting gigantic groups of people from an entirely foreign culture with no guarantee of how they will disrupt the existing society.
It may seem selfish to say that other humans can be left floating around poorly equipped refugee camps until they themselves figure out a way to get back on their feet. But it would also be far too selfless to say that the disruption of accommodating millions of foreigners into ones own homeland should be disregarded in favor of saving human lives. Yes, other human lives are important, but a country first and foremost has obligations to its own citizens and their happiness.
Sometimes, basic human rights are valued far too highly above the maintenance of other integral structures of society. If all refugees were integrated into developed, Western countries, there would be no one left without the next meal and a safe home. However, these refugees would not speak the local language, they would not understand the local culture, they could not easily socialize with their new neighbors, and many could not contribute meaningfully to society. In a way, if all refugees were forcefully relocated, it would be like starting new mini-Syrias within other countries. No country should be subjected to that kind of concession and have to create potential breeding grounds for contempt and xenophobia.
There is no right answer to the question of whose human rights are more important. We cannot decide to save some people by to a certain extent sacrificing others. But just because there is no generalized best way to solve the issue at hand does not mean there cannot be individual ways to help. There are individuals who volunteer at refugee centers and camps, who take refugees into their own homes, and support refugee families as their own. There are politicians still working on ways to balance saving human lives and maintaining the delicate balance of a functional society.
What is certainly not the answer to this situation is falling excessively towards either side. It does not help to reject all Syrian refugees as terrorists and refuse to take in a single one. Neither does it help to accept all refugees into a small country that only has so much free space and societal stability. Simply because there is no easy solution does not mean we can choose to give up or forget about the situation. If possible, we should still encourage those around us to reach out and do whatever they can in helping refugees and creating an accepting mindset in those around them.
