Syrianrefugeecrisiscontroversy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Syrian refugee crisis refers to the
individuals residing within Syria that are
either attempting to flee or have already fled
the country in response to the ongoing
Syrian Civil War that began in 2011. 13.5
million people have been identified as
needing humanitarian assistance; 4.8 million
of those Syrians are refugees, while 6.5
million still remain displaced within the
borders of Syria.[1]
More than 4.5 million Syrian refugees
currently reside in five countries that are
close in proximity: Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan,
Egypt and Turkey.[2] In addition, European
and North American countries such as
Greece, Sweden, Germany, Canada, the
United States, and England have taken in a

significant amount of asylum

seekers.[3]

A group of Kurds seeking refuge from

Syria stand at the Turkish border
(Photo Credit: John Stanmeyer,
National Geographic)[4]

Following the United Nations response to the crisis in Syria, numerous conflicts have
emerged between different countries and factions within those countries. The gulf
countries of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain have
not offered any resettlement opportunities. In addition, a plethora of other high income
countries such as Singapore, Russia, Japan and South Korea have also refused to offer
asylum.[5] In addition, conflict between the United States and Russia have risen over
disputes on how involved the countries should be in the conflict. On September 28,
2016, the United States administration threatened to discontinue joint work with Russia
on the Syrian conflict unless the country agreed to discontinue the current assault on
the city of Aleppo.[6] There have been disagreements on whether or not what some
perceive as a humanitarian responsibility is worth resorting to interventionism within the
ongoing crisis.

Table of Contents
1. History of Syrian Civil War
2. Safety
2.1 Effectiveness of Background Checks
2.2 Effects on European countries
2.2.1 Turkey
2.2.2 Lebanon
3. Interventionism
4. Religion
5. Cost Efficiency

HistoryoftheSyrianCivilWar
The Syrian civil war initially began as a series of peaceful
anti-government protests and demonstrations in March of
2011. Those protests began to escalate following the
Syrian governments retaliation with violent force, which
acted as the catalyst for armed opposition groups of
citizens to begin fighting back. In the following July, the
Free Syrian Army was organized and many disgruntled
civilians began to join in efforts to overthrow president
Bashar al-Assad..[7]
While the United States and its allies have repeatedly
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad
called for president Assad to leave office, Russia has
remained loyal to its ally and supports his continuation in (Photo Credit: alwaght.com)
power. In September of 2015, the upper house of the
Russian parliament motioned to grant President Vladimir Putin the permission to deploy
the Russian air force and launch air strikes in Syria. Russias defense stated that they
exclusively targeted the military equipment, ammunition and fuel supplies, and the
communication facilities of the terrorist organization ISIS. Syrian activists have claimed
that those attacks have affected people not associated with the organization, and that
the warplanes have affected areas including Rastan, Zafaraneh and Talbiseh. [8]
Disagreements both within and outside of Syria continue to emerge between different
ethnic groups, secular and religious factions, and those that hold opposing perspectives
on how to best stabilize the middle east and the rest of the world.

Safety
Effectiveness of Background Checks
Following multiple terrorist attacks in Paris, some American citizens have expressed
concerns of a terrorist slipping through the vetting process for Syrian refugees by posing
as someone seeking asylum. In response, United States government officials have
insisted that the background checks that refugees undergo are some of the most
effective conceived by the country. Refugees from Syria are said to be subject to
additional layers of security measures that are not normally required. Jana Mason, who
is a senior adviser to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, has stated
that of all the categories of persons entering the U.S., these refugees are the single
most heavily screened and vetted.[9]
The vetting process came under strict scrutiny following the discoverance of two
refugees residing in Kentucky that were charged with terrorist activities that were

presumed to be connected to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. .[9] Despite the reported
high success rates of background checks in the United States, opponents to the system
argue that it is impossible to properly screen people that previously resided in a country
that was war-torn and has very few reliable criminal databases to check. Approximately
half of the governors in the United States have threatened to close off access of
refugees to their states over fear of inadequate vetting procedures that they think could
allow violent extremists within their borders .[10]

Effects on European Countries

Turkey
Turkey hosts the largest amount of Syrians
displaced by the conflict. As of March 2015,
the refugee population was reported at 1.7
million in addition the amount of unregistered
individuals. Until the beginning of 2013, the
largest proportion of Syrian refugees within
Turkey were placed into refugee camps that
were largely funded by the Turkish state. As
those camps began to increase in population
and establish greater entry barriers to those
A group of Syrian refugees flee into Turkey
that were not officially registered with the
(Photo Credit: itv.com)
government, many refugees began to take
shelter outside of the camps and within the
towns and cities of Turkey. As of late 2014, almost four out of every five refugees are
housed outside of camps. [11]
Many refugees struggle to access
adequate forms of housing and
services. In addition, because many
of them are not registered with the
state, they are unable to find
employment within the market and
therefore have to resort to informal
employment. Because of the influx of
demands for housing, housing prices
in Turkey have inflated.[11]

In some cities, Syrian refugees outnumber the

amount of Turkish citizens (Photo Credit:
DailySabah.com)

Turkish citizens also express concerns

regarding how the social and political
landscape of the country will change with
the large amount of refugees present within their borders. Many fear that they will not be
able to successfully assimilate themselves to Turkish culture. A poll taken of the locals
of southeast Turkey that lived in areas with a high concentration of Syrian refugees

showed that 70% of them believed that the Syrians constituted a security threat, while
over three-fifths of the entire population of Turkey claimed that they were detrimental to
public order and peace wherever they settled. [11]
Turkish proponents of accepting Syrian refugees take a staunch anti-Assad stance and
argue that it is the states humanitarian obligation to provide asylum to those who need
it. They encourage their government to mitigate the hostility between civilians and
refugees by introducing integration programs and policies. [11]
Lebanon
Lebanon is currently hosting more than 1.1
million Syrian refugees. It has the worlds
largest number of refugees per capita with
one in four individuals residing within the
borders being a refugee. Since the beginning
of 2015, access to the country by those
fleeing Syria has become nearly impossible
as a result of regulations enforced by the
government. The European Commission has
expressed concern for the deteriorating
quality of living conditions for the refugees
A group of Syrian refugees seeking asylum in
resettled there.[12]
Lebanon. (Photo Credit: AsiaNews.it)
In areas such as Akkar, the security along the
border has made the delivery of assistance
challenging. In August of 2014, fights broke out in Arsal, and that became a turning point
for the treatment of refugees. It led to much more restrictive policies along with police
raids and restrictions of movement. Because the fees for becoming a Lebanese citizen
are so high, many refugees have gone undocumented, which has raised security
concerns for many..[12]

Interventionism

Governor positions on the acceptance of Syrian refugees

(Photo Credit: PBS.org)

President Barack Obama

announced that he projected for
the United States to accept
approximately 10,000 Syrian
refugees by the end of September
2016.[13] There have been debates
among United States citizens
regarding how involved the United
States should be within the Syrian
conflict, particularly in terms of
how it will affect the countrys
relationship with Russia. Some
have argued that direct military
intervention is necessary in order
to stabilize the middle east.
Others have asserted that the
United States should not send
troops overseas, but that it should
instead provide financial assistance and house Syrian civilians that are in need of
asylum. In addition, many argue that the U.S. should refrain from any form of
interventionism and stand aside while the countries closer in proximity to Syria handle
the conflict.
Approximately 53% of United States citizens believe that the country should not accept
any refugees according to one survey. In the same survey, 28% expressed that the
government should proceed in accepting refugees without any religious screening, and
11% asserted that the county should accept refugees, but only those that identify as
Christians.[14]

Religion
Conflicts have arisen in the United
States over whether or not the
predominant religious practices of
Syrian refugees should be taken
into account in determining their
admission into the country. The
majority of Syrian refugees are
Sunni Muslims, who comprise
93% of the refugees present
within the U.S.[15] Republican
Syrian refugee holds her child while wearing a
traditional hijab (Photo Credit:
presidential candidate Donald J.
relevantmagazine.com)
Trump called for a ban on all
Muslims entering the United
States until defense personnel could figure out the nature of the conflict. [16]

Proponents of accepting refugees have argued that it is the countrys humanitarian duty
to help those in need regardless of their religious affiliation. It has also been stated that
profiling someone based on their religious views would be nearly impossible and
unconstitutional. Opponents perceive the practices of predominately Islamic cultures as
being antithetical to western values, particularly in terms of the treatment of women and
homosexuals.

CostEfficiency
The total amount of financial humanitarian aid from the United States is now more than
$5.9 billion dollars. The U.S. is the largest donor of humanitarian aid for the Syrian
crisis.[17] Syrian refugees, unlike immigrants that come from other areas, are able to
immediately receive a range of social welfare benefits from the U.S. federal
government. The Center for Immigration Studies determined that the average cost per
refugee over five years would be $64,370.[18]
Proponents of accepting Syrian refugees have argued that the United States has spent
larger amounts of money on projects that they perceive as less demanding and that our
our humanitarian duties should be prioritized over the potential cost. Opponents have
argued that it is financially unsustainable and that the sum of money should be spent on
domestic issues. There have also been concerns over how many refugees will continue
to remain in the welfare state after prolonged stay within the U.S and how that could
affect the economy as a whole.

1. World Vision Staff. Syria refugee

crisis FAQ: What you need to
know. World Vision. 18 Aug.
2016.
2. Amnesty International. Syrias
refugee crisis in numbers. 3 Feb.
2016.
3. Holger, Dieter. 29 Countries
Accepting Refugees from Syria
and the Mideast. The Inquisitr
News, 6 Sept. 2015.
4. Salopek, Paul. Fleeing terror,
finding refuge. National
Geographic, Mar. 2015.
5. Amnesty International. Facts &
figures: Syria refugee crisis &
international resettlement. 5 Dec.
2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2016.
6. U.S. Threatens to cut bilateral
ties with Russia on
Syria. Huffington Post. The
Huffington Post, 28 Sept. 2016.
7. Quick facts: What you need to
know about the Syria crisis.
Mercy Corps, 13 Oct. 2016.
8. BBC. Syria Crisis: Russian Air
Strikes Against Assad
Enemies. BBC Middle East. BBC
News, 30 Sept. 2015.
9. Altman, Alex. This is how the
Syrian refugee screening process
works. TIME.com.

10. Markon, Jerry. Senior Obama

Officials Have Warned of
Challenges in Screening
Refugees from
Syria. Washington Post.
Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2015.
11. Syrian refugees in turkey: The
Long Road ahead.
migrationpolicy.org
12. Lebanon: Syrian crisis.
n.d. European Commission.
13. U.S. Accepts record number of
Syrian refugees in June despite
terrorist screening worries. The
Washington Times, 2016.
14. Most Americans dont want U.S.
To accept any Syrian refugees:
Poll. The Washington Times,
2016.
15. Facts about the Syrian
refugees. FactCheck.org, 29 July
2015.
16. Diamond, Jeremy. Donald
Trump: Ban All Muslim Travel to
U.S.CNN. CNN, 8 Dec. 2015.
17. Syrian refugee response. U.S.
Department of State. n.d.
18. Zeigler, Karen, and Steven A
Camarota. The high cost of
resettling middle eastern
refugees. Center for Immigration
Studies, 4 Nov. 2015.