AP Language And Composition: The Syrian Refugee Crisis

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Livia Wheeler

Mrs. Landis

AP Language and Composition

15 September 2015

The Syrian Refugee Crisis

The Syrian Refugee Crisis is becoming an escalating concern, and it seems that no country is certain on what course to take. Europe is in constant disagreement on how to address the Syrian refugee crisis, and the problem is not going away. Every year, the number of refugees pouring out of Syria and into neighboring European countries, is growing exponentially. This is alarming, because the countries involved, do not have the resources to take in this influx of refugees seeking care. Immigration laws and regulation have been wildly unorganized and perplexed on how to address the refugee crisis. To recognize the significance of the Syrian

Refugee Crisis, one must know the backstory of Syrian disunion, comprehend the conditions Syrian refugees endure, and understand the various ways Europe is responding to Syrian refugees,
The backstory of Syrian disunion is one of extensive abuse of power. The most prominent factor of Syrian disunion is the Syrian Civil war. The war is a conflict between Syria’s government and those seeking to reform it. The Assad family has run Syria, since 1971. Syria being run originally by Hafez al-Assad, and then by Bashar al-Assad. Although the Assad’s are not religious, extremists, failure to act on long forgotten promises of reform, have resulted in many to rise up in anger at Syria’s static economic growth. The Syrian Civil War started in response to the jailing of children who painted
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anti-regime graffiti in 2011.

As some were killed in detention, protests spread throughout the countryside, after the government failed to punish the murderers. Then, in April of 2011, shots were fired at protestors, and a full-scale armed rebellion flared. By July of the same year, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was formed. The FSA was formed by independent local militias with the aim of toppling the Syrian government without any central control. When Jihadists joined in the FSA, the rebel militia lost what little control they had with the impulsive extremists. Another factor of Syrian disunion is due to the Jihadists separate agenda to the FSA, no one could be trusted. By 2013, the death toll of Syrians form the Civil War was over 100,000. Another factor of Syrian disunion was the threat of chemical warfare by Syrian President Al-Assad. With constant terror dominating society, and a miserable lifestyle, rid of hope, it is easy to see why there is such a large number of Syrians seeking

refuge.
The conditions Syrian refugees must endure are unimaginable. As Syria is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a child, it is heartbreaking to hear the stories of young children. In refugee camps in Lebanon, children can be heard reminiscing about regular showers, proper meals, and education. Things Americans take far too often for granted without a second thought. Refugee families resort to making tents out of nylon bags taken off streets that they found in order to put a roof over their heads. Refugees are forced to go without the most basic of necessities including food, toilets, shelter, shoes, medicine, and education. A study of 150,000 Syrian refugee shelters reports that two-thirds of refugees across Jordan are living below the national poverty line. The study also reveals that one in six Syrian refugee households is with less than $40 per person per month to make ends meet. This is a
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major problem. About half of the households visited by researchers had no heating, while a quarter had unreliable electricity, and 20 percent had no functioning toilet. On top of the deplorable conditions Syrian refugees in Lebanon face, costs of rent accounted for more than half of families’ costs, and families were being forced to share lodgings with others to reduce costs. Conditions are not much different in other refugee camps around the Europe. The Syrian conflict has put 2.6 million children out of schooling, supplies are quickly dwindling, and the population of refugees at camps are climbing at an alarming rate.
In the face of the daunting numbers of Syrian refugees, Europe and the Middle East are responding in various political means. As civil war wages on for its fourth year in Syria, there are 4.1 million Syrians actively fleeing. While some countries have experienced a noticeable population spike in response to taking in refugees, other countries have done little to nothing in response. Turkey has taken in about 1.9 million refugees, housing about half of all Syrian refugees. This makes Turkey the number one place for emigrant families. In Lebanon, about 1.1 million refugees have found solace, marking almost a quarter increase in the country’s small 4.4 million population. Due to the small population of Lebanon, according to the United Nations, it is the country with the highest per capita concentration of refugees. The country of Jordan have taken in about 629,000 refugees. While Jordan have taken in refugees everywhere from Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan, Syrians make up the largest population of displaced persons in Jordan. The sudden influx of refugees often results in worse conditions for the refugees as adequate camp supplies remain rare. In Jordan, only about 20% of the Syrian arrivals live in camps. In Iraq, more than 249,000 Syrians have sought refuge in
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an ironic twist of events.

Right up to the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Iraqi refugees would often take to Syria. The U.S. State Department states that around 38% of the Syrian refugees live in camps in Iraq. Egypt has taken in 132,000 refugees, yet there are no camps prepared for them. Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris has offered to buy an isle from Greece or Italy for Syrian refugees, which he would name Hope. Germany faces the largest requests for asylum in Europe. They expect the requests to soar above the current U.N. count of 98,700 from Syrians alone. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has said that the country could take 500,000 refugees annually for numerous years. Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven joined Merkel at a press conference this week in urging a Europe-wide solution to the refugee crisis. Swedish Foreign Affairs Minister Margot Wallstrom has said, on Sweden’s reactiveness, "This also puts the European solidarity to a test. I think it's important that we signal being a community that rests on common values of democracy and defense of human rights." While the refugee count has been vexingly low in France with a mere 6,700 refugees finding shelter, French President François Hollande has said France will host 24,000 refugees over the next two years. Though Great Britain houses only around 7,000 Syrian refugees, Britain has said it will take responsibility and take in up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years. Prime Minister David Cameron

explained that the refugees would receive a five-year humanitarian protection visa. Although Britain is doing its best, it still is only the second largest provider of humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees. Denmark though having taken in 11,300 Syrians, has said it will aim to take in no more refugees. In attempt to stop the influx of migrants, blocks have been set up, and restrictions set on social benefits. Though Hungary have taken in 18,800 immigrants, the conditions are said to
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be incredibly poor, and mistreatment of refugees common. In fact, the Hungarian government has gone as far as putting up a barbed wire fence along its more than 160-kilometer (100-mile) border with Serbia to prevent them from crossing in their country, as Hungary is often merely a stop on the way to Germany for many Syrian refugees. The reaction of the wealthy Persian Gulf countries have been regarded as shameful, as only the United Arab Emirates have taken in any refugees. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain have taken in no refugees. Although Australia has a limit of 13,750 allowed population increase per year for humanitarian reasons, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said Australia take in an extra 12,000 migrants fleeing the Middle East. Although America has long been looked to as a haven for displaced people, since the beginning of the four yearlong Syrian civil war, we have brought in only about 1,800 refugees. In the face of controversy, American President Barack Obama has said there will be at least 10,000 new refugees in the next fiscal year. Although the United States have not utilized their massive size in the take in of refugees, they have given the largest share of aid to the Syrian refugee crisis, with an incredible sum of more than $574 million donated. That is approximately 31% of total aid donated. Canada has similarly lacked in bringing in refugees, accounting for only about 2,370 Syrian refugees. However, they have pledged to take in 10,000 refugees over a three-year period. There are many other European countries being swarmed with requests for asylum including Spain (5,000 requests), the Netherlands (14,100 requests), Austria (18,600 requests), Switzerland (8,300 requests), Greece (3,545 requests), Bulgaria (15,000 requests), and Italy (2,143 requests). Though countries from around the world are doing their best to resolve the Syrian Crisis, less than 10% of Syrians who flee conflict are successful in
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finding safety in Europe. There is still more reformation to be made, and the crisis is far from resolved.
The Syrian Refugee Crisis is a mounting concern, and despite the perseverant works of many countries, the world still falls short of solution. To recognize the importance of the Syrian Refugee Crisis, one must know the backstory of Syrian disunion, comprehend the conditions Syrian refugees endure, and understand the various ways Europe is responding to Syrian refugees. Europe is in incongruity when it comes to addressing the Syrian refugee crisis, to the point where some countries ignore the problem altogether, resolving to barricading. Every year, more refugees are pouring out of Syria and into neighboring European countries, and only symptoms of the problem are being treated. Europe doesn’t have the resources to take in the flood of refugees seeking sanctuary. Immigration laws and regulation have been shambolic and perplexed on how to address the refugee crisis. Until the world is successful in resolving the Syrian conflict, sacrifice must be made in the name of humanity.

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Works Cited
"Child Refugee Crisis: Syrian Children under Siege." Unicefusa. U.S. Fund for
UNICEF., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
"EUROPE: Syrian Asylum Applications." UNHCR. UNHCR, 21 Aug. 2015. Web. 16
Sept.2015.
Martinez, Michael. Syrian refugees: Which countries welcome them, which ones don’t?
CNN. CNN, 10 Sept. 2015. Web. 16 Sept. 2015.
"Syrian Conflict: The Background and the Current Situation on the Ground."
Euronews. Euronews, 6 May 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.