A Shared Responsibility for Easing Syrian Refugee Crisis

Nowadays, as a strikingly large scale of refugees from Syria are seen flooding into various countries to flee violence and persecution, the Syrian civil war has been severely condemned for triggering a global migration crisis, causing turmoil to governments of nearby nations and other regions. It is pointed out that since the uprising started in 2011, over 4.5 million Syrian people have escaped from the chaos in their homeland, meaning that of the 20 million refugees, almost one in four is Syrian (Eliza Griswoldjan, 2016). Other statistics given by the United Nations showed that every day about 6,000 Syrians fled the conflict in 2013, with 5,000 killed monthly (Alistair Dawber, July 2013). With the influx of the displaced making history and creating a deteriorating situation in neighboring nations that provide the most massive supports and face resentment from citizens advocating for nationalism, a humanitarian tragedy is increasingly acknowledged by the world regarding poor provisions of safety and sanctuary for those in need. Although political discourses focusing on domestic interests and governmental stability are widely seen escalating debates and winning favors, this essay would argue for a full moral responsibility taken by the international community in relieving pressures of Syrian refugees and reducing crimes against humanity. It argues that both European nations and global powers, as members of the international family, should shoulder the duty of giving effective and sufficient help through flexible responding policies and the consciousness of protecting fundamental human rights in terms of security and avoidance of harms and injuries.

It is a well-known truth that asylum seekers from Syria undergo an unprecedented dilemma as they hopelessly flee from homes and search for safe shelters. However, attitudes given by three major neighboring countries, Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, and other European states, most of which express more objections through closing their borders and adopting restrictive policies of access and treatment, indicate a climate far from being optimistic. For example, an increasing reluctance could be identified in Jordan, a longtime contributor who has accommodated a significant number of refugees. According to one journal, the surging population has formed a competition between locals and refugees for using resources, including housing, water, schools, and employment, leading to a circumstance of marginalization received by the Syrians. (Kareem Fahim, February 2016). To make it worse, around 1.4 million refugees on the arrival are posing severe strains on Jordan’s economy and prompting the country to issue warning messages over its handling limits. Facing farmers’ protests and political complaints increasingly expressed against the immigration, Jordan’s monarch, King Abdullah advanced probably one of the most thought-provoking questions when asking for global supports: how can Jordan be a contributor to regional stability if the nation meets disappointment from the international community (Kareem Fahim, February 2016)? Despite that the Abdullah’s speech was criticized as one ambitious means to raising money to back up its economy, it served as one convincing appeal to the sympathy of other nations and questioned the function of the international entity. The eagerness for international aids and the revealed facts of the scarcity of funds altogether suggest the nature of a merely short-term economic solution to a deeper-seated human problem. The distribution and salvation of Syrian refugees, whose opportunities for conducting safe and productive daily activities are ruthlessly deprived by the war, requires active cooperation from more nations and higher levels of benefactions.

It turns out Jordan monarch’s call for more good wills is mirrored in responses given by Greece, a nation confronting increasing criticism over its “inability to prevent hundreds of thousands of refugees from moving onwards to northern European countries (The Guardian, Retrieved in 2016)”. Nikos Xydakis, Greece’s alternate foreign minister for EU affairs, deemed the idea as ridiculous and offered his insightful opinion about the likelihood of fragmentation of Europe. He claimed that if every nation constructs high walls, the world “return to the cold war period and the iron curtain”, which is “EU fragmentation”, rather than “EU integration (The Guardian, Retrieved in 2016)”. To counter the requirement for tougher action to block the passage of refugees entering Greece by boat, Xydakis announced determination of preventing a humanitarian crisis by allowing people to drown or sinking their boats. Undoubtedly, his speech plays as a potent reminder of the inseparable relation between states and human beings, without whom the operation of any institution, the enterprise of any community across the world would be entirely meaningless and impossible to accomplish. In other words, compared with political concerns and considerations of individual gains and losses, preserving human rights and combating violence and harms are the eternal priority for every social group. The real sense of integration could only be realized through tighter collaborations and joint efforts from all countries, meanwhile, any level of imbalance of contributions probably give rise to new conflicts, hindering people from reaching the goal of an enduring common welfare. In every way, Xydakis’s words drastically mocks Turkey’s rejection of canceling the restriction on the entry of many Syrian refugees driven by Russian airstrikes. Turkey’s announcement that doing so equals “complicity in the Russian-backed offensive to drive rebels” underscores the political calculus made during its decision-making process (Liz Sly, Retrieved in 2016). Besides, rescue services and financial aids provided by the United States in front-line areas, as ways to withstand pressures of the increased population, are observed as one self-serving strategy in order to keep refugees within their host countries (Eliza Griswoldjan, 2016). The moderate number of about 10,000 Syrians, promised by President Obama, was seen as one contradiction to Obama administration’s rhetoric of functioning as one strong ally who has offered the most significant supports.

It is no hard to conclude that the United Nation’s concern over the distant prospect of a common responding approach consists in the wide disagreement and varying stance over distributions of responsibilities in helping Syrians. In front of the refugee crisis, major hesitations and reasons for rejections repeatedly implied by many countries are worries about terrorism, economic threats, as well as heavy burdens of services. Without any question, it creates an excellent opportunity for the international community to ensure that no extreme strains would be made through rational allocations of aids and shelters. High sustainability and least negative impacts of accommodation can be accomplished only when many nations are cooperative enough to share duties and mutually help. Refugees, like other global citizens, are entitled to fundamental human rights of locating themselves in harmless places guaranteeing basic and safe daily activities. These rights essentially stem from the human race’s universal needs for sound living conditions and getting rid of adverse factors of dangers and violence, a proof that asylum seekers escaped from violence are carriers of small threats and grateful manners. There is no doubt that the international community possesses the most proper position in making sure that these needs are detected and fully satisfied because of their supreme authority and absolute controls. In that case, whenever a region encounters refugee problems of excessive burdens and demands aids, as the most trustworthy global institution, it could fulfill its leadership role in protecting interests of the displaced Syrian refugees through fair distribution of duties and efficient resettlements. Only through this way, can both the United States, European members, and Asian or African nations actively and willingly step in and contribute to alleviating tensions of refugees’ survivals as well as easing pressures of their benefactors.