The Syrian Civil War

A refugee is a person who was forced to leave their country. Whether it be from warfare or natural disaster, their homes are no longer safe to live in, so they need to relocate elsewhere. Once someone sets foot on the journey of becoming a refugee, they become vulnerable and dependent with no sense of what the future will bring. In an attempt to accommodate them, first world countries with the resources necessary to assist these refugees, are struggling to determine whether or not they should step-in and help. Some argue that taking them in could come with excessive consequences, while others believe they could be assets. Although there may be a few consequences, they are outweighed by the benefits and undeniable severity of the situation.

Syria and Lebanon are two dramatically different states with a deeply intertwined history. They were both born out of French interventionism following World War 1, and have experienced complex and strained relations ever since. The two nations have both experienced prodigious political turmoil since gaining their independence, with both suffering from civil wars and conflict with their mutual neighbor, Israel. The war and turmoil that has plagued these two countries can be traced back to various competing national interests, as well as a struggle for regional power. The various religious groups in the area have historically formed transnational advocacy networks with the intent of influencing regional politics. These groups have proved to of been a major factor in the history of both nations.

With a death toll in the hundred of thousands, and millions displaced, the Syrian civil war has become a violent mark on the world’s history. What started as a peaceful protest has spread over five years, has evolved into a war with a tyrannical government, a clashing rebellion, and terrorism fighting either side. But what is it that really fuels the immense amount of violence? It can be narrowed down to four groups that are obvious. The government and the rebels are the forerunners in violence in the war, sure, but they aren’t the only ones. There are the terrorist groups, with skewed views to support the destruction of people and things around them, and in itself the stark difference of the religions and ethnicities of Syria. Who causes

The refugee crisis that plagues the world is often referred to as the Syrian refugee crisis, and Western countries are usually concerned only for the affect it has on them and their country. Yet the countries taking in the most refugees are the relatively stable nations in the Middle East that are closest to those in crisis, like Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, not the wealthy nations most capable of supporting the refugees. These countries are often small and suffering their own economic and political woes, and struggle with the masses of refugees entering the countries. Various groups are working to raise money and support for these refugees, and other poor African and Middle Eastern countries are attempting to do their best, but without the help of the wealth West, the refugee crisis is not going to go away. A question has been posed to the nations of the world; are they willing to take in any of the millions of the desperate refugees?

The Syrian Civil War has had a profound effect of all Syrians as well as neighbouring countries and the international community. With more than 11 million homeless Syrians comes consequences beyond what most of the world population has ever experienced or anticipated. Of the displaced, almost 5 million are refugees outside Syria and around 6 million have been displaced inside Syria, with half of all displaced Syrians being children. The main causes of displacement amongst the population is the violence committed by all sides of the war, and which often targets civilians or centres of high civilian activity (such as markets, hospitals, schools, workplaces or high density residential areas). One main group heavily affected by the conflict

A current issue on the minds and agendas of the international community is the Syrian Refugee Crisis. The situation has only escalated since its start in 2011, and as the number of displaced Syrians reaches over 9 million, countries around the world, not just the ones in the Middle East, are increasing efforts to offer asylum and aid for these people. The Syrian Refugee Crisis began with peaceful anti-government protests in March of 2011, but after the violent response of the government, rebels, army defectors, and many civilians formed the Free Syrian Army by July of the same year (Mercy Corps, Sept 2nd, 2015). The presence of ISIS within Syria and the differing views of religious groups (namely Sunni and Shiite) in the country only add to the chaos of destruction of the country and the Syrian people’s lives and homes. With the constant state of war within the country, basic necessities like food, water, and shelter have become scarce and Syrian people are looking to find new homes of stability and safety. The large majority of Syrians have fled to the neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Turkey. However the burden of harboring these refugees has put huge stress on the countries as the sheer number of people entering the country becomes too much to handle. Today one in five people living in Lebanon is a Syrian refugee (Mercy Corps, Sept 2nd, 2015). With the neighboring countries already beyond capacity, Syrians are looking for shelter in places outside this

This world has its flaws. There are wars, displaced people, poverty, etc. Therefore, nations are required to help those in need and attempt to find solutions. From what has been debated around the world, it seems that despite all the risks, prosperous European and North American countries have a moral responsibility to allow refugees to seek asylum in their countries. It is the duty of first world countries to help war-torn and disaster struck area victims, as it is a benefit for them in the greater picture. Denying refugees this privilege causes jihadi terrorist groups to become that much stronger. Moreover, a country that allows in these refugees can be subject to further flourishing socially and economically.

Genocide is the brutal killing of a large group of people, in most cases it is based on their nationality or ethnicity. Genocide is occurring in Syria. This means that many civilians are being killed for doing nothing wrong. The crisis in Syria started out since 2011. The Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, started attacking peaceful protesters with many deadly sources. Those actions have now caused a civil war between soldiers who support the president and the rebels who do not want to see the president in power. Families are leaving to look for safety and a better future. Many Syrians are forced to flee their country and are becoming refugees. The crisis in Syria has caused the greatest refugee movements in our recent history. Syrians are

This issue was chosen due to its scope. The Syrian refugee crisis is among a list of issues that will not only shape the world in 2016 but also dominate news outlets in upcoming years. Because of the despairing situation, many governments are struggling to find ways to handle the rush of individuals seeking asylum, for the fact that it seems the crisis is worsening. In addition, the media coverage on the topic sparked my interest and led me to research information because I had no idea what was occurring and the detriment of the issue.

There are war crimes being committed in Syria. The conflict started during 2011 Arab Spring protests. The country has been crippled by a brutal civil war ever since. The violence has reached terrifying proportions. According to local Syrian groups, as of February 2016, the conflict’s death toll topped 470,00 people, including more than 100,000 civilians.(The New York Times) Even the lowest estimates place the number in the hundred-thousands. About 7.6 million people are internally displaced, One in a five Syrian is now refugee. More than four million Syrians have fled their homes. Neighboring countries take in most refugees. (UCHR). Around 14000 children were killed. The Assad regime and the rebel groups were already investigated, and the Assad regime implicated in the use of chemical weapons of war by UN auditors.

All throughout the world, there has been an on going debate on whether countries should take in and aid Syrian refugees. Over the past few years, the country of Syria has been in a civil war that is not only damaging and threatening its own country, but it has been bringing havoc and problems throughout the rest of the world. The civil war is causing millions of Syrians to flee their country, leaving them to seek shelter and aid from other countries throughout the world. Their search for help has caused an ongoing debate on whether countries should take in and aid the Syrian Refugees. Countries such as the United States, Germany, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and more have not only been offering help, but they have also allowed limited amounts of refugees into their countries. However, for some of the listed countries, their project for helping these refugees ended up back firing on them. Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel actually surprised Europe by allowing more than one million refugees into the country, while other European countries did not open their boarders at all (German Crisis Par. 1-2). The refugees were welcomed by Germans who, “gathered at train stations with hot food and flowers to welcome tens of thousands of refugees from the war-torn middle-east” (German Crisis Par. 1). However, “the mood in Germany has darkened. In many towns and cities, flowers and food have been replaced by unrest and hostility” (Germany Crisis Par. 4). The refugees that were welcomed with

Since 2011, Syria has been engaged in a Civil War with protestors against the government and members of the extremist group ISIS, and approximately 7.6 million people have been displaced from their homes (usnews.com 2015). As the conflict destroys more homes and livelihoods each year, an increasing number of civilians have been forced to leave Syria and try to find safety elsewhere. Already a contentious issue, the Syrian refugee crisis has awakened tensions, both economic and social as debate erupts over what to do with the refugees.In response to the crisis, while some countries like Germany have pledged to help the refugees, (New Statesman 2015 1) only 2,340 have been admitted. Clearly, more needs to be done in order to help the refugees. Although there are economic and population concerns to be considered, the humanitarian conflict that faces the refugees and solutions already available are reason enough for Europe to increase the numbers of Syrian refugees allowed in.

Syrian civil war started in 2011 was the outcome of the opposition against the President Bashar al-Assad regime. The uprising emerged as a response to the Arab spring movement that lead to regime change in Tunisia and subsequently turned into mass unrest rooted into the discontent with long-term dictatorship and poor economic situation in the country (Manfreda, n.d.). The number of Syrian citizens killed in the civil war reached 140000 since March 2011 (SBS 2014). The European Commission (2014, 2) reports approximately 9.3 million civilians “in need for humanitarian assistance”. The scale of armed rebellion between government and opposition that lead to an increasing number of casualties among civilians did not remain unnoticed by the

The overwhelming civil war in Syria is seemingly one of the major conflicts in recent times. It got the attention of most countries in the world. The crisis wakes the interest among researchers and induces them to take a close look at the effect of the crisis on the economic growth in Lebanon.