Introduction
The Syrian conflict has emerged as the largest refugee crisis in modern history. The Syrian Civil War erupted in 2011 as a result of a violent crackdown on peaceful student protests against the government of Bashar Al-Assad. Over the last decade, over 5.5 million Syrians have fled the nation, with another 6.1 million internally displaced. The international community attempted to resolve the problem through the UN-sponsored Geneva Process and the Astana talks between Turkey, Russia, and Iran. Nonetheless, the international community is failing to provide the fundamental conditions for refugees to return home. This predicament, along with xenophobia, racial prejudice, and broader cultural qualms, has resulted in an upsurge of nationalism, making those seeking refuge even less welcome in the host countries. On the contrary, the inflexibility of refugees in the host countries is creating social, political, and economic development challenges for the host countries, which is risking their national security, increasing, violence, and humanitarian crisis. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the issues surrounding the international community's reaction to the Syrian refugee crisis, patterns of displacement, lack of economic opportunities in host countries, and challenges related to refugees to articulate the implications of international policy for the Syrian refugees.
Annotated Bibliography
Bose, P. S. (2020). The Shifting Landscape of International Resettlement: Canada, the US and Syrian Refugees. Https://Doi.Org/10.1080/14650045.2020.1781820.
After the Second World War, the Syrian conflict has emerged as the worst immigration that has forced tens of millions of individuals from their homeland. Pablo S. Bose (2020) states that the actual or anticipated entry of a gigantic number of refugees and asylum seekers continues to provoke hostility, prompted by concerns about the endangerment of national security, economic costs, and a lack of integration of newcomers (Bose, 2020). Consequently, European countries and the international system continue to prioritize their national interests over the welfare of Syrian refugees, which is leading to a reduction in the willingness of many countries to accept refugees for resettlement, which is raising issues related to mortality, displacement, wellbeing, education, and civilian health.
Ibrahim Sirkeci, Pinar Yazgan, & Deniz Eroğlu Utku. (2015). Syrian Crisis and Migration. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=477035
As stated by Ibrahim Sirkeci et al. (2015), with the escalation of insurgencies in Syria in 2011, a large-scale retreat has occurred. The unrest and violence have resulted in widespread migration both inside and outside the country (Ibrahim Sirkeci et al., 2015). The refugee crisis has gotten out of hand in recent years, and migration trends are shifting from neighboring countries to Europe. Furthermore, the paper also suggests that the Syrian crisis is the primary cause of increased displacement and the region's poor humanitarian situation.
Berti, B. (2015). The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Regional and Human Security Implications The Refugee Population: An Overview. Strategic Assessment |, 17(4).
According to Benedetta Berti (2015), the regional refugee crisis has caused extensive political, social, economic, and security ramifications (Berti, 2015). The paper discusses two aspects of the Syrian crisis. First and foremost, the dreadful conditions in which a significant section of the refugee population lives and the concerns and difficulties faced by refugees. In the second part, the paper studies the substantial effect of refugees on the resilience and domestic stability of their host countries. If described otherwise, the research emphasizes how the refugee crisis has affected both host countries' resilience and economic performance, while also aggravating social tensions.
Memisoglu, F., & Ilgit, A. (2016). Syrian refugees in Turkey: multifaceted challenges, diverse players and ambiguous policies. Http://Dx.Doi.Org/10.1080/13629395.2016.1189479, 22(3), 317–338
After the Syrian civil war, several countries, including Lebanon, Turkey, Germany, Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan, welcomed the Syrian refugees into their countries. In 2021, Turkey had the highest number of Syrian refugees. Therefore, to analyze the changes in the Turkish refugee and asylum policies, Fulya Memisoglu (2016) studied the role of the international community and the multifaceted challenges faced by Turkey by comparing the refugee policies of the Turkey and EU states (Memisoglu & Ilgit, 2016). The paper demonstrates that regardless of their mixed natures, the EU (European Union) destination nations have attempted to adopt shared policies and tactics to curb irregular migration into their states. These common measures mostly entail enhancing external border controls and establishing buffer zones along the EU's borders. On the contrary, Turkey has developed both vertical and horizontal refugee policies to open its borders to Syrian refugees.
Beaujouan, J., & Rasheed, A. (2020). An Overview of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon and Its Socio-Economic Impact. Syrian Crisis, Syrian Refugees, 35–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35016-1_4
Juline Beaujouan and Amjed Rasheed conducted an overview of the crisis of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon along with estimating the socioeconomic impact of the displacement of the Syrian immigrants in the Middle East (Beaujouan & Rasheed, 2020). The study implied that the displacement of Syrian and Palestinian refugees has created a dramatic demographic impact on the socioeconomics of the country. According to the study's findings, population pressure, fiscal strain, and deteriorating livelihoods of immigrant groups all contribute to a situation that may lead to increased social divisions and severe social unrest in Lebanon. According to the paper, terrible socioeconomic conditions, an increasing unemployment rate, and stability issues in Middle Eastern countries may lead migrants to seek asylum in Western countries.
Akşak, E. Ö. (2019). Discursive construction of Syrian refugees in shaping international public opinion: Turkey’s public diplomacy efforts: Syrian Crisis Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/1750481319893769, 14(3), 294–313.
According to Emel Ozdora Aksak (2019), the Syrian armed conflict, religious fundamentalism, political tension, and ethnic prejudice give rise to the Middle East crisis (Akşak, 2019). The paper employs a discourse historical approach to investigate the Turkish government's role in assisting Syrian refugees and proposes that, through its humanitarian and political efforts, Turkey has gained leverage to decide the future of Syria. The paper also discusses the factors that affect the ability of the international community to fulfill its humanitarian responsibilities.
Ghadbian, N. (2021). The Syrian Refugee Crisis and the International Community. Middle East Policy, 28(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1111/MEPO.12543
Najib Ghadbian conducted research in 2021 to analyze the international community's problems in response to the inflexibility of Syrian refugees, a lack of economic resources for immigrants, the risks involved in migration, and the challenges faced by host countries (Ghadbian, 2021). According to the paper, humanitarian mismanagement and political disagreement among the international community are the primary reasons why the issue has not been resolved, including the failure of the Arab States, Iranian interventions, and displacement aggravating Russia, the United States, and the United Nations. The paper also makes policy recommendations to international actors to resolve the issues.
Içduygu, A., & Nimer, M. (2019). The politics of return: exploring the future of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Https://Doi.Org/10.1080/01436597.2019.1675503, 41(3), 415–433.
According to Ahmet and Maissam Nimer (2019), although the international community could not fulfill their humanitarian responsibilities, nevertheless, global and local stakeholders should make continuous efforts to resolve the issue by considering the return of the 6 million refugees (Içduygu & Nimer, 2019). Using an empirical framework, the paper argues that the return of Syrian refugees cannot be achieved unless the current unemployment, stability, sustainability, and survival issues of the immigrants are addressed. Furthermore, the paper argues that the return of Syrian refugees should not be decided solely by the hosting countries (i.e., Turkey, Lebanon, and Germany), but that all international actors should play their roles in the conflict's resolution.
Averre, D., & Davies, L. (2015). Russia, humanitarian intervention and the Responsibility to Protect: the case of Syria. International Affairs, 91(4), 813–834. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2346.12343
According to Derek Averre and Lance Davies (2015), the western interpretation sees Russian humanitarian action and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) as in opposition to the European international rules (Averre & Davies, 2015). According to the paper, to protect its geopolitical interests in Syria, Moscow has been accused of ignoring humanitarian concerns and allowing the Al-Assad government to oppose the resolution by striking down threatening sanctions, which adds to the already-existing issue of refugees in the host countries.
Saleh, A., Aydin, S., & KOÇAK, O. (2018). A comparative Study of Syrian Refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan: Healthcare Access and Delivery. OPUS Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 8(14), 448–464. https://doi.org/10.26466/OPUS.376351
Typically, refugees are the most disadvantaged group who are exposed to many disparities. They may face issues related to education, healthcare, employment, language barriers, racism, and other social life issues that create hurdles for them to succeed in society. On the other hand, it also creates challenges for the hosting country to maintain peace, progress, and foreign affairs. According to Ayman Saleh (2018), the Syrian people do not have access to basic healthcare services in Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan. Therefore, the government should develop policies to address these issues (Saleh et al., 2018).
Conclusion
The Syrian crisis has resulted in serious humanitarian consequences that are affecting not only the region's economy but also the stability of social, political, and economic development in the hosting nations. More than 11.1 million Syrians require humanitarian aid, with half of this number being children in need of education, healthcare, utilities, and sanitation systems, putting additional strain on hosting countries. Furthermore, the migration of Syrians to neighboring countries has had a substantial impact on the resilience and domestic stability of the countries. All in all, it is suggested that to effectively resolve the issues for the future of Syria and the stability of the Middle East, along with the hosting countries, global superpowers need to play their role.
References
Akşak, E. Ö. (2019). Discursive construction of Syrian refugees in shaping international public opinion: Turkey’s public diplomacy efforts: Https://Doi.Org/10.1177/1750481319893769, 14(3), 294–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750481319893769
Averre, D., & Davies, L. (2015). Russia, humanitarian intervention and the Responsibility to Protect: the case of Syria. International Affairs, 91(4), 813–834. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2346.12343
Beaujouan, J., & Rasheed, A. (2020). An Overview of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon and Its Socio-Economic Impact. Syrian Crisis, Syrian Refugees, 35–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35016-1_4
Berti, B. (2015). The Syrian Refugee Crisis: Regional and Human Security Implications The Refugee Population: An Overview. Strategic Assessment |, 17(4).
Bose, P. S. (2020). The Shifting Landscape of International Resettlement: Canada, the US and Syrian Refugees. Https://Doi.Org/10.1080/14650045.2020.1781820. https://doi.org/10.1080/14650045.2020.1781820
Ghadbian, N. (2021). The Syrian Refugee Crisis and the International Community. Middle East Policy, 28(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1111/MEPO.12543
Ibrahim Sirkeci, Pinar Yazgan, & Deniz Eroğlu Utku. (2015). Syrian Crisis and Migration. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=477035
Içduygu, A., & Nimer, M. (2019). The politics of return: exploring the future of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Https://Doi.Org/10.1080/01436597.2019.1675503, 41(3), 415–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2019.1675503
Memisoglu, F., & Ilgit, A. (2016). Syrian refugees in Turkey: multifaceted challenges, diverse players and ambiguous policies. Http://Dx.Doi.Org/10.1080/13629395.2016.1189479, 22(3), 317–338. https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2016.1189479
Saleh, A., Aydin, S., & KOÇAK, O. (2018). A comparative Study of Syrian Refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan: Healthcare Access and Delivery. OPUS Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 8(14), 448–464. https://doi.org/10.26466/OPUS.376351