The
Syrian Refugee Crisis is a very difficult situation that should be the responsibility
of the entire international community. Many challenges and concerns arise due
to people’s fears of what might happen in letting so many additional
individuals into their country. It is difficult to calculate how many refugees
a country is obligated to take in. The United States is willing to accept up to
10,000 Syrian refugees, and some critiques think they should be allowing more
in. Germany has taken the most responsibility in letting in up to 80,000 refugees,
while the United Kingdom and France are each willing to accept up to 20,000
Syrians each. This is a matter for the whole international community to each
take a caregiving role in the aid for these refugees.
Over
10.5 million people worldwide have been forced to leave their homes as a result
of conditions in their home country that produce incapable living conditions.
This is not an ideal situation for these millions of people whose homes and
schools have been destroyed due to bombs. This has become a humanitarian crisis
due to the fact that families are struggling to survive inside Syria, if they
chose to stay. However, staying isn’t the only problem. Families are also
risking their lives if they decide to flee to Europe. The travel conditions on
land or overseas are extremely dangerous and have taken many Syrian lives on
the way. Many people discuss the ontological security of the citizens of these
countries that the refugees are migrating to. However, their ontological
security shouldn’t be the focus. The ontological and human security of the refugees
should be the top priority and concern. They are the ones who are being
affected and threatened during this crisis. To wake up one morning and have to
flee because of armed conflicts between your government and opposition fractions,
is not fair.
Their
home country is all they’ve ever known. It is where they were raised and lives
all their lives. To wake up one morning and have that ripped away from they, without
a waring or cause is psychologically damaging. Then they have the realization
that they must flee in order to protect their life and the lives of their
family. This is all due to war, violence and persecution that they did not ask
for. So, their ontological and human security has turned into a great fear, and
is what we should be focusing on. Unlike many of the citizens of the U.S.,
Germany, or France who have their future planned out, the future for these
Syrian refugees is unknown. That must certainly be terrifying. A big portion of
the refugee population are children. They especially, shouldn’t have to
sufferer through these unpredictable and unfair situations. There is a
desperate need of aid and assistance. There must be a willingness for every
country around the world to accept and assist refugees. In doing so, it can
help to reduce the number of people living in conditions that are unfit for any
human begins. Helping them would also limit those individuals who feel
compelled to perform illegal work and join terrorist groups. Not limiting these
options would turn into a bigger national security issue.
I agree with you first and foremost that helping immigrants seek asylum should be prioritized over all other concerns. They've lost countless people, their homes, and even their country. However, we cannot ignore ontological security of the citizens because we have seen examples all around the world that when identities are threatened, violence breaks out. For example, the conflict between Israel and Palestine, I would argue, is not territorial, but its roots run much deeper than that. The conflict is more about the threat of losing culture and history. The fear of this loss has been so powerful that Israelis have a pure hatred for Palestinians and vice versa. While this problem in Europe is not as ripe as it is in Israel/Palestine, I fear that growing tensions between immigrants and citizens are an important factor that needs to be assessed before extremist groups that promote this sort of violence in Europe spiral out of control.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that perhaps looking into ontological security would be a good idea, however, I don't think it should be a primary focus. Yes, groups like Israel and Palestine have fought over tensions on identity, but I don't think thats the root of their problem. I do think its territorial. I don't think groups like this agree much about their identity being threatened. It definitely might be a factor, but I would argue that it is not a factor that influences violence highly. If we take a deeper look into why there is so much tension and violence between the two groups, we would realize that identity loss isn't the primary reason.
DeleteWhat would you say to the economic concerns that a lot of nations have? Also, how would you suggest going about sending the refugees back: when to do so and how to respond if the refugees refuse to return?
ReplyDeleteTheir economic concerns are justified, because taking in refugees is a huge responsibility. However, it is temporary. This is not a permanent solution that would greatly impact a nations economy. The refugees should be sent back when it is confirmed that their home is secure. They shouldn't be sent back otherwise. I don't think many of them would refuse to go back to the place they grew up all their lives. However, for the few that do, potentially having them sign a document outlining the strike guidelines of their stay would be a good idea. In that outline one of the terms would be that they are agreeing to go back to their home nation, without a fight.
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