For my intro to political science class at Olivet Nazarene University, I was given the assignment to write a research paper about anything that I wanted. I decided to learn more about the refugee crisis in Syria and how it related to past refugee crises. Here is what I learned and wrote.
There have been many tragedies that have plagued 2015 and 2016, one of the most talked about events was the death of a young Syrian child named Alan Kurdi. Alan was a three-year-old boy who drowned off of the coast of Turkey with his mother and brother, the father was the only survivor of the family. The family was trying to meet up with the father’s sister in Canada. However, before they could get to safety, the boat overturned on rough water, killing a possible fourteen people. Many people were outraged and distraught that an event like this could occur, without knowing that it has been, and will continue to, happen for many years. The refugee crisis, all across the world, but mostly from Syria, has been a big talking point in today’s politics. Although there have been many debates and talks about what to do with the millions of refugees displaced by war and persecution, almost nothing has been done to help fix the situation. While this is not the first time that there has been a refugee crisis, this is the first time that politicians and world leaders have been stagnant in their plans to help alleviate the situation. During the refugee crises, during World War I and II, many countries created laws to help refugees and displaced people. Even though they did create agencies and laws to help, they did not do as much as they possibly could. This history has lead the same mistreatment and neglect of refugees all over the world.
The most recent cause of the refugee crisis is the civil war in Syria. The Assad regime, ruled by Bashar al-Assad, has been destroying its own country with carpet bombs, chemical weapons, and other weapons for a little over four years. The Syrian civil war began in the spring of 2011 when Syria’s citizens began protesting the Assad Regime after being inspired by the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring was an anti-Arab government movement that began with the overthrow of Tunisia’s leader, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Many countries were inspired to join the uprising, including Syria. However, the protests against the Assad regime quickly turned violent as the regime tried to quell the protests by open firing on a group of protesters. This led to the eventual beginning of Syria’s civil war. According to BBC News, over 250,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives to the war with more continuing to die each day. This has caused millions of people to be forcibly displaced in Syria or become refugees in accepting countries. The international outcry of the Syrian refugee crisis has been extremely similar to the outcry of the refugee crisis during World War I. While many people are distraught and upset about the horrendous violence that is causing people to become refugees, the relief and aid has been less than impressive.
The beginning of the refugee crisis began when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were murdered by a Serbian Nationalist. The trend continues with Germany occupying Poland, Lithuania, Prussia, and northern France. According to the British Library, an estimated one million German people fled their homes after Russia’s invasion during World War I. From then on, with even more invasions of other countries, the number of refugees grew exponentially. After the death of the family and the invasion by Austria-Hungary, 500,000 Serbians fled Serbia across the mountains into Albania causing the first major migration of refugees. Just like the trip that Syrian refugees take now, the trip for Serbian refugees was anything but safe. According to the British Library, around 200,000 Serbians died on the trip. The refugees trekked through miles of mountain ranges covered in snow and ice to find their way to safety much like Syrian refugees take dangerous routes through water and wilderness. The next large set of refugees came from Belgium when one million refugees descended into the Netherlands, 250,000 into France, and another 250,000 into the United Kingdom looking for shelter and safety. Their journeys were marked with death and insecurity due to the treacherous conditions along the way. The entirety of World War I created such a large number of refugees, that there is no definitive number. Because this number was so large, the amount of aid and supplies quickly grew thin. Due to the fact there had never been a refugee crisis as large as World War I had created, there were no ground rules for the regulations on refugees and refugee aid in the countries that accepted them. For many countries, their citizens believed that the refugees would come with enough money to pay for the contributions that were given to them and the refugees refused to leave. Because there had not been a refugee crisis of such proportions, there were no organizations created for refugees or laws on how to treat them. So, many different charities started supporting refugees from all across Europe. The American Red Cross and The Society of Friends (Quakers) helped many children refugees and their families along with 2,500 other committees in Britain alone. To help counteract the issues that sprung up during the refugee crisis of World War I, in 1921, the United States of America set its first act that related to immigrants and refugees. The Emergency Quota Act states that no more than three percent of immigrants from any country of origin can immigrate to the United States of America after 1910. After this act, many others were put in place to curve the number of refugees that could immigrate to America. It was not until World War II that actual refugee and asylum seeker laws were put in place.
After World War I, the next major cause of refugees was World War II. According to the American Catholic University, more than 60 million people became refugees or were displaced during World War II. The rise of the Nazi party in Germany started the refugee migration even before the war had begun. The Nazi party has begun to persecute the Jewish population through physical and economic intimidation. After a while, the intimidation turned into real violence as the party began to put Jewish, disabled, gay, or non-Caucasian citizens into concentration camps. While Jewish people were being persecuted by the German government in ways that would be later classified as mass genocide, other countries were dealing with the effects of invasions. Because so many refugees began pouring into other countries, America began refusing to allow refugees into the country due to the fear that they could be Nazi spies. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in June 1939, nine hundred Jewish refugees sailed to the United States in hopes of being granted visas into the country. America’s government denied all requests and in turn, the boat that had brought them to the country had to return to Europe. Once they got to Europe, two hundred and eighty-eight people were taken into Britain while two hundred and fifty-four were killed in the holocaust. Of the nine hundred people, only three hundred and sixty-six are known to have survived World War II. This tragedy also came after congress rejected a bill proposing the acceptance of 20,000 refugees under the age of fourteen. Due to the disregard of refugee safety and rights during World War I and II, the United Nations created the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees in 1950. This, along with other refugee rights groups, such as Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees and United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration has been a help to the status and safety of refugees everywhere.
While caused by different events, the Syrian refugee crisis, and both world war crises are extremely similar in how other countries responded to them. According to the New York Times, America has only taken in one-fifth of the amount of refugees that President Obama promised it would take in. Out of the 10,000 refugees pledged only 1,736 have actually been taken in and resettled in America. While America barely brings anyone in, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt, and Germany, who has taken in one million refugees, all deal with the extremely difficult task of taking care of such a large scale of people. In Jordan, according to Refugee Council, 77,781 refugees live in a cramped, underfunded refugee camp called Zaatari. This camp continues to be under-resourced as more and more people pour into it each day. Just like in World War I and II, the refugee population in 2015 and 2016 has been mistreated and forgotten. In leaked documents from Australia, over 2,000 incidents occurred ranging from guards asking for sexual favors in response to women taking more than the two-minute shower that they are allowed, to the actual sexual assault of children. In fact, according to Independent.uk, seven reports were sexual assault and fifty-nine were physical assaults. These leaked documents also revealed the refusal of medical care and supplies to the refugees, even those with life-threatening illnesses. The United Nations Committee on Rights of the Child and Human Rights Watch have condemned these actions and will continue to keep an eye on the camp while training new personnel. However, this does not reverse any of the damage already done. The reports also show evidence of child suicidal behavior and multiple incidents of self-harm. While the United Nations have put in many refugee rights acts and committees, the treatment of refugees are still incredibly horrific and are similar to the treatment of refugees in both world wars.
The Syrian refugee crisis mirrors the previous crises during World War I and II. However, the action taken in to help of these refugees has been extremely less helpful. It has become an extremely politicized issue without actually getting political help. Some countries have accepted refugees, but not nearly enough countries have done even half of what they could do. During World War I and II, there were acts and committees that were put in place to make sure that rights were being upheld and that refugees could find a safe place to live. Today, many countries still go against the acts and committees due to fear and xenophobia. The history of refugees has continued as many are still mistreated in multiple countries. If nothing changes, the trend will continue and more people will die seeking shelter and safety from war and destruction just like young Alan Kurdi did in 2015.
If you would like to donate, here are some trusted refugee charities.
United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees
International Rescue Committee
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