Most of us don’t know exactly what’s going on in Syria right now, including myself. I know there’s a lot of different groups, Russia, ISIS and the Syrian Government to name a few, fighting for power in the small North-African country. The real reasons are too complex for the average person to understand. Most American’s understanding of the conflict revolves are ISIS. We all know they are a terrorist organization that beheads journalists and other innocents. They have claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris and Brussels and other cities across the Middle East. However that’s where our understanding of the situation ends.
One of the major byproducts of the conflict is refugees. Millions of people are fleeing Syria to nearby countries like Lebanon. The United Nations High Council on refugees reports that there’re over 1.4 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon alone. The ones that are able to leave the continent float across the Mediterranean into Italy and Greece. Not all of them make it and hundreds of refugees have washed up dead on nearby beaches. Italy and Greece, two of the weaker EU states are forced to swallow the cost of the refugees as the rest of Europe refuses to take in a reasonable number of refugees.
In the United States, one of the major topics of the presidential race is Syria. Republicans refuse to accept refugees. Many Republican governors have pledged to refuse refugees in their states. Republicans have also proposed sending troops and bombers to drive ISIS out of the country. Democrats want to let the conflict play out and support President Obama’s limited use of drones against ISIS. In fact, I believe both sides are wrong, and the solution to the problem is not so clear.
Refugees have been fleeing Syria since before ISIS became a household name and probably will continue to even if ISIS were to be destroyed. The problem in Syria does not revolve around ISIS. One could write a 20 page research paper about what exactly is going on, but it would bore most and confuse the rest. Vox created this great video summarizing the conflict. Essentially what started as a civil war between the Syrians and the government, has spiraled out of control. The video is a timeline of events and there are few that must be noted. First of all, the conflict started in 2011 as a civil war. It wasn’t until 2013 that the United States and Obama began talking about it. In 2014, ISIS finally branched off and became a household name. A full three years after the conflict started.
It becomes clear that ISIS is not the main problem in Syria. Defeating ISIS as many Republicans suggest will not end the conflict or stop the flow of refugees. The only threat that ISIS poses to the United States is through terrorism. I believe that the chances of ISIS launching a full on attack in the United States are slim to none. First of all, since 9/11, the government has stepped up its security, catching terrorists before they act. Also, attacking the US would draw us into the conflict, something ISIS does not want.
In short, we shouldn’t fear ISIS any more than any other terrorist group. We should also understand what’s actually going on in Syria right now so we can make a better informed decision in the elections. If you fully understand what’s going on, you’ll see that most candidates don’t understand the conflict and have potentially disastrous solutions. The right solution will not only stop the bloodshed, but stop the flow of refugees and allow those who have left to return home.
