One of the most imminent threats of the 21st century is the growth and expansion of extremist organizations. Extremist organizations threaten the peace, security and economy of the entire world because of the sophisticated manner in which they carry out attacks anywhere in the world. One of the impacts of the continued growth of extremism has been the Syrian refugee crisis that bugs the Middle East and the European regions.
The continued attacks on European cities by terrorists have however thrown the refugee problem into a whole new dimension. Attacks such as those experienced in Brussels and Paris heavily constrain the efforts to resettle the refugees. In as much as most of the European countries are willing to assist in the resettlement of the millions of refugees, the attacks present an immediate threat to the security of the citizens of the European countries. It is this dilemma that makes the crisis much more complex (Townsend 71). The focus of this paper is to provide an analysis of the Syrian refugee crisis and its impact on economy, foreign policy and healthcare.
A staggering seven million people have been displaced by the ongoing civil war in Syria. Over four million have left the country, and that represents the population of refugees that require being resettled. Many countries have been instrumental in trying to ease the growing refugee population and have resettled huge numbers of the refugees.
Lebanon and Jordan are some of the countries that have taken up the resettling initiative, hosting about two million refugees in their borders. The challenge, however, arises in relation to the economics that comes with such huge populations of refugees (Kaldor 121). The civil war has left property worth billions of dollars in ruins. The refugees, on the other hand, have left the country with the least resources one could imagine (Carbonnier 67). As a result, poverty is widespread among the refugees and the condition is expected to worsen in the near future.
Resettling of such huge numbers of refugees in ill-prepared countries has created a breeding site for innumerable problems. One of the challenges that arise from the huge resettlement of refugees is the condition of healthcare. With thousands of refugees moving across the Middle East to Europe, one can only imagine the health ticking time bomb (Hashem and Danny 103). Exposure to the harsh environment of the migration process exposes the refugees to innumerable health threats. Most of the resettlement areas for refugees lack basic amenities such as clean water, nutritious food and proper shelter and hygiene.
A great portion of the refugees that have been resettled have been relegated to the urban and peri-urban margins. Informal settlements characterize the housing conditions for most refugees and this in itself is another health hazard. Access to public services is highly limited even as most nations like Lebanon struggle to offer the best habitable conditions. The strain on public utilities, services, and health care limits its access to the refugees who are in dire need of the care. The spread of diseases in the deplorable conditions that refugees are forced to settle in is inevitable.
Considering the fact that about half of the four million refugees are children, such conditions can only posit health-related danger. Water and food remain some of the necessities that are most crucial to the refugees migrating from the Middle East. Malnutrition is one of the most imminent health threats to the children caught up in the refugee crisis.
Poor nutrition and access to food remain a challenge considering that the journeys that most of the refugees partake to arrive in Europe (Fan 94). It is an immediate problem that has a much more lasting impact on the lives of the Syrian children. The migration of refugees in based on a complex and long journey over open deserts and seas. For most refugees, the most one can carry are small backpacks to ease the strain on their migration. With little protective and warm clothing for the refugees, respiratory infections are a likely risk.
The loss of income has forced many children to be engaged in labor to help their families earn a living. This has resulted in an increased incidence of sexual exploitation and abuse. Overcrowded conditions in most refugee camps have left most of the women weary of their sexual health. Poverty and squalor living conditions have significantly raised the vulnerability of women to sexual advances.
The greatest health risk that the refugee crisis creates and which is largely ignored is the psychological wellbeing of the refugees. Having been thrown off the course of their lives, the refugees face innumerable psychological challenges in coming to terms with the new reality. The civil war in Syria is far from over, and thus, no one can estimate the length of their refugee status. The ill-mental health and distress of the refugees largely remains unaddressed and posits a greater impact on the lives of the Syrians and even the host countries in which they are being resettled.
The complexities of the economics of solving the refugee crisis have been one of the most contestable topics. The refugees, having lost their means of earning a living and property, are left at the very bottom of the poverty scale. Currently, most of the refugees remain in camps where they depend on aid for food, healthcare, and shelter. For the host countries, this is an unexpected cost that greatly impacts on local economies. For small countries such as Lebanon and Jordan, the large numbers of refugees have a direct and significant impact on their economies. Hosting, feeding and housing the huge population introduces a whole new section in the national budget.
For countries such as Germany, where refugees are expected to be incorporated into the labor force, the economic burden of the refugees is likely to be reduced. However, such solutions are only possible in countries with robust economies in Europe. The one crucial challenge that continues to derail the effort of refugees being incorporated in the labor force in most countries is in relation to policy (Townsend 43). Many countries need to agree and develop policies that will allow for the integration of refugees into host countries.
The resettlement of the refugees and its view as a crisis arises from the fact that most countries are not ready to accept the Syrian refugees. For those who have taken up refugees in Europe, the numbers remain relative low, with countries such as Britain offering to take up ten thousand refugees. The cause of this slow uptake and resettlement accrues from the foreign policies for most of the countries.
The limiting policies by various nations are however informed and influenced by the growing Islamic state ideology and violence. Continued attacks on European nations have resulted in increased security threats for European citizens. In effect, governments are rushing to enact and implement policies that prioritize the security of their countries to the detriment of the needy refugees. Most foreign policies are created with the concept of citizen protection in mind.
Works Cited
Carbonnier, Gilles. Humanitarian Economics: War, Disaster and the Global Aid Market. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015. Print.
Fan, Shenggen. Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security. , 2014. Print.
Hashemi, Nader, and Danny Postel. The Syria Dilemma. , 2013. Print.
Kaldor, Mary. Human Security. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Internet resource.
Townsend, Riley M. The European Migrant Crisis. , 2015. Print.
