The refugees are the people who have left the country or area within a country of their residence as a result of hostilities, harassment, or other emergency. The refugee problem today is extremely complicated and difficult. Given the severity of it, in order to attract world attention to the plight of the refugees and enhance the efforts of various organizations and individuals to assist refugees, the UN General Assembly unanimously decided to establish the World Refugee Day and celebrate it annually on 20 June (UNHCR 5).
“Refugees deserve our recognition and respect. Respect – is more than just tolerance. This first World Refugee Day should become such a moment, when we need to think about the loneliness and the feeling of abandonment that many refugees feel today. And we must ask ourselves what we therefore can do”, said Mr. Ruud Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on World Refugee Day, 20 June 2002 (UNHCR, “Message from Mr. Ruud Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on World Refugee Day, 20 June 2002”).
Currently, it is generally accepted that the refugee problem is global and is multilateral. Accordingly, approaches to its analysis, and methods of solution should take into account the diversity of its aspects – from reasons for the mass exodus to the development of the necessary responses in a variety of situations which emerge in connection with the problem of refugees – from preventive measures to provision of emergency assistance and measures to facilitate the repatriation and integration of refugees.
Syrian migration crisis, which previously had been one of the problems in Europe, reached the United States in September 2015. As of mid-November 2015, Obama administration presented a plan of accommodation of 10 thousand refugees from Syria in the USA during the 2016. However, 26 governors rejected displacing refugees in the territory of their states (Fantz & Brumfield, “More than half the nation's governors say Syrian refugees not welcome”). Nowadays the issue of Syrian refugees` accommodation in the territory of the USA raises numerous questions both among American voters and politicians, which makes it rather controversial government initiative. Often we could hear among politicians intolerant and absurd reasons for inability to accommodate those in need from Syria. For example, Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee was afraid that Syrians in the US would feel themselves not well because of the cold climate. Another Republican candidate, Donald Trump, confirmed the assumption that the Syrians will freeze in America (Fantz & Brumfield, “More than half the nation's governors say Syrian refugees not welcome”).
Such reluctance of American politicians to accept refugees arises from numerous potential threats refugees might bring along with them, one of which is a threat of terrorism. According to the analysis of the Heritage Foundation, during 2015, in the United States, there were a maximum number of terrorist attacks since September 11, 2001. Thirteen Islamic terrorist attacks and conspiracies were uncovered in the US in 2015, which is more than those previous cases put together for the three previous years (Walters, “The 76th Islamist Terrorist Plot against the United States”).
Yes, this is true – some of those who abandon Syria used to be or remain fighters and bring potential threat to the society a part of which they want to become. However, unwillingness of American government to help those Syrians in need on a large scale seems to be an example of hypocrisy. From 2011 till beginning of 2015, the United States accommodate around 1,500 (0.03% of the total number of refugees) out of more than 4 million Syrians who have fled their country (Fantz & Brumfield, “More than half the nation's governors say Syrian refugees not welcome”). This proves once again the failure of the USA to accept the inevitable consequences of its intervention in the region where US leadership is steadily deepening its involvement in the Syrian war.
Governments of all nations concerned, including the American government shall understand that the problem of refugees is the problem of the whole humanity. The slower it is slowed, the more repercussions it brings. Recent relentless series of internal conflicts around the southern and eastern Mediterranean, as well as on the territory of various Arab and African countries, have led to a significant deterioration of the living conditions of tens of millions of people, and sometimes even to a complete humanitarian catastrophe.
This Syria`s War refugee crisis has demonstrated that there is no international system of refugee assistance. At the same moment, international criminal business capitalizing on human misery is actively thriving. Opinions in the USA demonstrate that even in such a democratic country people are not aware of all the difficulties caused to refugees. American society remains impartial to those who were lucky to flee dangerous war-time areas. The same happens in other countries all over the world which could have helped those escapees. However, there is no international effective institutional system to assist migrants, so the responsibility is often shifted to the distant Europe, which has enough of its own problems.
Thus, the problem of refugees in the modern world must endure a higher global level. This would help to move towards the development of a global policy on refugees, and not to shift the responsibility on to some particular countries. Major role in this process shall belong to the United States as a policeman of the world, as a country who plays a key role in the modern world policy.
Finishing the paper, I would like to quote Maria Cristina Garcia, reported of The Washington Post: “Sixty years ago, Eisenhower reminded the [American] nation that the United States must accept its “full share” in assisting victims of oppression” (“America has never actually welcomed the world’s huddled masses”). This remains true to this day. Denying vulnerable groups of the population of Syria which were made vulnerable largely with the US efforts lies in contrary against everything for which the USA has long fought (Garcia, “America has never actually welcomed the world’s huddled masses”).
Works Cited
Fantz, A., and Ben Brumfield. “More than half the nation's governors say Syrian refugees not welcome”. CNN.com. 19 Nov. 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
Garcia, C.M. “America has never actually welcomed the world’s huddled masses”. The Washington Post. 20 Nov. 2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
UNHCR. “Message from Mr. Ruud Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on World Refugee Day, 20 June 2002”. unhcr.org. 20 Jun. 2002. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
UNHCR. “Refugee or migrant?”Refugees (No. 148, issue 4). 2007. Print.
Walters, R. “The 76th Islamist Terrorist Plot against the United States”. heritage.org. Jan. 2016. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
