Refugees

Dear Friends,

The news is full of reports about the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Syria.  The calls for action are increasing every day.  Yet the responses are ludicrously inadequate.  Yesterday, President Obama announced that the United States would take 10,000 refugees next year, and he said it like it would make a difference.  It will, of course, make a difference for those 10,000 people, but it will do nothing to solve the humanitarian crisis the world is facing.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (here)

Wars, conflict and persecution have forced more people than at any other time since records began to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere, according to a new report from the UN refugee agency.
UNHCR's annual Global Trends Report: World at War, released on Thursday (June 18), said that worldwide displacement was at the highest level ever recorded. It said the number of people forcibly displaced at the end of 2014 had risen to a staggering 59.5 million compared to 51.2 million a year earlier and 37.5 million a decade ago.

Recent reports say that the number is now over 60 million people.  Obviously resettlement is not a solution to this problem.  In the long term, ending war, violence, oppression and poverty is the only solution.  We need to let people live in peace and hope.

The current focus is on refugees from Syria who are fleeing in huge numbers.  The people of Syria are being killed, maimed and terrorized by their own government as well those opposed to the current government as well as ISIS, etc.  The United States response to this genocide has been pathetic.  I do not expect us to send ground troops, but we have the ability to enforce a no-fly zone but have refused to do so.

A recent article in The International Business Times (here) has a good analysis of the issues surrounding a no-fly zone.  The Telegraph published an op-ed piece by a representative of the Syria National Coalition (here) that argues convincingly for a no-fly zone.

A no-fly zone will stop the Syrian government from using barrel bombs to kill civilians, it should enable the establishment of safe zones where aid agencies can provide water, food and shelter.  I realize that Russia will probably continue to oppose any such actions, but we cannot sit by and continue to watch the genocide in Syria and force people to flee their homeland in violent and perilous conditions.  The world needs to stand up to bullies whether Bashar al-Assad, Putin, ISIL or any others.

President Obama needs to act.  We may not be successful, but we can no longer sit by and watch.  We need to give all the people displaced by war and violence around the world hope that the rest of world is not turning their backs on them.

Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal