The Syrian crisis is one of the longest in history of the world, especially in the 21st century, whereby many countries are enjoying relative peace. The conflict has driven the most massive humanitarian problem in the world, with more than 6 million people displaced from their homes within the country, and about 5 million refugees living in neighboring countries (Oxfam International). To gain further insights, I recently interviewed with five people to understand the leading causes of the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Besides, the interview focused on the actions that the United States should be taking to address the crisis.
The interview outcome shed some valuable insights into both sets of interview questions. The humanitarian crisis in Syria is caused by the vast number of refugees living in abject poverty. Many of these individuals depend on less sustainable sources, such as credits, food vouchers borrowing money from shops, friends, or shops, and aid from international nongovernmental agencies. The situation is also worsened by frequent natural disasters like floods, strong winds, and prolonged snow. Additionally, refugees reside within hosting communities either in rented houses or in informal settlements of tents or sub-standard dwellings. Furthermore, the interview findings revealed that the Syrian humanitarian crisis is caused by a lack of employment opportunities for refugees in host countries due to some barriers such as cumbersome paperwork, quotas, and discrimination by employers.
The findings also provided some ideas about what the united states should be taking to end the crisis in Syria. Firstly, the US military should cease using a lot of force in ending the conflict. Instead, efforts should be channeled to fostering peaceful resolutions through UN-led initiatives. Secondly, the interviewees reiterated the need for the united states to increase the US processing facilities in neighboring countries to resettle the most vulnerable refugees. At the same time, the interview outcomes revealed a need for increased US assistance to UNHCR to stabilize and enhance conditions in refugee camps in hosting countries. Additionally, the interview process highlighted the need for the united states to select the UNHCR vetted refugees and repatriate them directly by air from Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.
The findings also underscore many implications for the Middle East countries, the United Nations, and the united states. As revealed, the humanitarian crisis in Syria is contributed by the unwillingness of hosting countries to offer refugees job opportunities. Host countries can contribute to addressing the problem by adopting policies that enable qualified refugees to access better-paying jobs. Through such policies, employed refugees will significantly contribute to the welfare of their families, relatives, and families by offering them some financial assistance. Besides, host countries will benefit from the unique experiences and skills of refugee expatriates. Similarly, the findings highlight the horrible experience that refugees undergo in hosting countries. Besides the inability to secure well-paying jobs, refugees lack sustainable means of survival. People in this situation depend on help from well-wishers for their survival. Besides, refugees have to contend living in informal houses, which makes them vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods, strong winds, and heavy snows.
Furthermore, the situation in Syria reveals how refugees’ social rights are rampantly abused while residing in host countries. From a broader perspective, this trend is a potent reminder for countries to uphold the established international law on human rights. According to the international human rights law, “Social security must be provided for everyone without discrimination based on health status, race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexuality, disability, language, religion, national origin, income or social status” (Hosseini, p. 91). Therefore, the Syrian humanitarian crisis sends a strong message to the UN to fast-track efforts of ensuring countries respect refugees’ social security rights.
Results from the interview also underline the importance of the united states to change its approach to the Syria situation to manage the humanitarian crisis better. Instead of the current use of force, peaceful methods can persuade the conflicting parties to ceasefire. Consequently, many residents will not have a reason to seek refuge in neighboring countries. Besides, the united states should focus its energy on assisting the UNHCR to resettle thousands of stranded refugees in countries such as Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, among others. Additionally, the united states should seek to offer logistical assistance to the UNCHR vetted refugees to enable them to repatriate to Syria. Through such an approach, many people will have an opportunity to get back to their former economic activities or find better alternatives in their home country.