Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in March 2011, thousands of civilians have been injured or killed in the country. Since then, the nation has been torn apart, causing many refugees to spread worldwide. The Syrian refugee crisis can be described as the worst humanitarian challenge the world is facing today. The US plays a central role in the crisis where, besides offering humanitarian assistance to Syria, its policy options are facilitating the humanitarian crisis in Syria. This paper will offer background information regarding the issue, develop policy options, and recommend one policy option the US can adopt to resolve the Syrian refugee crisis.
Existing Literature about the Issue
This year marks the tenth year since the Syrian war began, and the refugee crisis due to massive displacement in the country can be described as the largest in the history of the world. About 5.6 million Syrians are refugees, and another 6.2 million are displaced within the country (Ostrand, 2018). Besides, about 12 million people in Syria require humanitarian assistance. Children and adults are equally affected by the refugee crisis. The country’s public sectors, such as schools, hospitals, work environments, and water and sanitation systems, have been destroyed. Besides, historic landmarks, marketplaces, social, and business environments have been reduced to rubble.
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Indeed, the civil war has become a regional and international conflict involving many countries where refugees seek help. The surrounding nations, such as Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, have adopted liberal policies towards adopting Syrian refugees. The US, which is a superpower nation, was expected to chip in and offer most of the refugee's asylum in their country (Romero, 2019). However, America's response to the Syrian refugee crisis has been limited. Essentially, America's response' towards the issue can be described as troubling since the country has been unwilling to adopt refugees like other world powers such as Germany, Italy, and France.
Two Policy Options the US Government can Use to Resolve the Issue
The US can develop an open- door policy which would open the country to the millions of Syrian refugees seeking asylum. The open-door policy seems to be the most reasonable and humanitarian in the current political climate. This move would be based on America's past history of welcoming Cuban and Vietnamese refugees when the two countries were experiencing civil wars (Bayman & Speakman, 2016). In such a case, the US would overlook the short- term costs associated with resettling the refugees and look at the long term benefits such as increased economic growth and urban revitalization. However, implementing such a policy would elicit increased resistance from the political class and the masses.
The second policy option would be fixing the problem at its source by negotiating settlement or achieving military victory. While negotiations have been going on for years now, the conflicting parties have not yet arrived at a reasonable conclusion (Bayman & Speakman, 2016). Besides, negotiations have elicited competing interests among the internal and external parties involved.
Recommendation of one Policy from the Set of Alternatives
The most practical policy initiative would be fixing the problem at its source since it would address the cause of the Syrian refugee crisis. To achieve victory, the parties involved should be willing to look beyond their specific interests (whether social, economic, or political) in Syria and sign a lasting cease-fire agreement. Further, the US needs to look beyond the concept of achieving military victory against its adversaries in Syria, such as the Assad regime, Islamic State, Nusra Front, and Jihad rebel groups. In this case, the US needs to adopt a more moderate oppositional force that would be acceptable among its opponents.
The Syrian war has generated millions of refugees who seek asylum in many countries. The US has been unwilling to offer asylum to most of the Syrian refugees. The two policy options that America can use to resolve this issue include developing an open-door policy and fixing the problem at its source. This paper argued that the most practical and reasonable policy option would be fixing the problem at its source through negotiation and achieving military victory.
References
Bayman, D. & Speakman, S. (2016). The Syrian refugee crisis: Bad and worse options. The Washington Quarterly. 39(2): 45-60. https://doi.org/10.1080/0163660X.2016.1204352
Ostrand, N. (2018). The Syrian refugee crisis: A comparison of responses by Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Journal of Immigration and Human Security. 3(3): 255- 279. https://doi.org/10.1177/233150241500300301
Romero, C. (2019). Analyzing the United States Limited Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Political Analysis. 20(3): 32-45.
