The US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 has created the Middle East's second-largest refugee crisis in the region's modern history. The first came about with the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 and the mass exodus of Palestinians that ensued. To this day, some 4.5 million Palestinian refugees remain unsettled and, with them, so does the Middle East.
The relocation of those millions of Palestinian refugees, principally to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, was not without pain, both for the refugees, as well as for the countries hosting them. The surge - to use a word in vogue these days - of these refugees to countries with relatively small populations played havoc on the host states' internal policies. Current statistics place today's population in Jordan at 6 million; Lebanon's at just under 4 million; Syria's at just over 19 million.
Both Jordan, in September 1970, followed by Lebanon, in April 1975, suffered devastating civil wars as a result of the presence of Palestinian resistance movements operating from within their territories. Of the major three countries to host Palestinian refugees, only Syria managed to avoid open warfare on its soil; it fought that battle in neighboring Lebanon.
With violence in Iraq showing no sign of abating, despite occasional slowdowns in sectarian slaughter or anti-coalition attacks, civilians continue to flee the country at the rate of some 50,000 a month.
The United Nations placed the number of Iraqis who have fled their country as a result of armed violence at around 2.6 million since the start of the war, now more than four years ago.
Some 2 million Iraqis have fled to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and other countries in the region. Yemen, Iran, and Turkey have also seen increased flows of Iraqi refugees. Another 1.8 million have become "internal displaced personnel" or IDPs - refugees in their own country. Those are people forced to run away from their homes after becoming victims of sectarian violence, receiving death threats, or having had one or more members of their families killed.
Until now, Iraq's neighbors have demonstrated signs of hospitality toward their Arab brethren by opening their borders, their cities, and their hearts to Iraqis searching to escape the war. But the strain placed on the neighboring countries' social infrastructures, such as housing, public health, and public education, is forcing these countries to reassess their open doors policy.
Syria and Jordan, who each host more than 1 million refugees, are starting to request that future refugees come equipped with visas before being allowed across the border. Not always an option in a war situation.
Kristele Younes writing on the Iraqi refugee crisis for the think tank Foreign Policy in Focus, quotes an Iraqi journalist as saying, "'Iraqis who are unable to flee the country are now in a queue, waiting their turn to die.'"
The US, meanwhile, with a population of 301 million, has admitted a mere 700 refugees from Iraq, with a commitment to grant asylum to another 7,000.
The continuing violence in Iraq will create a second long-term refugee crisis in the Middle East. Is the international community prepared to cope with the consequences of such a crisis of mega proportions?
Editorial: A second, staggering Mideast refugee crisis
TOOLBAR
To add a comment,
Please log in:
Don't have an account?
Register now to comment on stories and stay up to date on important events and issues in the Middle East with our newsletter.