The politicisation of the refugee crisis
Jeb Bush suggested taking in only Christian refugees while Donald Trump said all Muslims in US should wear ID badges
The writer has a Master’s degree in conflict-resolution from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California and blogs at http://coffeeshopdiplomat.wordpress.com
In the wake of the Paris terror attack, Republican presidential candidates immediately went on a rampage and called for the US government to stop taking in Syrian refugees. In contrast, the French government announced its plan to welcome 30,000 refugees next year, more than initially stated. In ironic fashion, as Americans prepared to celebrate a holiday based upon gratitude and sharing, more than 60 per cent of state governors swore to stop accepting Syrian refugees in their states. Thankfully, this is an area over which they have absolutely no constitutional authority.
Republican presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush suggested taking in only Christian refugees. The Republican front runner, Donald Trump, took a cue from the Nazis and recommended that all Muslims currently in the US should wear ID badges. Last week, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to suspend the programme allowing Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the US until key national security agencies certify they don’t pose a security risk. FBI Director James Comey expressed deep concerns over the bill and stated that this legislation would make it impossible for any refugee to enter the US.
President Obama has boldly responded to the actions of Congress by stating that he would veto the bill. He reprimanded the governors and other politicians, and stated that this rhetoric of hate and fear is a great recruitment tool for the Islamic State (IS). He added that there is no need to be scared of three-year-old orphans. Obama defended the US resettlement programme, established in the 1970s, which has resettled over three million refugees from war-ravaged countries. Since 2011, the US has accepted around 1,500 Syrian refugees — mostly widows, children and the elderly. Obama stated that “we are not well-served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic”. The US is slated to accept 10,000 refugees next year. It has to be remembered that none of the attackers in Paris were Syrian refugees, and that entering the US as a refugee is a painstaking process. Unlike Syrian refugees entering by the hordes in Europe, refugees allowed into the US have to go through an extremely rigorous process. Out of the four million Syrian refugees living in refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, the United Nations agency for refugees flags about 20,000 for consideration to be admitted to the US. If the application is accepted, the refugee is then interrogated by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Pentagon. As you can imagine, this process of interviews, background checks, investigations and so on, can take years.
Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese sought refuge in the US following the Vietnam War. America conceded that its role in the conflict obligated it to take in a portion of the persecuted population. In 1975, the US accepted 125,000 Vietnamese refugees, a number that eventually increased to 750,000. As former secretary of state Colin Powell once said, “You break it, you own it.” The IS is a direct consequence of the US invasion of Iraq and the subsequent dismemberment of the Iraqi army. The terror group was able to establish itself in Syria due to the civil war and the Syrians are caught between the IS, Bashar al-Assad’s pro-IS regime and international air strikes. The Syrian refugee crisis is the biggest refugee crisis of this generation and the US shouldn’t ignore its obligation.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2015.
Republican presidential hopefuls Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush suggested taking in only Christian refugees. The Republican front runner, Donald Trump, took a cue from the Nazis and recommended that all Muslims currently in the US should wear ID badges. Last week, the US House of Representatives passed a bill to suspend the programme allowing Syrian and Iraqi refugees into the US until key national security agencies certify they don’t pose a security risk. FBI Director James Comey expressed deep concerns over the bill and stated that this legislation would make it impossible for any refugee to enter the US.
President Obama has boldly responded to the actions of Congress by stating that he would veto the bill. He reprimanded the governors and other politicians, and stated that this rhetoric of hate and fear is a great recruitment tool for the Islamic State (IS). He added that there is no need to be scared of three-year-old orphans. Obama defended the US resettlement programme, established in the 1970s, which has resettled over three million refugees from war-ravaged countries. Since 2011, the US has accepted around 1,500 Syrian refugees — mostly widows, children and the elderly. Obama stated that “we are not well-served when, in response to a terrorist attack, we descend into fear and panic”. The US is slated to accept 10,000 refugees next year. It has to be remembered that none of the attackers in Paris were Syrian refugees, and that entering the US as a refugee is a painstaking process. Unlike Syrian refugees entering by the hordes in Europe, refugees allowed into the US have to go through an extremely rigorous process. Out of the four million Syrian refugees living in refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, the United Nations agency for refugees flags about 20,000 for consideration to be admitted to the US. If the application is accepted, the refugee is then interrogated by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Pentagon. As you can imagine, this process of interviews, background checks, investigations and so on, can take years.
Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese sought refuge in the US following the Vietnam War. America conceded that its role in the conflict obligated it to take in a portion of the persecuted population. In 1975, the US accepted 125,000 Vietnamese refugees, a number that eventually increased to 750,000. As former secretary of state Colin Powell once said, “You break it, you own it.” The IS is a direct consequence of the US invasion of Iraq and the subsequent dismemberment of the Iraqi army. The terror group was able to establish itself in Syria due to the civil war and the Syrians are caught between the IS, Bashar al-Assad’s pro-IS regime and international air strikes. The Syrian refugee crisis is the biggest refugee crisis of this generation and the US shouldn’t ignore its obligation.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2015.