Alternative Voices on the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Jordan – An Interview Collection. Ramallah: RLS, Nov. 2015. (original) (raw)

The Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Short Orientation

2021

RCIS Working Papers present scholarly research of all disciplines on issues related to immigration and settlement. The purpose is to stimulate discussion and collect feedback. The views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of RCIS. For a complete list of RCIS publications, visit www.ryerson.ca/rcis

Syrian Refugees in Jordan: Confronting Difficult Truths

Civil war in Syria has caused a refugee crisis in neighbouring Jordan, raising the latter's population by at least 8 per cent. For Jordanians, the highly visible presence of many thousands of refugees living in their midst -mostly in urban areas, rather than camps -has raised fears over competition for resources and opportunities.

Syrian Refugees in Jordan: a Reality Check

Migration Policy Centre, 2015

As of February 2015, over 622,000 Syrians had registered with UNHCR in Jordan. The protracted nature of the Syrian crisis has been dramatic: both the Syrian refugees themselves and the host communities in Jordan are paying a high price. Further political and economic deterioration may follow as the number of refugees is simply too great for Jordan to deal with. The EU and its member states have been actively involved in responding to the Syrian crisis both in political and humanitarian terms. The European approach has primarily consisted in providing support to the countries bordering Syria, in order to contain the crisis within the Middle East. However, as of 2014 and early 2015, worrying changes in the Jordanian Government’s attitude towards Syrian refugees show how such an approach is becoming unsustainable.

Syrian Refugees in Neighboring Countries: A Complex Predicament with No Immediate Solution

LUGARIT, 2024

This article analyses the Syrian refugee crisis in neighboring countries, emphasizing the complex political, economic, and social dynamics that hinder sustainable solutions. It explores the Syrian regime's reluctance to facilitate the return of refugees, the regional challenges faced by host countries like Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, and the limited influence of international actors such as the European Union. The article argues that addressing the refugee issue in isolation is futile without a broader political agreement and highlights the potential for localized solutions to improve conditions for refugees and host communities. The Syrian refugee crisis is depicted as a multifaceted challenge that remains unresolved, requiring concerted efforts for meaningful progress.

Preliminary thoughts on the Syrian refugee movement

New Perspectives on Turkey, 2016

While forced migration has, in many ways, defined global history, Syria's recent experiences with forced migration will, in time, prove to occupy a unique place. The cruelty of the war and of the Syrian refugee movement, circulated through media images, has exposed the near bankruptcy of not only the national but also the international refugee protection system. The current migration flows have carried all the tensions and conflicts in the Middle East into Turkey, at a time when responses to demands for more democracy have been met with political repression in the west of the country and military repression in the east. The preliminary significance of this conjuncture for Turkey is clear: the state must rethink and reconfigure its relations with the groups that were once part of Ottoman geographies, as well as those ignored since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey. The various groups arriving from Syria-Kurds, Assyrians, Turkmens, Armenians, and Yezidis-carry with them varied contentious political histories. Thus, refugees may be initially classified as Syrian, but may then subsequently be grouped as either "friend" or "enemy" along lines of ethnicity and/or religion. 1 This calls for a more textured analysis of Syrian refugee flows to Turkey, which is currently missing. This commentary aims to offer some preliminary reflections on the Syrian refugee crisis. First of all, we have to note that the tragedies of the Syrian refugee flow and its aftermath have exposed the limits of organizations both international, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The Struggle For Life Between Borders: Syrian Refugees

2013

The data regarding the camps and refugees in this report have been obtained entirelyfrom institutions such as the Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Turkish Red Crescent and the Office of the United Nations High Commissionerfor Refugees (UNHCR). Thefieldwork has been independently carried out by USAK. The results of the opinion polls and the interviews cannot be used without obtaining authorization.

Syrian Refugees in Jordan and Lebanon: between Refuge and Ongoing Deprivation? Sept 2016

Jordan and Lebanon have both generously received refugees from Syria since the outbreak of the crisis in 2011. Of all neighbouring countries they host the largest number of Syrian refugees relative to their overall populations. Yet after years of relative openness new regulations have made entry and movement more difficult while making lives more precarious. Syrian refugees have also been severely affected by funding shortages in the global humanitarian response. The resulting squeeze has led to an increasing sense of despair and many have attempted to leave both countries. The situation, however, is arguably worse in Lebanon than it is in Jordan. Syrian refugees in Jordan have experienced glimpses of hope since the February 2016 donors conference, which promised to facilitate their access to the labour market. This article introduces some parallels, as well as notable differences in the way the Syrian refugee crisis has evolved in both countries, particularly over the course of 2015-6.