Syrian challenges of the 21st Century

Syria is a country that is currently experiencing several different challenges. The Middle East region is expected to experience an increasingly changing climate, where rising sea surface temperatures will cause an increase in incidences of drought and extreme heat waves. This changing trend has already been examined in the three-year drought that crippled Syria’s rural farming population from 2006 to 2009 and led to increased tensions in Syria’s urban centers that escalated in 2009 to the ongoing conflict in Syria. In addition, this past summer the Middle East experienced a debilitating string of heat waves that caused temperatures to rise staggeringly, reaching 120 degrees for eight days straight in the Iraqi city of Basrah, with some cities experiencing feels-like temperatures of up to 164 degrees in Iran, and as high as 159 in Iraq. But perhaps the most prominent challenge facing Syria in the 21^st century stems from the civil war they are engaged in.

               Syria has been involved in the ongoing civil war for over four years now. The conflict has been continually escalating, and there are now more than ten actors participating in it. It is estimated that the Syrian government only controls about 30% of the country’s territory, although because those territories include some of Syria’s largest cities, the government still controls a majority of the population. The rest of Syria is divided between the Islamic State, Kurdish forces, and the rebel forces. This division of control means that the front lines of the conflict exist all throughout the country, and often in cities in which forces want to take or maintain control. The fighting within the country has effected the civilian population the most. More than half of the country’s population has been displaced because of the conflict, often being left with nothing but the clothes on their back as entire cities are leveled. Of the over eleven million civilians displaced, more than four million have fled the country as refugees seeking asylum from surrounding nations. About half of the Syrian refugees are children, who as a result, have been forced out of school and now have little or no access to an education. 

Syrian refugees stream into Iraq's Kurdistan Region.

               The way countries have approached the refugee crisis has been diverse. Some countries have accepted refugees with open arms, while others have closed their borders to them. However, the overall response has not met the growing needs of the refugees. Many of the wealthiest countries in the region have refused to take in any refugees, leaving others to pick up the slack. Turkey, which shares a border with Syria, has accepted more refugees than any other nation, and has housed nearly half of those who have fled the country. But as more people flee the warzone and refugee camps become overcrowded and underfunded, some are taking greater risks to reach areas where they believe they will be safe and able to live normal lives again. Unfortunately, nearly all the countries who are taking in refugees across the Middle East and Europe are already overcrowded and lack funding, while many others simply refuse to accept the refugees. This means an increasing number of Syrian citizens are risking the lives of their families to seek a better and safer life, only to be met with resistance. As of early September, 2015, an estimated nearly 3,000 refugees have died this year alone on their journey across the Mediterranean Sea to seek asylum, while many others have perished on land routes. The current approach to the refugee crisis is lacking in nearly every aspect to accommodate the flow of people throughout the region. The crisis is not expected to slow down in the foreseeable future, and with Syrian refugees only representing a portion of refugees worldwide, the way we approach these crises will be a defining challenge of the 21^st century the world over.