Blog Post #1: What is the most pressing issue in world politics today?

The Syrian refugee crisis has been one of the most important events in our shifting global political scene over the past decade; specifically, the effect it has had on European countries’ immigration policies. As more than five million Syrian refugees fled their country to escape civil war, migration policies have been re-examined to address the new needs of asylum seekers streaming across the European Union. Coordination between countries has been lacking, leaving millions of refugees stranded at camps and borders, violating the 1951 Refugee Convention. Many countries have refused to take in more at their borders or follow through with transfers from out-resourced countries. The European Commission has brought legal proceedings upon sovereign states who have taken in less than a dozen refugees while claiming overpopulation and a lack of resources.

Immigration systems have begun to shift away from evidence-based policies and have left those running from war, starvation, and persecution without any support or refuge. Solidarity between European nations has essentially disappeared in the light of this crisis, which has made resource sharing a thing of the past. The entire crisis could have been lessened if bureaucratic red tape and xenophobic feelings had been left out of the political conversation. The reactions to the influx of immigrants and asylum seekers have ultimately changed Europe’s institutions of migration and left millions out in the cold without any sense of security or hope.

The pre-existing reluctance to provide humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees has intensified to the rise of anti-immigrant rhetoric. This new political dialogue has led to dramatic shifts in policy making and has led to conservative wins in Germany and the UK. This issue is significant as every country should be able to step up and take in those who are escaping war or persecution, even if it means restructuring the systems that have been in place for centuries. Governments should amend their policies to meet the needs of the time, to meet the evolving demands resulting from global conflicts. Many of the European countries that have taken in refugees have failed to initiate programs that will help refugees settle into their new home, receive proper medical care, social services, and job training. A successful immigration system in Europe will require two things first and foremost: putting into place new guidelines for asylum seekers and creating community programs to help refugees adjust to their new home without losing the richness of their cultures.