The State of Syria: A Tearful Past and an Empty Future

It has been five years, three weeks, and two days since the first shots were fired on peaceful protestors in Damascus, Syria. Half a decade of continuous warfare has led to over three hundred thousand deaths and 4.4 million refugees. With the numerous factions that are fighting within the borders of “Syria” it’s hard to see the end of this civil war soon. Meanwhile, Islamaphobia has gripped the hearts of most countries of the west, pushing the governments of the European Union to further walk the path to the right. The Islamic State has continued to terrorize the citizens of Syria and of the world with its military might, ruthless executions, and senseless slaughter. Syria has had a tearful past and is looking towards an empty future.

We can all hope that the war in Syria soon subsides. I don’t think anyone you speak to about the current Syrian Refugee Crisis would say otherwise. But there is this false notion that as soon as the war is over, the refugee crisis will disappear. The notion that somehow all refugees will instantly return from the countries that have granted them asylum back to Syria. The infrastructure and government of Syria lies in rubble right now. The entire nation has no centralized support system for its citizens. Yet there is this expectation from European countries that they will leave, willingly or through deportation. A country does not recover as soon as the war is finished and even when it is nearing this several year process, it may experience a rise in unemployment due to infrastructure jobs not being needed anymore. Syrian families are extremely hesitant to return to a nation that has been warped with both Islamic terrorism and extremist values. Even though the fall of the Islamic State is inevitable, ISIS is not just an organization, it is also a belief system. For example, after the Nazis lost in World War II, Nazism still existed and exists to a certain degree today. Ideology and belief may still linger until it is viewed as absolutely irrational.

The issues of family structure and the children of Syria are what’s most worrying. 1.1 million Syrian children are refugees. 75% are under the age of 12. All they know is war and all they are going to recount as their childhood memories will be the Syrian Civil War. This level of isolation and insecurity that comes as a byproduct of the war is leading to deep psychological scars. Since the children have to work at the places they seek refuge, they are often subject to child exploitation and assault. Wherever they turn, they see no comfort. Their families are often spread extremely thin in the amount of resources they can provide. Furthermore, these children have nor received proper education for half a decade. There is now an entire generation, the generation that will inherit what is left of Syria, who lack the basic education to rebuild it.

Syria is a painfully complicated issue. The amount of issues it poises are countless while the death count continues to rise. It seems like Syria has become so large of a problem that we just sit on the sidelines and wait for it to solve itself. But just because the future for Syria seems empty, that doesn’t give us the luxury or right to idly stand by. Though I do not have a straightforward answer or plan to fix Syria, I know that I must continue to piece together of what once was a great nation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/justin-curmi-/the-future-of-syria-ii_b_9228906.html

http://unhcr.org/FutureOfSyria/executive-summary.html

http://www.globaldashboard.org/2013/08/27/seven-scenarios-for-the-future-of-syria/