It is hard to feel indifferent about the millions of refugees who have been displaced from their home country. However, national security and economics outweigh the needs of the Syrian refugees. Humanitarian assistance in the form of asylum or shelter to refugees may initially be viewed as a positive action; however, unfortunately, the result in many countries has been increasing economic challenges.

One example of a government that has faced economic challenges is Jordan. Jordan’s ability to absorb Syrian refugees has become a growing issue; hosting 500,000 refugees has already cost Jordan over ＄800 million since the Syrian War began, and unrest across the Arab world, particularly in neighboring Syria, has cost Jordan’s economy as much as ＄4 billion. In addition, the national interest of security within several countries is a huge concern with the increase in ISIS’s regional influence and recent attacks in Paris, along with other neighboring regions to the Middle East. According to Bloomberg, in France alone, “terror assaults at seven locations in the French capital left at least 127 dead.” The fear of any refugees potentially being connected with terrorist organizations hurts their ability to be accepted within countries or to obtain humanitarian assistance at all. The action of countries closing their borders is not based off of irrational thoughts, considering when CNN informed us on November 15th that an ISIS bomber was allowed to enter Germany by falsely identifying himself as a Syrian and by carrying false documents (i.e. emergency passports). Without proper approaches to identifying refugees from individuals related to extremists groups, and high national security overall, the threat of millions becomes a risk factor.

Furthermore, prioritizing humanitarian needs shifts the focus away from the regional war that refugees are fleeing from. By prioritizing humanitarian needs over the national interests of Syria (as a whole), we only allow for regional war and instability to increase. Unfortunately, addressing or removing the oppressed (i.e. the refugees) from these areas does not rid of the oppressive forces; rather this masks the conflict that has spawned this crisis. The main reason refugees leave, according to The Guardian, is that “inside Syria, the situation has continued to worsen, with fighting intensifying in all regions [sending] the economy, and services, in a state of general collapse.” Primarily focusing on humanitarian aid and assistance shifts the focus away from the issues between the Syrian rebels and the Syrian government. Although I am saying national interests should be prioritized over humanitarian needs, I am not preventing the influx of refugees. We first need to fix our national security before even thinking about taking refugees in to differentiate between refugees and terrorists.


<Kenny Um, Flintridge Preparatory School 9th Grade|>