Germany Is No Stranger to Refugee Crises

The Country's Current Reaction to the Influx of Newcomers Suggests that Lessons from the Past Have Been Learned

“If we now have to start apologizing for showing a friendly face in response to emergency situations, then that’s not my country.” With these words, German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended her decision to open Germany’s borders to tens of thousands of war refugees from the Middle East stranded in Hungary. Her words reflect a widespread attitude in German society today. The pictures of locals gathering at Munich’s main station to welcome refugees have gone around the world. Germans have also rushed to support organizations that care for refugees, donating …

What Syrian Refugees Offer the West

Having Ignored Syria's Plight for so Long, Europe Has One Last Opportunity to Care

She came from a safe city, at least by Syrian standards. Tartus is a government stronghold and home to a Russian naval base. Unlike in Aleppo, Homs, and Idlib, the …

Why We Shouldn’t See Refugees as Huddled Masses

Media Images Portray Displaced People as Speechless and Without History

In recent months, the news media have broadcast striking images of refugees that prompt sympathy and assistance from well-meaning individuals and charitable organizations, and can even help persuade governments to …

The Refugee Crisis Is Not Temporary

The Ongoing Flow of Displaced People Requires Greater International Cooperation

Last month, an image circulated online of a small, lifeless boy in shorts and a t-shirt, face down in the surf at a beach in Turkey. He was the 3-year-old …

Europe Cannot Be Run From Berlin

As Issues Like the Refugee Crisis Continue to Affect the European Union, Its Members Still Struggle to Find Solidarity

Since the euro crisis began, it is has become commonplace to speak of a “German Europe” emerging from it. In one sense, the description is apt: As the largest creditor …

How Ordinary Hungarians Stepped Up to Help Refugees

We Couldn't Remain Indifferent to State-Sponsored Inhumanity

On that first day in June, I stood in a Budapest train station with half a dozen people I didn’t know, wondering if I had the skills or stamina to …