For Refugees, Home Is a Place Called Never

Having Fled Sarajevo as a Child, I Find It Hard Telling Syrians There Is No Going Back

I recognized Basel immediately when the shot cut to a group of refugees standing in the rain, and he turned to look briefly at the camera. I was at home a couple of months back watching a Sky News report showing Syrian refugees wading through muddy water and being pushed by Croatian border police, an embarrassing image of Europe’s refugee policy. It was chilling to recognize a person in such a tragic scene.

Basel had owned a bakery in the heart of Old Damascus, and he rarely charged me for my …

By Dragana Kaurin | January 4, 2016

Hey, Californians: Let’s Side With the Refugees, Not the Terrorists

Our Fellow Victims of Terrorism Need a Home, and Our Home Needs Them

By Joe Mathews | December 23, 2015

On a Saturday night after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, a plastic replica hand grenade was left in the driveway of Baitus Salaam Mosque in Hawthorne, a municipality near …

Invite Tunisia to Join the European Union

In North Africa's New and Struggling Democracy, EU Membership Could Make All the Difference

By Daniel Schily | December 21, 2015

Tunisia, welcome to Europe—if you still want to join us.

Four years ago, in Germany’s newspaper for intellectuals, Die Zeit, the prominent author Gero von Randow called for Tunisia to be …

Learning in the Midst of a Humanitarian Crisis

In Its Struggle to Respond to a Massive Surge of Refugees, the EU Needs a More Collaborative and Global Approach

by Joe Mathews | October 23, 2015

Europe’s current refugee crisis offers many good examples for how to better deal with the 19 million refugees around the world—and a host of hard lessons about mistakes to avoid, …

What Does the Refugee Crisis Mean for the European Ideal?

This Should Have Been the European Union's Finest Moment

By Andrés Martinez | October 21, 2015

Refugees cling to crowded boats and cross borders by train and by foot, unsure of whether they will be met by unyielding force or warm empathy. It’s as if history …

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

By Gregor Thum | October 21, 2015

“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 …

Get More Zócalo