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 regime hadn’t dropped barrel bombs; rebel shelling was rare. But as the years wore on, Syria’s war came closer, and 28-year-old Rawia’s life was filled with fear and uncertainty. When would she next eat? Would pro-regime gangs on the street decide she looked suspect?

One day not long ago, Rawia became one of the millions of Syrians who decided it …

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 …

We Need a Global Refugee Policy

The International Community Isn't Keeping Up With the Need for Humanitarian Assistance

Contrary to what you might think given the amount of attention focused on Europe’s response to the surging number of refugees knocking on its door, this crisis isn’t primarily a …