Panel: Syrian Crisis from Field Experts
At a recent panel held at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, field experts with on-the-ground experience in war-torn Syria brought their perspective to bear when digesting the staggering human suffering faced by so many in the region and beyond.
“As much as half of Syria’s population is displaced, either within the country or as refugees to other nations. That’s a tragedy on a nearly unimaginable scale. Think of the city where you were born, and try to imagine half the people gone,” said Augustus Richard Norton, Professor of International Relations and Anthropology at the Pardee School. He was the moderator of “The Syrian Refugee Crisis,” held on Oct. 14. “Addressing a humanitarian crisis on this scale is an immense challenge.”
It is a challenge some international organizations are attempting to meet. “The Syrian Refugee Crisis” brought together three upper-level officials from Save the Children Syria; Health Program Manager Dr. Abdulkarim Ekzayez, Safety & Liaison Officer Ammar Kourany, (both natives of Syria) and Country Director Martha Meyers.
Before a packed house, Kourany attempted to convey the scale of devastation experienced by Syrians, as well as untangle the history of how the crisis became so severe.
“A full fifth of Lebanon is now Syrian refugees. While official government death tolls put the total slain at 250,000, I believe it is closer to 800,000,” Kourany said. “Before 2011, Syria had a beautiful mix of religions and cultures. When the revolution began, demonstrators called for freedom, and within the first year many were fighting for that goal in the Free Syrian Army. Now, hundreds of different groups are united under umbrella organizations like ISIS, which are well-trained and controlled according to the interest of foreign powers.”
Meyers further described the challenges of working in Syria and blamed the U. S. for not stepping up to support a peaceful resolution in the early days of the revolution.
“The biggest challenge of being in Syria is the sheer violence, especially indiscriminate air attacks. Additional problems arise from working with our host government in Turkey, which has an appropriately Byzantine bureaucracy and its own problems with civil unrest and Syrian migration,” Meyers said. “I’d be remiss, also, if I did not mention my own government. It’s a superpower, and in the early stages of the Syrian uprising it abrogated its responsibilities to support a peaceful settlement.”
Despite these challenges, as well as resistance from the still-powerful Syria government to cross-border aid groups, Ekzayez said there were success stories to laud.
“We are still able to deliver aid and try to help,” Ekzayez said. “Before the revolution, Syria was a middle-class nation with over 99 percent of its population having access to hospital services. But even today, Save the Children is able to support 80 schools, seven outpatient treatment centers, and deliver lifesaving childhood immunizations to prevent the spread of communicable diseases like measles and polio.”
Kourany, Ekzayez and Meyers participated in a question and answer session after their remarks.
The Pardee School is also helping to host a Drive for Syrian Refugees in conjunction with the Arabic Society of Boston University. Winter coats, bedding, feminine hygiene products and other supplies are being accepted at the Pardee School’s 154 and 156 Bay State Road locations through November 12. All items will be disbursed through local aid organization Nu Day Syria.
“The Syrian Refugee Crisis” was sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations, an affiliated regional studies center of the Pardee School, along with the BU Institute for Iraqi Studies, the Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies, the Carnegie Corporation and Save the Children.