{"id":289,"date":"2022-10-08T23:14:54","date_gmt":"2022-10-08T23:14:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/?post_type=chapter&p=289"},"modified":"2022-11-04T01:51:12","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T01:51:12","slug":"civil-wars-and-refugee-crises-in-the-middle-east","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/chapter\/civil-wars-and-refugee-crises-in-the-middle-east\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 2. Civil Wars and Refugee Crises in the Middle East"},"content":{"raw":"In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, civil wars broke out in several Middle Eastern countries.\u00a0 Atrocities committed in wars fought in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and other places have created a huge refugee crisis, as civilians fled in fear for their lives.\u00a0 It is estimated that between four to seven million refugees have come from Syria alone.\r\n\r\nJordan, Turkey and Lebanon have been the main recipients of these refugees.\u00a0 Even with financial assistance from the UN and Western governments, the presence of so many refugees strains the capacities of these governments to respond.\u00a0 Other refugees are internally displaced within their own countries.\r\n\r\nCivil War in Syria<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nProtests began in Syria in connection with the Arab Spring in March 2011.\u00a0 They were violently suppressed by the government and escalated into armed conflict within a few months.\u00a0 Multiple factions were involved with the conflict, including secular leaning Sunni groups as well as Salafi jihadist groups.\r\n\r\nAt different times, rebels were supported by Turkey, the Gulf states, and the United States.\u00a0 The government forces of Bashar al-Asad were supported by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah.\u00a0 The increasing prominence of radical Islamists such as ISIS soured most Western countries on supporting the rebels. Meanwhile, consistent support from Asad\u2019s allies, in connection with the effective use of divide and conquer tactics has led to a victory by the Asad government.\r\n\r\nIt is estimated that between 300,000-500,000 people have been killed in the conflict.\u00a0 According to the Christian relief organization, World Vision the Syrian civil war has produced more than 6.8 million refugees with another 6.9 million displaced within Syria.\u00a0 The largest numbers of Syrian refugees are in Turkey and Jordan.\u00a0 12 million Syrians are designated as food insecure, with 5.8 million children in need of humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs.\u00a0 As the Syrian war draws to a close, many refugees remain afraid to return home for fear of retribution from the Syrian government.\r\n\r\nCivil War in Libya<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nCivil war broke out in the oil rich country of Libya in connection with the Arab Spring.\u00a0 NATO support for the rebels in 2011 led to the defeat and death of Muammar Khaddafi, who had ruled the country as a dictator for over 40 years.\r\n\r\nLibya disintegrated into competing forces, each of whom grabbed its own region to serve as a base.\u00a0 Tripoli is ruled by the Government of National Accord (GNA), which has been recognized by the UN but only controls a small portion of the country.\u00a0 The GNA is also backed by Turkey, Qatar and Italy.\u00a0 Another group, which calls itself the Libyan National Army (LNA) is backed by Russia, Egypt and the Gulf States.\u00a0 The foreign powers send weapons, drones, and mercenaries.\u00a0 Ongoing atrocities create more casualties and displaced people.\u00a0 Many Libyan refugees have immigrated to Tunisia and Egypt.\u00a0 It is thought that perhaps 1\/3rd of the population of Libya has been displaced by the war.\r\n\r\nA peace treaty signed in October 2020, leading to the establishment of an interim government in March 2021, offers hope that the conflict may finally be nearing an end.\r\n\r\nCivil War in Yemen<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nYemen is another country that experienced civil war following the Arab Spring.\u00a0 Yemen has a history of civil war and division dating back to the 1950s, but it had functioned under a united government since 1990.\r\n\r\nFollowing the fall of president Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012, a Zaydi Shi\u2019ite group known as the Houthis captured the capital of Sana\u2019a in September 2014.\u00a0 Government forces, supported with troops and weapons from a coalition of Sunni countries led by the Saudis, sought to dislodge the Houthis.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Iran sent support to back the Houthis.\u00a0 The presence of Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Yemen, along with forces loyal to former president Saleh, only serves to complicate matters.\r\n\r\nThough the Saudis initially predicted a quick victory, the conflict has bogged down into a stalemate.\u00a0 According to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor (see article linked below), \u201cAbout 23.4 million Yemenis (73% of the population) have become dependent on humanitarian aid.\u00a0 The military operations had caused the internal displacement of 4.3 million Yemenis by March 2022.\u00a0 About 40% of them are living in unofficial displacement camps and do not have adequate access to basic services.\u201d\r\n\r\nPolitical Unrest in Iraq<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nOngoing political unrest and sectarian struggles in Iraq has led to a large number of refugees into neighboring countries in the nineteen years since the US invasion.\u00a0 The Watson Institute from Brown University (see article below) estimates \u201cAs of 2021, 9.2 million Iraqis are internally displaced or refugees abroad.\u00a0 The refugee crisis has impacted both Iraqis who fled and the communities they left behind.\u00a0 Engineers, artists, lawyers, academics, doctors, and other professionals were among the first to escape the war.\u201d\u00a0 Many of these refugees live in neighboring countries such as Jordan.\r\n\r\nIn addition to the refugee crises mentioned above, there remains the continuing problem of Palestinian refugees in multiple countries around the world.\u00a0 These ongoing refugee crises not only create considerable human misery and deplete their former countries of valuable human resources, but they also create an economic burden and other problems for the host countries to which they flee.\r\n\r\nThe articles linked below discuss the problem of refugees in the modern Middle East.\u00a0 The first two articles are the ones cited above on Yemeni and Iraqi refugees.\u00a0 The third link is from the UN Refugees Agency's global report on the Middle East and North Africa.\u00a0 The last link is to an article by the Middle East Institute from Oct 2021 entitled \"Addressing the Refugee Crisis.\"\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/reliefweb.int\/report\/yemen\/displacement-yemen-overview-enar#:~:text=About%2023.4%20million%20Yemenis%20(73,adequate%20access%20to%20basic%20services<\/a>\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/watson.brown.edu\/costsofwar\/costs\/human\/refugees\/iraqi#:~:text=As%20of%202021%2C%209.2%20million,first%20to%20escape%20the%20war<\/a>\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/reporting.unhcr.org\/globalreport2021\/mena#:~:text=2021%20Situation%20overview&text=By%20the%20end%20of%202021,internally%20displaced%20people%20(IDPs)<\/a>\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/www.mei.edu\/publications\/addressing-refugee-crisis<\/a>","rendered":"

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, civil wars broke out in several Middle Eastern countries.\u00a0 Atrocities committed in wars fought in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and other places have created a huge refugee crisis, as civilians fled in fear for their lives.\u00a0 It is estimated that between four to seven million refugees have come from Syria alone.<\/p>\n

Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon have been the main recipients of these refugees.\u00a0 Even with financial assistance from the UN and Western governments, the presence of so many refugees strains the capacities of these governments to respond.\u00a0 Other refugees are internally displaced within their own countries.<\/p>\n

Civil War in Syria<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Protests began in Syria in connection with the Arab Spring in March 2011.\u00a0 They were violently suppressed by the government and escalated into armed conflict within a few months.\u00a0 Multiple factions were involved with the conflict, including secular leaning Sunni groups as well as Salafi jihadist groups.<\/p>\n

At different times, rebels were supported by Turkey, the Gulf states, and the United States.\u00a0 The government forces of Bashar al-Asad were supported by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah.\u00a0 The increasing prominence of radical Islamists such as ISIS soured most Western countries on supporting the rebels. Meanwhile, consistent support from Asad\u2019s allies, in connection with the effective use of divide and conquer tactics has led to a victory by the Asad government.<\/p>\n

It is estimated that between 300,000-500,000 people have been killed in the conflict.\u00a0 According to the Christian relief organization, World Vision the Syrian civil war has produced more than 6.8 million refugees with another 6.9 million displaced within Syria.\u00a0 The largest numbers of Syrian refugees are in Turkey and Jordan.\u00a0 12 million Syrians are designated as food insecure, with 5.8 million children in need of humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs.\u00a0 As the Syrian war draws to a close, many refugees remain afraid to return home for fear of retribution from the Syrian government.<\/p>\n

Civil War in Libya<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Civil war broke out in the oil rich country of Libya in connection with the Arab Spring.\u00a0 NATO support for the rebels in 2011 led to the defeat and death of Muammar Khaddafi, who had ruled the country as a dictator for over 40 years.<\/p>\n

Libya disintegrated into competing forces, each of whom grabbed its own region to serve as a base.\u00a0 Tripoli is ruled by the Government of National Accord (GNA), which has been recognized by the UN but only controls a small portion of the country.\u00a0 The GNA is also backed by Turkey, Qatar and Italy.\u00a0 Another group, which calls itself the Libyan National Army (LNA) is backed by Russia, Egypt and the Gulf States.\u00a0 The foreign powers send weapons, drones, and mercenaries.\u00a0 Ongoing atrocities create more casualties and displaced people.\u00a0 Many Libyan refugees have immigrated to Tunisia and Egypt.\u00a0 It is thought that perhaps 1\/3rd of the population of Libya has been displaced by the war.<\/p>\n

A peace treaty signed in October 2020, leading to the establishment of an interim government in March 2021, offers hope that the conflict may finally be nearing an end.<\/p>\n

Civil War in Yemen<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yemen is another country that experienced civil war following the Arab Spring.\u00a0 Yemen has a history of civil war and division dating back to the 1950s, but it had functioned under a united government since 1990.<\/p>\n

Following the fall of president Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012, a Zaydi Shi\u2019ite group known as the Houthis captured the capital of Sana\u2019a in September 2014.\u00a0 Government forces, supported with troops and weapons from a coalition of Sunni countries led by the Saudis, sought to dislodge the Houthis.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Iran sent support to back the Houthis.\u00a0 The presence of Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Yemen, along with forces loyal to former president Saleh, only serves to complicate matters.<\/p>\n

Though the Saudis initially predicted a quick victory, the conflict has bogged down into a stalemate.\u00a0 According to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor (see article linked below), \u201cAbout 23.4 million Yemenis (73% of the population) have become dependent on humanitarian aid.\u00a0 The military operations had caused the internal displacement of 4.3 million Yemenis by March 2022.\u00a0 About 40% of them are living in unofficial displacement camps and do not have adequate access to basic services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Political Unrest in Iraq<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ongoing political unrest and sectarian struggles in Iraq has led to a large number of refugees into neighboring countries in the nineteen years since the US invasion.\u00a0 The Watson Institute from Brown University (see article below) estimates \u201cAs of 2021, 9.2 million Iraqis are internally displaced or refugees abroad.\u00a0 The refugee crisis has impacted both Iraqis who fled and the communities they left behind.\u00a0 Engineers, artists, lawyers, academics, doctors, and other professionals were among the first to escape the war.\u201d\u00a0 Many of these refugees live in neighboring countries such as Jordan.<\/p>\n

In addition to the refugee crises mentioned above, there remains the continuing problem of Palestinian refugees in multiple countries around the world.\u00a0 These ongoing refugee crises not only create considerable human misery and deplete their former countries of valuable human resources, but they also create an economic burden and other problems for the host countries to which they flee.<\/p>\n

The articles linked below discuss the problem of refugees in the modern Middle East.\u00a0 The first two articles are the ones cited above on Yemeni and Iraqi refugees.\u00a0 The third link is from the UN Refugees Agency’s global report on the Middle East and North Africa.\u00a0 The last link is to an article by the Middle East Institute from Oct 2021 entitled “Addressing the Refugee Crisis.”<\/p>\n

https:\/\/reliefweb.int\/report\/yemen\/displacement-yemen-overview-enar#:~:text=About%2023.4%20million%20Yemenis%20(73,adequate%20access%20to%20basic%20services<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/watson.brown.edu\/costsofwar\/costs\/human\/refugees\/iraqi#:~:text=As%20of%202021%2C%209.2%20million,first%20to%20escape%20the%20war<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/reporting.unhcr.org\/globalreport2021\/mena#:~:text=2021%20Situation%20overview&text=By%20the%20end%20of%202021,internally%20displaced%20people%20(IDPs)<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.mei.edu\/publications\/addressing-refugee-crisis<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-289","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":155,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":432,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/289\/revisions\/432"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/155"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/289\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=289"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=289"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ulib.csuohio.edu\/religionsofmiddleeast1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}