The Syrian Refugee Emergency: Humanitarian and Human Rights Perspectives

Panel Discussion with:

Dr. Jeff Crisp, Refugee Studies Center, University of Oxford

Dr. Zaid Eyadat, Political Science and Human Rights Institute, University of Connecticut

Dr. M. Anne Sa’adeh, Joel Parker Professor of Law and Political Science, Dartmouth College

Four and a half years after the Arab Spring generated unprecedented democratization protests in Syria and the outbreak of civil war, nearly half of the Syrian population has fled their homes internally or crossed borders to seek safety in neighboring counties. In 2013 the Council on Europe called Syrian refugees a “neglected refugee crisis” in Europe. In late 2015 the word “crisis” no longer seems adequate – both because of the protracted nature of the refugee exodus, its scale, and the lack of effective regional, European and global responses to provide just and durable “solutions” for Syrian refugees.

To compound the emergency, large numbers of displaced persons from Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and other countries affected by conflict in the past decade have also joined Syrians seeking refuge in Europe and the Middle East. This panel provides an opportunity to better understand the complexities of the “refugee emergency,” focusing on humanitarian and human rights obligations and actors as they attempt to build political and financial support for not only those displaced by war, but also those who remain within Syria.

This event is co-sponsored by Middle East Studies, HRI, Global Affairs, and Global House.

Missed the event? Read about it in The Daily Campus: Panel discusses fate of Syrian refugees at Konover Auditorium