The trajectory of peaceful demonstrations
in Libya and Syria has been
impacted by regime violence. The result: large populations of internally
displaced peoples (IDP's) have been created inside of those countries as well
as great numbers of refugees fleeing to bordering countries. Furthermore, the
revolutions of the Arab Spring have serious ramifications for already existing
refugee populations, notably the more than one million Iraqi refugees that have
settled in Syria
since 2006. The possibility of increased large-scale refugee movement from Libya and Syria will not only spur a
devastating humanitarian crisis, but could also further destabilize the region.
Considering that the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is already working with insufficient funds, Western
policymakers should pay attention to these imminent crises. One need only look
at the social and economic repercussions of the still unresolved predicament of
Iraqi refugees to see the urgency of keeping the current situations from escalating
into another protracted refugee crisis. The consequences of a prolonged refugee
situation could be dire, especially as many of the countries to which the
people are fleeing allow few -- if any -- rights, benefits, or protection for
refugees.
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