The Human Face Of Syria's Civil War
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-01-14/human-face-syrias-civil-war
Particularly harsh winter weather is making life worse for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees. The International Red Cross called their plight a "staggering humanitarian disaster." As the Syrian civil war goes on and on, every day 3,000 new refugees flee to camps and villages in neighboring countries. Those over-burdened border nations, as well as aid groups, are begging for more resources. On the diplomatic front, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remains defiantly entrenched as international efforts to end the bloodshed stagnate. Diane and her guests talk about the human side of Syria's civil war.
Guests
Anne Richard
assistant secretary for the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
Panos Moumtzis
regional Syrian refugee coordinator for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
Deborah Amos
NPR correspondent, back from a recent trip to Syria.
Comments
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Surprised you have no Syrian on the panel. Would be important to say what the people themselves have to say.
Hi Diane,
My name is Amanda Beck, and I am an attorney working at a small non-profit called the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project. We help some of the millions of Iraqi refugees, displaced by the Iraq War, resettle in the United States.
One of our concerns is the estimated 1 million Iraqi refugees who fled their own country in recent years and took shelter in Syria. Now trapped in the Syrian civil war, these Iraqi refugees feel that they have no place to go: They cannot return to Iraq, which is still very dangerous and where they were persecuted before. But they also feel unsafe staying in Syria, a country that is disintegrating.
My questions for you and your guests are: What dynamics have you seen developing between the populations of Iraqi and Syrian refugees in the country? And how has the presence of nearly 1 million Iraqi refugees -- already in Syria -- complicated UNHCR's response to the new refugee crisis generated by the Syrian civil war?
Thanks for your attention to this important issue.
No disrespect to your guests, but how is this America's problem? We have enough to deal with within this country, and whe have poured money for years into this region with no return except more terrorist attacks and more hate for America.
At best this is a UN problem, but more importantly this is a regional problem. As with the Palistinian problem, this can only be solved by the neighbors, the wealth neighbors such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Turkey. Instability in Syria is no threat to the US, but is a threat to the above countires. Even Israel should be interested in stability in Syria. It is not our problem and we should not get involved in any way.
Question for all three panelists.
What fuels are the refugees and the internally displaced persons using for cooking and heating water. How are they obtaining these fuels? If UNHCR and USAID are providing fuel, how much is this costing?
Pat McArdle
Arlington, Virginia
We know that the Syrians are in a tragic moment in history where they are dying in unbearable numbers, are suffering horrendous injury, and have been displaced from their homes. I appreciate every ounce of aid the US is giving, but there are so many people who would like to come to their families in the US where they have full support systems and want to move on with theirs and their children's lives. Why doesn't the US give Syrians refugee status and help refugees come into the US? Why is it such a struggle to help Syrians immigrate to the US, more than any other group of people, even when the potential immigrants have huge support systems here in the US? I know we can't help every Syrian, but we can help in the area of immigration much more than we are.
The US is having problems finding work for those who are here already, and is only interested in taking in more if they have needed technical or professional skills, or have funds to pay for their education.
In the long run it is up to Syrians to resolve their own problems. Unfortunately, in most revolutions there are many who want real change, but many others who just want to switch places with the tyrants and become the new dictators.
My question to your panel was what kind of fuels are people using and how are they obtaining these fuels.
I was puzzled by the non-answer that Panos gave about the IDPs in Syria.
Here's what he said, "Inside Syria it's much more difficult--there's a lot of resilience and creativity. There's a strong feeling of dignity and respect and a tremendous solidarity of everybody helping one another."
This does not answer the question.
Thank you for this report and discussion. I am a Lebanese-American born and raised in Zahle, the capital of Beka'a valley. It ached my heart to hear about the harshness of conditions for the Syrian refugees due to the snow; the element we used to await every year for play and sliding along- Hearing the children's laughter and comments about holding hands and dancing to warm up reminded me of how pure and innocent they are, just like the snow, and gave me the strong urge to make a visit there soon, to carry coats, gloves, blankets and toys for these children, and remind all my friends and colleagues to do whatever they can to reach them.
Dear Diane,
I wanted to echo what your guest, Panos, said about the exceptional generosity of people in the Middle East, who are now taking in Syrian refugees.
I experienced this years ago as just a tourist in Syria.
In 2000, I left my bag--containing the equivalent of $200 in cash, my passport, and ATM card--in a taxi in Damascus.
I was frantic. Everything was in that bag. Without it, I was in an authoritarian state with no documentation and no money.
I called a friend in Jordan, who tracked down the taxi driver, who lived in Jordan.
The taxi driver had given the bag to his family in Damascus to keep for me.
I later went to their apartment in a low-income area of Damascus to collect it.
The family had about 15 people living in two or three rooms. They invited me in for tea and gave me the bag. Everything was there, untouched. They would not accept the cash as a reward, even though the money would have been a fortune to them.
After we had tea, they invited me to dinner, and even offered for me to stay with them.
I was so moved by their selflessness and kindness.
I also felt that they were intrigued with me, as an American. I often found that in the Middle East--that Arabs like Americans very much, even if they often don't like the policies of the American government.
The United States should be taking advantage of that as part of an effort to help the Syrians, and win hearts and minds while doing it. As Deborah suggested on the show, we should be providing more visible, direct assistance to Syrians--such as food.
Thank you.
Margo MacFarland
That's a wonderful story, Margo. And next time, instead of a bag, you should carry all of your important stuff in a fanny pack. You might forget a bag, but you'll never forget your fanny. :-)
Excellent panel of guests and discussion of a complex topic. I was particularly impressed with Panos. I know there's a lot going on domestically, but it's always nice when the DR show turns to the world. My heart goes out to refugees and I am grateful that we are not as insulated as we once were from the suffering of others. There are a lot of good journalists out there working under difficult circumstances.
Hi dian
I am 41 year old woman orig from Syria , i been in USA for about 25 years, i love USA it is my second home , when i was at work yesterday january 18 2013 , i was picking up one of our Veteran's Residents because i work for the state of NJ and i work with the military, i love every minute of it. I heard you talking about what is going on in Syria , i just want to open every one's eyes on important thing and that is the ( lack of knowledge ) a lot of american have , and from Syrian woman's point view the whole truth is twisted , My Syrian President is not even close what everyone is saying about him , he is intelligent man I dont know if any of you knows that he is a doctor , he is well educated person and so his wife , i want to make one thing clear is that he is not the one who is killing his people nor his regime , i want to tell you that my whole family still there in Syria and i had brother was kidnapped by the terrorists and the regime that your saying he is killing his people their the one who freed my brother with 300 hundreds other people were kidnapped , i wish i can be on your show to say everything i have to say and i really want you to give me the opportunity to do so , i feel sad for the lack of knowledge a lot of people have , and an advice not everything you get from information is true i really wants you or you could send someone to talk to the Syrian people around and get their opinions , once again i like your show but i want you guys to be open about the information that will be delivered to you before you broadcast it . thanks mariam