Syrian Crisis, Syrian Refugees

Abstract

This chapter opens up on the premises of the Syrian refugee crisis, situating it within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional order. Doing so, it offers an overview of the socio-economic and political factors that led to the Syrian civil war and the massive displacements of populations beyond the Syrian borders. It argues that the crisis is the fruit of the regional turmoil and Syrian domestic politics, mainly the authoritarian regime of Assad. The silence of the regional actors, symptomatic of the regional disorder, led Jordan and Lebanon to cope alone with the refugee influx. Although exhibiting different domestic policies, both countries became largely reliant on the humanitarian support offered by the international community. Yet, humanitarian aid contributed to the burden of Syrian refugees, failing to strengthen the resilience of host communities.