Theories Explaining the Syrian Civil War & European Reactions to the Refugee Crisis

When attempting to understand the theory behind the European Migration Crisis it is essential to look at how the different actors in the crisis interact, and how their perceptions of war and peace are similar and how they are different. Take a second to recognize that a Syrian may support different theoretical explanations about the Syrian Civil war and the Migration Crises than a European or even an American.

Before attempting to explain the theory behind the European Migration Crisis I think that it is important to first understand the much larger issue at hand, the Syrian War. The Civil War in Syria has been going on now for several years and there is not an end in site. The power struggle among the Islamic State (IS), President Assad, and the rebel forces is bloody and unforgiving. Taking a realist perspective, the war is going to be ongoing until one of the fighting powers trumps the reset. According to realist theory each power is fighting to gain complete power and control of the government and land of Syria. Each party has ones own self-interest at mind and will do what it takes to achieve power. The likelihood that the different forces will reconcile and cooperate with each other is very unlikely; the state of nature is the state of war because without any institutions each party will act in their own self-interest and will go to war to achieve such self-interest.

Now taking a turn to look at the theory surrounding the migration crisis and the viewpoints of the countries that are part of the European Union. Decisions made by the EU exemplify motifs of liberal theory.   Nations built around the conception of liberal theory hold common beliefs such as people are equal under law, people should be guaranteed civil liberties, and the power of the legislature is invested in the people. The states of the European Union exemplify these elements of liberal theory among not only their citizens but asylum seekers as well. As the EU attempts to distribute the refugees equally amongst countries it shows that they are trying to share the love and make sure that one country is not burdened more than another. Furthermore the reactions of most of the countries in the EU exemplify liberal theory. The countries are taking in refugees for no reason but to help. Their actions are for absolute interest; they are giving the refugees a home as result of war in their previous home. While realists act only in self-interest the EU appears to cooperate with each other and with other nations and help with global issues such as the refugee crisis.

While it may be assumed that all countries part of the EU would have the same reaction to the civil war and the flood of migrants entering the country, that is not the case. Countries including Hungary and the Czech Republic have expressed opposition to accepting thousands of migrants into their country.   It appears as though these two nations relate more closely with the theory of neoliberalism. Like realist nations they have their self-interest at hand; they do not want to welcome thousands of migrants into their countries since it would not benefit them. It may be assumed that these countries would have greater desire to cooperate with the EU if accepting migrants had some sort of benefit for them in the long run.

Seeking Refuge in Europe

As a result of the current state of conflict in their countries people from Syria, Afghanistan, and other Middle Eastern and North African countries are seeking refuge in European nations. Hundreds of thousands migrants are making the long journey across the Mediterranean Sea to escape war and in hopes of a better life for themselves and their families. The journey that these migrants are making is neither an easy one nor a safe one. Journalists have reported may stories of disasters that are occurring as migrants attempt to traverse the rough sea in rubber rafts, putting lives in danger, in hopes that they can make it to safety. A tragic report about the drowning of a young Syrian boy made national news and brought to light the severity of the migration crisis.

The difficulties do not end for the migrants once they arrive in Europe. With such a high influx of migrants the European countries are feeling overwhelmed in regards to their space and resources. Countries are beginning to reach capacity for number of migrants that they can support. Overwhelmed with the quantity of people entering their countries, governments are beginning to shut down railways and roads, preventing more people from entering and gaining asylum.

At this time the European commission is attempting to fairly distribute migrants throughout Europe in efforts to provide some nations with relief. Countries including Greece, Italy and Germany have offered asylum to more than their share of migrants. The EU is attempting to gain control of the situation and redistribute refugees so that all countries are equally taking responsibility. Some countries are reluctant to provide asylum to more migrants however with more and more migrants entering Europe there may be no choice but to provide refuge for them.

As migrants continue to enter the EU it will be interesting to see future responses of the European countries to the floods of people looking for refuge. Will the EU be successful in redistributing migrants equally across the European nations? How will attitudes towards migrants change as weeks go by and more people continue to seek refuge?