Refuge 34-94 Reading Journal

The start of this section covers the UNHCR's attempts to adapt their methods of aiding refugees to present day circumstances, as well as the many shortcomings of those attempts. Next, several European policies, such as opening the borders of the Schengen area, are discussed and provide a framework for how the current refugee crisis came to be. Then, the authors examine the responses by European countries to the sudden influx of refugees, and the domino effect ramifications of those responses. Finally, the political, religious, and cultural causes of the conflict in Syria and the Middle East are detailed.

1. A common theme in this section is unintended consequences. How should policy decisions regarding refugees be made to prevent unintentional harm?

2. Several problems arose in this section when European countries agreed on policy in theory, but applied those policies very differently from one another in practice. Should global standards for policies, such as who is recognized as a refugee, be enacted?