December 8, 2006
THE WHIP HAND:
Uneasy Havens Await Those Who Flee Iraq (HASSAN M. FATTAH, 12/07/06, NY Times)
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated in a report released last month that more than 1.6 million Iraqis have left since March 2003, nearly 7 percent of the population. Jordanian security officials say more than 750,000 are in and around Amman, a city of 2.5 million. Syrian officials estimate that up to one million have gone to the suburbs of Damascus, a city of three million. An additional 150,000 have landed in Cairo. Every month, 100,000 more join them in Syria and Jordan, the report said.In a report released this week, Refugees International, a Washington-based advocacy group, put the total at close to two million and called their flight “the fastest-growing humanitarian crisis in the world.†Its president, Kenneth Bacon, said, “The United States and its allies sparked the current chaos in Iraq, but they are doing little to ease the humanitarian crisis caused by the current exodus.â€
Every night, hulking orange and white GMC Suburbans and sedans pull into the taxi garage in downtown Amman stuffed with Iraqis and their belongings, adding to the growing social problems they pose while fueling growing fears that Iraq’s sectarian tensions will spill over here.
As Iraq seems to disintegrate into warring factions of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, the risk that their dispute will be transferred here and increase local social problems is frightening the authorities.
You'd have to be as smart as the Realists not to realize that the Sunni regimes need us more than we need them and that it is we who should be demanding concessions if they want to help stabilize Iraq. Posted by Orrin Judd at December 8, 2006 8:07 AM
They'v managed to survive with millions of Palestinian refugees for decades. What they want and need most is for us to leave the Middle East so they can revert back to the status quo: you know, that whole stability thing.
There is absolutely no reason for Syria and Iran to talk to us when the MSM, UN, Democrats, et al are doing the job for them.
Posted by: Rick T. at December 8, 2006 8:43 AM“the fastest-growing humanitarian crisis in the world.†Humanitarian crisis? What crisis? Tens of millions of illegal and legal aliens stream into the US every year, we call it immigration. A total of 2 million, in 3 years, over the greater middle east and they call it a crisis.
It is about time for these countries to take care of their "brothers". If enough Iraqis emmigrate, then may be these countries would like to help them stabalize their country.
Posted by: ic at December 8, 2006 2:27 PM