JuliaRowell

TREK12
5/16/16
IntroductiontotheNetherlands:Currently,thenumberofrefugeesandasylumseekershave
dramaticallyincreasedworldwide,duetotheSyriancivilwar.Theunstablecountryhasdriven
itscitizensoutward,beyonditsboundaries,leaving11.3millionpeoplewithoutahome.Manyof
thesepeoplehavefledtoEuropeannations,includingtheNetherlands(Netherlands).Refugees
oftencrosstheAegeanSeatogettotheNetherlandsfromGreece,adangerousvoyagethathas
killed3,700overthelastyear(DutchPlan,2016).Inadditiontoriskingtheirlives,onceinthe
Netherlands,refugeeshavetogiveup75%oftheirbelongings,whilewaitingforacceptanceinto
acountrywithoneofthestrictestbordersintheEuropeanUnion(NetherlandsClaimed,2016).
IntroductiontotheNetherlands:WhiletheNetherlandshasintegrated35%ofasylumseekers
intoDutchsociety,thecountrysimplydoesnothaveenoughspaceforall47,500applicants(A
Record8,400).TheNetherlandsstanceonrefugeesiscurrentlychangingfromgenerallyopen
borderstoanalternativeplanthatgoesineffectinspring.Underthisproposal,boatsship
refugeesdirectlytoTurkeywhentheyarriveintheNetherlands,inordertopreventpeoplefrom
makingthevoyageinthefirstplace,andtodiffusethemassivecrowdsgatheringinsheltersand
onthestreets(DutchPlan,2016).TheNetherlandshasdonetheirpartinthepastinaiding
refugees,buttheyhavereachedtheirphysicalmaximum,andthereforecanonlydonate
resourcesinthefuture.
TheCrisisinSyria:AlthoughtheSyrianrefugeecrisisbeganin2011,thisissuehasdeep
historicroots.IntheaftermathofWWII,theBritishandFrenchgovernmentsdividedupsections

oftheMiddleEasttorulethroughadocumentlabeledtheSykesPicoAgreement.Theirplandid
notgoastheyhoped,asthemiddleeasternstatesrebelledagainstthedivisionsandrulings
placeduponthembythewest.Thisturmoilisstillexperiencedtoday,withtheUNoccupying
partsoftheMiddleEastinordertocontroloilaswellastooffersomemilitarystability,and
residentsfiringbackattheirrule(Freedman,2016).
CrisisinSyria:Inadditiontothisinstability,thedynasticlikerulerofSyrialeadsa
governmentthepeopleoppose,ultimatelyinstigatingthecivilwarwhenlawofficialstortured
childrenforminoroffenses.Whencitizensreactedwithpushbacktowardsthegovernment,the
warbegan.Inaddition,withISIStryingtorecruitrebelsandviolentlyenforcingtheirbeliefs
uponothersinmanypartsofthecountry,Syriaisbecominganunsafeandunpredictableplaceto
live.Thisforces4.8milliontofleethecountry,andinternallydisplacesanother6.5million.
(Freedman,2016).
TheNetherlands:Becauseofthewar,manySyriansandnativesofregionsaroundSyriahave
fledtoEuropeinhopeoffindinghomesoreventemporaryshelters.Refugeesaredrawntothe
Netherlandsbecausetherearehumanitarianresourcesthere,suchasrefugeecampsand
governmentassistance,aswellasachanceofobtainingasylum(MixedFeelings,2016).It's
alsoagenerallysafenationbecauseofitsstability,asitisapartoftheUNandisgeographically
closertoalotofWEIRDcountries,andfurtherfromcountriesofperilsuchasSyria.Butit'ssafe
geographiclocationthatalsomakesthejourneyfromSyriaachallenginganddangerousonefor
therefugees.TheAegeanSeaisfullofcriminalsandnaturaldangers,andthetrekthroughthe
continentofEuropeislongandcoveredinroughterrainandweatherconditions.Yet,somany

refugeesthinkthatthejourneyisworthit(DutchPlan,2016).Andcomparedtoconditionsin
Syria,itis.
ProposedSolutions:TheresponsibilityofhelpingrefugeesisinthehandsoftheNetherlands.
Notbecausetheconflictisdirectlytheirfault,orbecausetheyhaveto.No,theyshouldhelp
refugeessimplybecausetheycan.Andtheyhave:theNetherlandshasaccepted47,500
applicantsandshelteredmanymore(ARecord,2015).Butthey'rerunningoutofroom,and
officialshavecomeupwithaplan.TitledtheLabourPartyProposal,thisplaninvolvessending
refugeesstraighttoTurkey,andinexchangetheEUwillaccept250,000numberofrefugees
everyyear.Butcriticsevenfromthefarrighthavebeenspeakingupaboutthefaultsinthe
proposal,statingthatthisonlymovestheissuetoanothercontinentandthatitiscostlyto
forciblytransportalotofpeople(DutchPlan,2016).
ProposedSolutions:Iagreewithbothofthosecomplaints.Weneedalongtermsolution,and
thatisnotit.Butunfortunately,thatisalltheNetherlandsiscapableofdoingatthismoment.We
proposeeditingtheLaborPartyProposalbysendingtherefugeestoEuropeancountriessuchas
GermanyandFrance,asthisremovestheTurkishmiddlemanandlessensexpenses.Myplan
doesnotdiscouragerefugeesfrommakingthedangerousjourneytotheNetherlandsthough,
whichiswhywewilluseapercentageofthefundscurrentlyusedtorunrefugeecampstosend
EuropeanpatrolontotheshoresoftheAegeanSeatoaidrefugees.Wehopetomakethejourney
toEuropeassafeandeasyaspossibleforrefugees,whilewealsorecognizethatwedohave
limits,andthereforecan'thousemanymorepeople(MixedFeelings,2015).
Conclusion:AsaWEIRD,butsmall,country,theNetherlandsisdoingitspartinsolvingthe
refugeecrisisbydonatingresourcestootherlocationsthathavethecapabilitytohouserefugees.

Thisisanexampleofwhatallcountriesshouldbedoing:findingtheirstrengthsand
supplementingtheirweaknesseswithassetsofneighboringnations,whilesharingtheirown
advantageswiththeworld.Whilethistypeofcommunicationislengthy,timely,andergoless
immediatelyeffective,itistheonlywaytofindalongtermsolution.Ofcourse,ifeverynation
couldworkascollaborativelyasthis,thenwewouldn'thavetherefugeecrisisinthefirstplace,
buthavinginternationalmeetingsarethefirststepsinfiguringoutthishumanitariandisaster.We
allneedtoputmoneyandtimeintofindingasolution,becausewearealloneglobalcommunity,
andweneedtotakecareofourown.

References

Arecord8,400refugeescametotheNetherlandsinSeptemberDutchNews.nl.(2015).
RetrievedMay23,2016,from
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2015/10/arecord8400refugeescametothenetherland
sinseptember/
DutchplanseekstoferryrefugeesbacktoTurkey.(n.d.).Retrievedfrom
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/netherlandsplanferryrefugeesturkey1601281706123
35.html
DutchrefugeepolicyisoneofthetoughestinEuropeDutchNews.nl.(2016,February04).
Retrievedfrom
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2016/02/845032/
EUResettlementNetwork.(n.d.).RetrievedMay23,2016,from
http://www.resettlement.eu/country/netherlands

Freedman,D.(2016,May20).LecturepresentedatTREKClassinDrakeHighSchool,San
Anselmo.
MixedfeelingsintheNetherlandsasmigrantscometoEurope|GRI.(2015,September15).
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Netherlands.(n.d.).RetrievedMay23,2016,from
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e48eca6.html
Netherlandsclaimedmorethan500,000fromrefugeesinfouryears.(2016,January25).
Retrievedfromhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/25/netherlandsclaimed500000
fromrefugeescostofliving
NetherlandstoImmigrants:LearnDutchorFearDeportation|TIME.com.(n.d.).RetrievedMay
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