Why is the Syrian Refugee Crisis Different ?
Western Europe has been a sanctuary taking in refugees from around the world for the past fifty years. All Western European countries have minorities which originated from these groups, from Angolans in Portugal to Somalis in Sweden. These minorities tended to be small in number, have a clear destination which is welcoming them, come from a distant land, and have been viewed as “other”. But looking at Syria in the same light would be wrong. Syria is indeed a large, well-educated neighbour to Europe, with no clear partner, but with a population rich of many shared values and experiences. It is vital that Europe looks beyond its traditional paradigm to understand asylum seekers if it wants to understand the realities of the Syrian crisis.