In 2015, Europe received more than one million people into its 50-some countries, the majority fleeing from the Syrian war. The influx of people across multiple borders has strained world relations and raised serious security concerns in receiving countries.
With the movement of refugees throughout the world and the increasing terrorist attacks throughout the world, many countries are skeptical of allowing refugees into their country, leading to an increasing distrust of refugees and minorities.
The Syrian Civil War began in 2011, pinning supporters of current President Bashar al-Assad against moderate rebels wishing to oust Assad. The war became a global problem for multiple reasons, one of which is that two of the world’s largest powers backed opposing sides. The U.S.-backs moderate rebels while Russia backs Assad and his supporters.
The ensuing war that has continued violently for four years has brought news of capsized boats carrying hundreds of refugees and countries in the EU turning a blind eye to the migrant crisis, questioning how to handle the hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing war and weak economies.
Terrorist attacks have rattled Europe and the Middle East, bringing the EU together to discuss how to redistribute refugees throughout its 28 member countries. The issue has been persistent over the past year, leaving the world community still searching for a solution to this humanitarian and political issue.