Social Sciences Essay: Is There A Clash Between Syrian Identity And German Identity Is Adaptation Possible?

Is There A Clash Between Syrian Identity And German Identity Is Adaptation Possible?
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Is There A Clash Between Syrian Identity And German Identity Is Adaptation Possible?
Introduction
It has been ten years since war broke out in Syria. So far, more than 400,000 Syrians have died, according to the Human Rights Watch (2017). Millions of people have also been displaced in the country, and a significant number has been forced to flee the country. But how did the war start? In 2011, the Arab Spring offered a flicker of hope for many Arab countries. The success of the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia motivated others to fight for change within their borders. Syria is one of the countries where the citizens sought a change in leadership and political ideals. So, in March of 2011, peaceful protests started in the country. These protests were partly because of the detention of 15 boys who were found writing graffiti showing support for the Arab Spring. Instead of negotiating or finding peaceful ways to negotiate with the protesters, Bashar al-Assad’s government responded by killing hundreds and imprisoning others. In July of the same year, the Free Syrian Army emerged, which was mainly composed of defectors from the Syrian Army. This rebel group started to fight the government with the aim of overthrowing Assad. However, Assad refused to back down, and there began a war that continues to take lives even as the world has been fighting COVID-19.
Over the years, the Syrian War has attracted a lot of international attention and involvement. For example, Russia has been offering military aid to Assad’s regime with claims of fighting the Islamic State. Regionally, Iraq and Lebanon have supported Assad’s regime while Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have supported the anti-government rebels. The U.S. has also been involved in the war but in support of the rebels as well, especially the Kurdish group. Israel is also another country that has been carrying out airstrikes in Syria as well. For the most part, Syria has become a global stage of the war. Many of the warring factions seem to forget the casualties and the displaced families whose lives are forever disrupted. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2018: 14), Syrian refugees were as many as 6.7 million. The figure below shows the countries that have offered fleeing Syrians refuge within their borders. In Germany, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the doors for a significant portion of the Syrian refugees with Wir Schaffen Das’s words or We will make it. After saying these words, Germany went ahead to opened its doors for asylum seekers. Critics came out lashing at Merkel’s decision, and she almost lost her position because of the same. Her statement also divided Europe because her stance was different from that of other countries in the EU. However, even though her statement offered a lot of hope for the refugees, their stay in Germany has had its fair share of problems. The Refugees have had to deal with the language barrier, which limits their access to some of the resources available to them. Some have had to face racism that is directed towards them, and others are still trying their best to ...