Reflecting on Refugee Crisis is an Eye-Opener
Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective
- October 29, 2015
Over the past few months, media outlets have presented dramatic scenes of desperate people trying to reach Europe by embarking on flimsy boats in Turkey and Greece, crossing barbed wire fences in Bulgaria and Hungary, catching rides in overcrowded trains in Macedonia and sleeping in public squares in Serbia and elsewhere.
But millions of refugees find themselves in Middle Eastern countries like Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon.
This is hardly the first time Europe and the Middle East have experienced mass migration. And all of the migrants in these two regions are but a small proportion of the total number of migrants across the globe.
Locals are divided: While some greet the refugees with water, blankets and toys, others utter ugly words, emphasize their own economic vulnerability or simply turn their eyes away.
In this podcast, join guests Theodora Dragostinova, Robin Judd and Steven Hyland as they discuss today’s refugee and migrant crisis in not only Europe, but in the Middle East, too—all within the much larger context of global migration history.
*[This podcast was originally featured by Fair Observer’s partner, Origins.]
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.
Photo Credit: Zsirosistvan / Shutterstock.com
