Opinon: The EU struggles to place Syrian refugees

By Ines Kagubare     

It’s been more than five years since the Civil War in Syria began during the Arab Spring uprisings. Unlike other countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya who successfully overthrew their dictators, Syria has been unable to depose its current leader, Bashar al-Assad. Instead the revolt has led to a refugee crisis that’s now spreading throughout the region and across Europe.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

More than 1,000,000 refugees and migrants are currently seeking asylum in the European Union. Before I go on, let’s make a distinction between refugees and migrants. Refugees are fleeing their country of origin usually because of war or a natural disaster whereas migrants are choosing to settle in another country for economic opportunities.

Syrians make up one of the largest populations of refugees seeking asylum. Most of them are fleeing their country to escape the Assad regime and the ongoing violence caused by Muslim extremist groups like ISIS. According to Eurostat, “Syrians accounted for almost a third [of refugees] with 362,775 people seeking shelter in Europe, followed by Afghans and Iraqis.” According to the IOM, roughly 1,011,700 migrants arrived by sea while 34,900 arrived by land in 2015. Those arriving by sea usually cross the Mediterranean from Africa to Italy or Greece. While those arriving by land usually pass through Turkey from the Middle East to Europe. More than 3,770 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, according to IOM.

Syrian refugees strike in front of Budapest Keleti railway station. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

The European Union has tried to implement refugee-friendly policies that would make it easier for refugees to receive asylums. According to the BBC and Eurostat data, “Germany received the highest amount of new asylum applications (higher than any other EU nation) in 2015, with more than 476,000”. They were closely followed by Hungary and Sweden in numbers.

Although it seems that the EU is taking a step in the right direction in terms of helping refugees find new homes, they haven’t taken as many migrants as countries such as Italy, Greece, and Hungary. Since these  are the first nations where migrants arrive by sea and land, they have incurred more people hoping to find refuge than other countries. The EU is planning to relocate 160,000 migrants to some of its nations that have fewer refugees in order to lessen the burden of countries that have an abundance of them.

The new EU refugee policy hasn’t come without controversy or backlash from far-right groups across Europe such as Pegida, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West, who portray refugees and migrants as “invaders.” They believe that refugees settling in Germany will take over and destroy their culture. They have been very critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision of granting asylum to more than 100,000 refugees.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

As of 2015, the EU has granted 292,540 asylums to refugees mostly coming from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Global News Roundup: Jan. 4 – Jan. 10

By Shy Hardiman

1. Scores of People Die in Police Academy Bombing

Libya. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

60 people died after a bomb went off at a Libyan police academy on Thursday. 200 more recruits were injured by the terrorist attack, for which the Islamic State quickly claimed responsibility. Thursday’s event comes after a series of attempts by Muslim extremists to expand their presence in North Africa by exploiting the nation’s instability.

2. Chinese Stocks Doing Poorly in the New Year

Chinese trading room.  Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Chinese stocks plummeted on Thursday causing the economy’s shortest trading day in 25 years. The low stocks created international upset with share prices decreasing dramatically in Europe and other parts of Asia. China’s currency experienced a sharp devaluation in the midst of the stock dive, which has resulted in a lot of questioning of the market’s future.

3. North Korea Reports Use of H-Bomb

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Courtesy of Flickr.

North Korean officials said they successfully tested their first hydrogen bomb on Wednesday. According to statements released from the isolated country’s government, the H-bomb was created to protect against possible U.S. aggression. Speculation on whether the nuclear arsenal was in fact detonated or even exists has still not been confirmed.

4. Sunni-Shiite Tensions Continue to Grow

After Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic ties with Iran, tensions between the two countries continued to grow on Monday. Saudi officials released a statement warning that they would cease air travel and trading with Iran. The rift came after the execution of a Shiite cleric by Saudi authorities and will persist, according to Saudi officials, until Iranians stop sending fighters to stage attacks.

5. Possible Drug-Gang Connection in the Murder of Mexican Mayor

Gisela Mota, the mayor of the Mexican city Temixco, was killed on Sunday, just one day after assuming office.  Two suspects were killed in connection with the murder, and three others, including a minor, have been taken into custody. Mota’s death comes in the wake of multiple murders of Mexican officials in territories that are heavily populated with drug gangs.

 

Global News Roundup Dec. 6-Dec.12

By Katie Johns

1. COP21 Climate Change Summit reaches deal to limit rise in global temperature

COP21 finally reached an agreement on climate change resolutions. Courtesy of Flickr.

On Saturday, nearly 200 countries reached a solution surrounding a global agreement on climate change. The goal of the environmental agreement is to reduce human-made greenhouse gas emissions. “A deal to attempt to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 2C has been agreed at the climate change summit in Paris after two weeks of negotiations,” according to BBC reporting.

This is the first time all countries involved have joined the pact to cut carbon emissions, which is both partly voluntary and partly legally binding. The measures in the final draft include:

• Cap greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible
• Reach a balance between sources and sinks of greenhouse gases
• Review progress every five years
• Keep global temperature increase below 2C [ 3.6F]
• Budget $100 million per year in climate finance for developing countries.

This is not the first time a deal has been attempted. In 2009, talks of a climate agreement failed in Copenhagen. Some say the rumor of imposing emission targets on countries was one of the reasons the deal failed. The latest negotiations avoid this regulation.

2. Saudi women to legally vote for the first time

 

Saudi women walking in the Faysali shopping center. Some women have expressed still having barriers to voting and registering as candidates for political office. Courtesy of Flickr.

979 women candidates and 130,673 women voters registered for the Saudi Arabian municipal elections for the first time on December 12. In addition to being able to vote, women were also allowed to run for office in the nation’s elections. Some of these first-time voters reported a lack of registration centers and difficulties proving identities and residency, according to Human Rights Watch. Female candidates were also prohibited from talking with male voters and had to segregate in campaign offices. The elections will fill roles on local offices, which mostly oversee planning and development issues. 5,938 men ran for election and more than 1.3 million men registered to vote.

Officials first proposed the right for women to vote in 2005, and in 2011, King Abdullah issued a decree saying women would be allowed to vote and register as candidates in the municipal elections. In 2013, he demanded that 20 percent of the seats in the Consultative Council be reserved for women, CNN reports.

3. Donald Trump calls to end Muslim immigration to the U.S.

Donald Trump speaking at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this year in Maryland. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump released a statement denouncing the admission of Muslim immigrants into the U.S.

He called for “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” The Atlantic reported. This statement comes shortly after President Obama’s plea for the nation to “reject discrimination” against Muslims. Trump’s proposal angered many, including fellow Republicans. Jeb Bush tweeted about Trump becoming “unhinged,” and Ted Cruz followed with a milder retort, simply saying that he did not share the same ideals as Trump.

Although he is not the only GOP candidate calling for Muslim immigration restrictions, he poses the most extreme limits. Both Cruz and Bush have suggested allowing only Christian refugees enter the U.S. Trump also stated that anyone belonging to the Muslim community should be considered a potential threat. The proposed ban would apply to more than just immigrants. Tourists and business travelers would be banned from the U.S. as well as Muslim-American citizens traveling out of the country who are trying to return home, Time reported.

4. Third Paris attacker identified

The Bataclan theater in Paris was the site of terrorist shootings in November. The third attacker was identified this week. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

This past week, authorities identified the third attacker of the Bataclan and Paris shootings. On Nov. 13, 2015, 90 people died during the attacks in the Bataclan in Paris, and the death toll rose to 130 as the attacks moved to the streets of the City of Lights. Previously, two attackers had been identified: Omar Ismail Mostefai, 29, and Samy Amimour, 28. Foued Mohamed Aggad, a 23-year-old man from Strasbourg, France, and a French army reject, was identified as one of the attackers through DNA testing. About two weeks ago, Aggad’s mother received an English text message saying that her son died as a martyr on Nov. 13, which a common way for ISIS to notify families of casualties. After receiving the text, she gave police a DNA sample, which showed that one of her sons was killed in the Bataclan. According to reporting from The Guardian, Aggad went to Syria with his brother and friends at the end of 2013. Most of Aggad’s friends and his brother, Karim, were arrested three months after their return to France. Two members of the group were killed. All three attackers involved in the November Paris attacks were killed, two by suicide vests and one by the police.

5.  At least 34 dead in Burundi capital following military attacks

A map of Burundi, an African country under much political tension. Recently, attacks have taken to the streets of the country’s capital, Bujumbura. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

At least 34 people were killed in Burundi overnight Friday. Most of the deceased bodies were found lain out in of the country’s capital, Bujumbura, after militia stormed the area with guns. Residents are accusing police of taking revenge after military sites were attacked Friday, killing at least 87 people, eight of whom were security forces. “Unrest has plagued Burundi since an attempted coup in May and protests over the president’s continued rule,” according to BBC reporting.

Police spokespeople say the victims killed were behind the attacks on government installations. Since April, at least 240 people have been killed, and 200,00 have fled to neighboring countries. Some are concerned that this violence is stirring a return of the violence seen during the Hutus and Tutsis tension. The catalyst of the protests began in April when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his campaign for a third term in office.

 

Global News Roundup Nov. 16-21

By Shy Hardiman

1)   A hostage standoff at a hotel in the Malian capital of Bamako ended on Friday after several hours. At least 20 people are believed to be dead and more than 100 hostages were rescued, some of whom suffered injuries. The Blue Radisson hotel where the attack occurred is located in an opulent neighborhood of Bamako and frequented by foreign nationals and diplomats. No information has been released connecting this incident with the ISIS-led attack in Paris earlier in November.

2)   The suspected leader of last week’s Paris attacks is believed to have died during a police raid outside the French capital on Thursday. Extremist Abdelhamid Abaaoud’s death comes in the wake of several raids that police have been conducting in an effort to capture the terrorists responsible for the Paris attacks that killed 129 and left more than 350 wounded.

Pedestrians walk down a busy street in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris where alleged ISIS attack ringleader was killed. Courtesy of WIkipedia.

3)   32 people died and another 80 were injured in a blast at a market in Nigeria on Tuesday. The suspected perpetrators are terrorist organization Boko Haram who sparked international upset and the #BringBackOurGirls movement after claiming responsibility for the kidnapping of 273 Nigerian school girls last year.

4)   A newborn was declared Guinea’s last known Ebola case on Monday. More than 11,000 people have died since last year during the West African Ebola outbreaks. Doctors are monitoring the child—whose mother died of the disease—and anyone who recently came into contact with him. Sierra Leone and Liberia were declared Ebola free earlier this year.

President Obama. Courtesy of Flickr.

5)   On Thursday, after representatives from the White House announced that President Obama had plans to veto a bill being pushed by the GOP, the House passed it. The bill enforces intensive security screening for refugees immigrating from war-torn areas. Several Republicans across the nation have expressed concern that the terrorists involved in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks were allowed access into France because they were disguised as Syrian refugees.

6)   France carried an airstrike over a city in Syria on Sunday. The bombing came just two days after terrorist group ISIS attacked seven different locations in Paris. French authorities targeted the Syrian city of Raqqa because it’s home to a jihadi training camp and an ISIS munitions dump.

Tim Nowak of World Trade Center St. Louis teaches importance of global perspective

St. Louis by night. Photo by Daniel Schwen.

By Katelyn Metzger

Featured image by Daniel Schwen

“Growing Global: Preparing for a Cross-Cultural Career” was the third event in the MU International Center’s International Education Week, which took place from Nov. 17-21. Guest speaker Tim Nowak is a Mizzou alumnus who currently serves as executive director of the World Trade Center St. Louis.

At the seminar on Nov. 19, Nowak first discussed how he got into international trade. After going on a business trip to Asia, he saw that St. Louis had a need for increased global interactions. He said that cities must appeal to the world in order to build job opportunities because they serve as a magnet to draw people in.

He also said that volunteering in Africa, where he educated a small village for a year, helped him realize the importance of global communications and gain an understanding of global differences. Without going to Kenya, he said, he would not be working in international business today. Nowak said that he was “challenged, but rewarded” through his experience in Africa.

He reminded everyone that the world, as a whole, is a global economy and that anywhere you go, whether it is Columbia, Missouri, New York City or Tokyo, that city is part of the global economy. To learn from this system, you must appreciate it.

Nowak’s advice to students was to take advantage of study abroad and volunteer opportunities that MU has to offer. He also wanted to remind students that even though they have a plan in life, unforeseen events will happen. He said that it is okay to stray from the path because it helps you find yourself in the end.

“New Boy” shows what it’s like to attend school in a different country

By Shy Hardiman

Although 10 minutes minus the credits, director Steph Green’s “New Boy” was the topic of an almost hour long panel discussion facilitated by the MU International Center last week.

The film features a young african boy on his first day at a school in Ireland after violence in his native country forced him out of Africa. At his new school, Joseph, at first, struggled with making friends and he also had recurring flashbacks of time spent in Africa with his father before he was murdered due to the violence.

Ultimately, Joseph was able to find common ground with some of his peers that had initially bullied him and he became a little more vocal by the end of the film.

“Sometimes we underestimate those initial alliances,” said Astor Villamil, MU assistant professor of the Department of Communications.

While Joseph had found himself at the center of attention for two bullies, they fought, got in trouble together and that experience is what made them closer. The teacher throughout the film tried to get Joseph to open up about his peers bullying him, but her interventions actually made the boys closer as they found a common person to make fun of – her.

“As adults, we think we manage children’s experience. In reality, children have their own cultural order,” said Bill Kerwin, MU associate professor of the Department of English.

The teacher didn’t mind that she took the brunt of Joseph and the boys’ jokes because she was able to see Joseph bond and be a little more extroverted.

Teachers like the one in the film know that going to a school in an entirely different country, can be challenging for students.

“I saw that he’s having to relearn a lot just to go through school and that’s what we see a lot with our students,” said Shelly Fair, coordinator of Columbia Public Schools’ English Language Learners program.

Fair helps teachers with creating effective English learning instruction for Columbia, MO’s 1,021 international students. Those students represent 57 languages and 110 of them are refugees from countries like Iraq.

Some of the students come from violent backgrounds like Joseph so teaching and getting them assimilated can be difficult, Fair said. The overarching message that came out of Monday’s discussion was to allow these international students to get used to their new country, new classroom and new people gradually.

“We are constantly promoting using native language and inviting family,” Fair said.

Surviving the Rwandan Genocide

Consolee Nishimwe’s recollection of her fight against “The Killers”

by Shy Hardiman

Trigger warning: discussion of genocide, rape, sexual assault

Consolee Nishimwe’s father was well known locally. He was a schoolteacher, a father and a husband. Nishimwe was only 14 when she heard of his death, and the young teenager was grief-stricken.

source: consolee.com

Her father had been killed by Hutu soldiers during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. She came to MU April 5 to share her tale of surviving what has been considered one of the most horrific mass killings in history.

“Giving a testimony was very hard for me. It took many years,” Nishimwe said of the horrific event.

She vividly describes the way the “Killers,” as she refers to the Hutu soldiers, murdered her fellow Tutsis. The Killers would hit people atop the head with long wooden sticks that had nails on the end.

Although Nishimwe had been in contact with her immediate family when the genocide first broke out, she didn’t know where her extended family was. Her parents were scared and many people fled trying to evade the danger.

“No matter what, we stick together,” her mother and aunt had told her.