Baroud in Japan Times: Honor Aylan Kurdi by ending the Syrian war
By Ramzy Baroud – Japan Times
[…] To put things in perspective, one only needs to marvel at these numbers:
Syria’s population is 17 million people, of whom 6.6 million are internally displaced in Syria itself and 4.7 million are refugees in the region (approximately 2.6 million in Turkey, 1.1 million in Lebanon, 637,000 in Lebanon, 245,000 in Iraq and 118,000 in Egypt); this is in addition to nearly 1 million seeking asylum in Europe, most of whom arrived on the continent atop small dinghies, and of whom thousands have died trying.
According to Mercy Corps, of the whole population, 13.5 million Syrians are in need of urgent assistance, as many have perished to death or are dying because of malnutrition and starvation.
There are two ways in which these numbers can be viewed: One, as a way to exploit them to score pitiful political points — as many, unfortunately, do. Another, as a way to recognize the hideousness of the war and unite all efforts to end it, with a dignified political settlement that recognizes that in a situation so exceedingly grim, there can be no winners. But that political settlement cannot be an exclusive political affair, of concern only to the great powers.
– Read more: Honor Aylan Kurdi by ending the Syrian war, Ramzy Baroud, Japan Times
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